Enjoy:
The date was January 30th, 2007 - that is the day still lingering in Wizards fan’s psyche:
Highest scoring trio in the league - Check
All-star coach - Check
MVP caliber performer - Check
First place in the Eastern Conference - Check.
But something happened that day. Antawn Jamison may have walked under a ladder to avoid contact. Maybe Eddie Grunsfeld misplaced his rabbit’s foot after he disposed of his toothpick from lunch (consequently, it was the 5th pick he’d thrown away that day). Or maybe Gilbert Arenas owed a black cat from gambling debts. . . I don’t know. But I do know several knee surgeries, floundering talents, under-developing youngsters, and a gunfight or two later, here we are (and that's not even mentioning terrible rappers attending playoff games!).
But no more are the days of Michael Ruffin, Etan Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov. No, now there is a new hope…
The lottery ball dropped and the Wizards were granted the first pick in a draft when the best prospect was not an emotionally fragile power forward but instead it was a charismatic, ultra-talented point guard. There is no question that John Wall will be a good player in the NBA, but how good, how soon, and how will Washington avoid mistakes of the recent past? All of these things will play out over his early career. Let’s talk 2010-2011:
MOVES:
Between last year’s trade deadline and this past summer, the Wizards were like Eddie’s washcloth, they cleaned house. And with good reason! These were the attempts to patch the cracks - it was time for fresh bodies.
Out with Caron Butler, Brendan Todd Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson, Mike James, Dominic McGuire, Antawn Jamison, Shaun Livingston, Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Earl Boykins.
In with the aforementioned Wall, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin, Kirk Hinrich, Josh Howard, Al Thornton and Yi Jianlin. (Hilton Armstrong is on the team but he’s not an addition, he’s just there.
The roster is younger, hungrier, faster, and stronger. There is not as much individual talent on paper but a lot more upside and the potential for defense has returned to the Verizon Center.
HOLDOVERS:
Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Javale McGee and Gilbert Arenas.
A quick note about each…
* Blatche came on strong at the end of last year but Wiz fans are terrified of him. He’s been an inconsistent tease his entire career and we aren’t ready to excuse that for 20 & 8 on a team playing out the string. That said, he’s 6’11, athletic, skilled and 24. IF, note I said IF, he finally gets it and is ready to contribute on a nightly basis, he could be a very effective high post/low post scorer and a weapon in the East…IF.
* Young is only getting a note because I want to talk about the other 3. This guy is a horse who only knows how to saw a woman in half…he’s a one-trick pony. He can shoot if he’s feeling it and can go for 20 any given night but he offers no other positive outcomes on a basketball court and that’s why his minutes are so sporadic. Get better at other things!
* Javale McGee is a huge bright spot for this team. Although he came in the league raw, he has been developing his game around the basket and appears to be an ideal sidekick for John Wall. If he continues to fly towards the basket, finish strong, and work hard for blocks and rebounds as he did all summer, he has the potential to be one of the most improved players in the league (oh, and he’s 22).
* Gilbert Arenas, where do I begin? I won’t go on a diatribe about how hackneyed his quirkiness has become to fans in this area. But I will say he’s now #9 (changing from his former jersey number of #0), he now has a beard, and a darker personality... and no one cares. Can he help us on the court this season? Probably so, but only if he plays his role of spot up shooter, which he appears willing to do. Look for his scoring to decrease, his shooting percentage to go up, and his detriment defensively to ease as a shooting guard. Wizards fans who remember his rise will still want to see him do well and will warm up to him if he does, but make no mistake, the first sign of a realistic trade to move his contract will be greeted with open arms, no pun intended.
NEW GUYS:
Wall – John Wall!!!
Booker – Undersized power forward who bangs inside…meh
Seraphin – French. No idea what he can do yet.
Yi – Had a great summer for the Chinese team but needs to make strides this year in the NBA (playing near another Great Wall may help).
Hinrich – helped Rose develop in Chicago - now help Wall!
Thornton – Good scorer, would look solid as the backup small forward.
J. Howard – once his ACL heals (late November?), he should be able to help on both ends of the floor until a suitable replacement is found (ahem, Carmelo – wishful thinking I know).
There are other players on the roster but you don’t care about any of them, nor should you.
OUTLOOK:
It’s been said by many before me, but despite the acquisition of Wall, it will be hard to improve drastically so soon. However, this was an extremely promising off-season for the Wizards and combining it with one or two more, could land them in contention as Wall turns 22 or 23. Arenas needs to be dealt and the team needs to find out what Blatche, McGee, & Yi (I smell sitcom!) are really all about moving forward. Flip Saunders gets a mulligan for last year because a lot of things went awry that were beyond his control. But you’ve got young talent now, Flip; mold something!
This team will get out and run and be one of the funnest to watch in the NBA. They won’t stop anyone’s big men but they will get steals and score in transition. Outside shooting and development of the bigs are the main factors in how improved they will be this season. A 9th or 10th place Eastern finish is forward traction but an 8 seed is possible.
RECORD: 37-45
PLAYOFFS? Depends on how bad Jordan manages to make the Bobcats as the season progresses.
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Until next time,
JUSTIN
