2010-11 Season Previews: Washington Wizards

I'm a little teapot, short and stout, here is my handle, here is my spout.

The NBA season is fast upon us, so its time for the Pick and Scroll to begin previewing each team.  We're going to go in order from worst record to best. Yesterday was the Minnesota Timberwolves, and today we move on to the Washington Wizards, a team coming off a miserable year but with good reason to hope for a bright future.


2009-10 Record: 26-56
Additions: Ted Leonsis (Owner), John Wall (Draft), Kevin Seraphin (Draft), Trevor Booker (Draft), Kirk Hinrich (Trade), Yi Jianlian (Trade), Hilton Armstrong (FA)
Subtractions: Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Fabricio Oberto, Javaris Crittenton, Quinton Ross, James Singleton, Earl Boykins, Shaun Livingston, Cedric Jackson



Going into last season the Wizards were talking championship.  They finally had their big three of Arenas, Butler and Jamison together and healthy and they were looking to finally do some damage in the East.  Championship aspirations were probably too much, but many felt that they'd at least be somewhere in the playoffs from 4th-8th.  Instead the Wizards had one of the most miserable years in a long time, starting with a bunch of losing, continuing with the Arenas gun incident and subsequent suspension, and finally ending with a big roster dump that traded out most of the veterans for cap flexibility, as the Wizards fully committed to a rebuilding project.


Fortune favors the bold, and the Wizards got the #1 Draft pick and thus, John Wall, a super quick and athletic point guard that is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year.  Unlike their previous #1 pick in Kwame Brown, Wall is not a project, and looks to make an impact in Washington like Tyreke Evans did in Sacramento last year and Derrick Rose did in Chicago the previous year.  


The Wizards also made a few more deals to get younger and acquire talent.  They took on Kirk Hinrich's expensive contract in order to get the pick that would become Kevin Seraphin, who is a bit of a project, but one with a lot of potential.  The cost of acquiring him was high, especially since with Wall and Arenas in the backcourt, Hinrich is going to be the most expensive backup in the league, but he could end up being a good mentor for the team, as well as a future trade chip.  


Trevor Booker and Yi Jianlian also were acquired to bolster Washington's frontcourt.  Booker is an energy guy who the fans could end up loving, and Jianlian is a flyer on player who many feel still has potential.  I'm a little pessimistic about that happening, as he hasn't managed to break out in his first three seasons, but the cost to Washington is minimal, and if it doesn't work out, they don't have to extend him after this year.  If it does, the Wizards have another building block.


Returning players look to have a bigger impact for Washington as well, namely Andray Blatche and Javale McGee.  I'm not the biggest fan of Blatche and his me-first attitude, but he did have a breakout season in the 2nd half of last year and looks to be the future at Power Forward.  He can do a bit of everything, which is useful in a big man.  He's also on a very cheap contract for the next two seasons, so that helps the Wizards financial flexibility in the short term.  McGee is the player Wizards fans want to have a breakout season, as he oozes with potential, especially on the defensive end (he had a league leading 8.0% block rate last season. That's ridiculous, and it led the league).  I see him being the Tyson Chandler to Wall's Chris Paul, which proved to be effective in New Orleans.


Arenas will be back again as well, although the Wizards would probably move him if they could.  It's likely he'll end up starting in a backcourt with Wall this year, and how that works out remains to be seen.  Both players need the ball in their hands to be effective (Arenas has a career 28.1 Usage Rate), so it'll be up to Flip Saunders to work it out.  It could end up being a disaster, but it also could end up being the most dangerous backcourt pairing in the league.


This season might not have too many more wins than last year for Washington, but it will be one of hope and excitement for this fanbase.  I see many parallels to Washington's current situation and Sacramento's situation last year.  Will John Wall go for 20-5-5? Probably not (Its the rebounds, and points that would be toughest for him, but 16/4/6 wouldn't be too bad, right Wiz fans?), but his presence will reinvigorate the franchise and lead it to a better future.


Projected Win Range: 25-35