Wizards coach Jordan emphasizing defense in camp

	DeShawn Stevenson was signed by the Wizards to help improve their defense. David Liam Kyle/NBA via Getty Images
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One of the amusing aspects of the NBA preseason is hearing teams talk about defense. Every club, it seems, is going to crank it up this year and really put an emphasis on making stops and getting out on the break. Even the worst teams -- those with more holes than the U.S.-Mexico border -- are convinced during training camp that it's going to be different this time around.

Take the Washington Wizards.

No, they're not the worst defensive outfit in the NBA. Last year they ranked 23rd in field goal percentage allowed (.465), ahead of the Bucks, Knicks, Blazers, Hawks, Bobcats, Sonics and Raptors in that category. But of that group behind them, it's worth noting that only Milwaukee made the playoffs a year ago -- and the Bucks were the No. 8 seed. For a team with legitimate hopes of cracking the Eastern Conference elite -- such as the Wizards -- it's clear the defense has to improve.

So it's no wonder Wizards coach Eddie Jordan has made D the team's No. 1 priority during training camp.

"Defense, defense, defense," Wizards swingman Caron Butler said before his team's preseason game in Chicago last Wednesday. "That's been our focus all training camp. We're spending much more time on it in practice. We know we'll have no problem scoring this season. We've just got to stop people."

The Wizards know all too well the importance of being able to shut down the basket in crunch time. In last year's playoffs they dropped three games by a single point to the Cavs en route to a seven-game series loss. That followed a similarly defenseless playoff showing in '05, when they got swept by the Heat in the second round.

Hoping to avoid a three-peat in this year's postseason, the Wizards made three significant moves: They signed guard DeShawn Stevenson as a free agent, hired assistant coach Bill Berry and began making defense a priority at practice.

Stevenson, the 6-foot-5 former Jazz and Magic wingman, gives the Wizards a third solid perimeter defender to go with Butler and Antonio Daniels. Berry, a longtime assistant who was part of Rudy Tomjanovich's staff with the Rockets during their title days, also could help with his X's and O's. But the Wizards say the main thing this season is that they have committed to defense.

Jordan has spent more time on drills this training camp, according to players. He also has tweaked the scheme, with an emphasis on pushing the pick-and-roll baseline. The Wizards' perimeter players, especially point guard Gilbert Arenas, are being asked to gamble less on top and focus more on staying in front of their man.