If you follow me on twitter you know it is not a secret that I believe the Washington Wizards are terrible. It also is not a secret that if you follow the NBA for yourself you too will shortly realize this is not simply an opinion; the Wizards really do stink. Before I delve into player analysis and possible roster changes that need to take place, let us simply look at the shear raw facts of the Wizards dreadfulness.
The Bad:
Herm Edwards is famous for saying you are what your record says you are. Well, the Wizards are winners of one game and losers of 12, thats last in the division, last in the Eastern Conference, and last in the NBA. It does not stop there, the Wizards also rank 28th in the league in points per game, 21st in rebounding, 29th in assists(the clear problem with this team) and 23rd in points allowed(only because it takes them 22 seconds to get a shot off, thus shortening the game, otherwise they’d be more like 28th). Those numbers are collectively so bad that if the Wizards were a Premier League soccer team they would soon find themselves in the minor leagues. The Wizards also shoot a more than woeful 41% from the field and an even worse 28% from the 3-point line. It should not be a shock to anyone after looking at these numbers that the Wizards are 1-12.
So, what is the problem outside of the simple numbers? Selfish, uninspired, and lazy play, or as I like to call it; Andray Blatche, Nick Young, and Rashard Lewis. I have never in my life seen a more selfish basketball team; usually selfish is reserved for people who do not pass(this team has them), but it goes further then that. This team has an attitude of “that’s not my man, I don’t care if he scores” and “that’s a terrible shot, I’m not getting back on d”. I have never been more frustrated watching a team I do not care about or have a rooting interest in than this Wizards ball club. They are, in a word, unwatchable.
The Good:
1. Two, young, very talented players to build around: John Wall and JaVale McGee.
2. Only 2 bad contracts; Rashard Lewis(who can be amnestied anytime) and Andray Blatche who is signed through 2015 for an average of 7.52 million a year(not good, but not so bad someone won't take him)
3. Likely a top 5 pick in the 2012 draft(a highly talented draft) as well as 2 second round picks.
The Fix:
Here is the current Wizards roster as of 1/17/12.
PG: John Wall(team building block, number 1 pick in 2010)
G: Shelvin Mack(rookie out of Butler, from Lexington, KY)
G: Jordan Crawford(a hired gun, will shoot at anytime)
G: Roger Mason(solid defensively, spot up shooter)
G: Maurice Evans(ummm....played at Texas?)
G: Nick Young(high volume shooter, not much else, career 38% 3-point, career 1 apg)
F: Rashard Lewis(2nd highest payed player in the NBA, that’s enough)
F: Andray Blatche(25 year old with some talent, needs new start and attitude change)
F: Trevor Booker(plays very hard, tries to dunk everything)
F: Jan Vessely
F: Ronny Turiaf(big heart, literally)
F: Chris Singleton(rookie forward, could be defensive stopper)
F: Kevin Seraphin(ummmm....from France?)
C: JaVale McGee(the other building block, 23 years old, shot blocking machine)
C: Hamady Ndiaye(ummmm...went to Rutgers?)
Now that you have seen the roster in whole for the first time(why would you ever have looked at it before?) I will show you how it can be fixed. First and foremost, amnesty Rashard Lewis, why has this not been done already? Now, with all that money you just got off your books by cutting Lewis’ corpse, you fly immediately to China, you free JR Smith(free him, literally, his contact keeps him there till March) and pay him whatever he wants(John Wall needs a shooter to pass it to dang it!!). Thirdly, TRADE ANDRAY BLATCHE!!! This cannot be said enough, Wizards fans are sick of him and it is clear he is not going to change the way he plays the game. The good news for the Wizards is, there is a sucker in every crowd and the NBA is no different. Plus, Blatche has some talent(pick and pop guy, 6’11, 25 years old). The key here is not getting greedy, I say ship him to Milwaukee for Luc Mbah a Moute(signed through 2015, defensive minded/high energy) and a second round pick in 2012.
That trimmed some major fat, quickly. I would love to say trade Nick Young, but honestly, I do not know who would take him and according to hoopshype.com he is in the last year of his contract, so, you ride out the year and let him walk.
From here on it is all about the off season: Ronny Turiaf, the afor mentioned Nick Young, Roger Mason, Maurice Evans, Hamady Ndiaye, and Shelvin Mack are all free agents at the end of the 2012 season. I would resign two of these guys: Roger Mason and Shelvin Mack. As for trades in the offseason, I would find a way to get Jordan Crawford off my team, he is a talented player, but dribbles the air of the ball and causes spacing issues when he and Wall are in the game. I say, trade him for a future 2nd round pick or cash. After he has been traded I would replace him with Marco Belinelli(a 6’6 spot up shooter w/above average athleticism), who is in his last year with New Orleans. Then, after all four draft picks are signed one roster spot will be open for....Andre Miller. Miller is in his final year with Denver and is an excellent choice to teach John Wall the game, not to mention there will not be an ego problem because he is at the end of his career and will understand he is there to mentor and be a back up. Oh, did I forget to mention get rid of Seraphin? Well, now I just did, get ride of Seraphin, I do not care how.
After these decisions have been made, it is draft time, a time of the year where people like Bill Simmons(and myself) sit around and pray the Knicks or David Kahn have a high draft pick so we can rightfully crucify them, but not the Wizards, not this year. Assuming the Wizards finish with the worst record in league(more than likely) the will not get the first pick(worst team usually doesn’t), I will say they get the fourth pick. A good spot to be in this years draft, why? Likely the number 1 pick will be Anthony Davis(a player similar to McGee), likely 2 pick will be Andre Drummond(very raw, but athletic big man) and the possible 3 pick could be either Jeremy Lamb or Harrison Barnes; athletic wings,(Wiz have Singleton and JR Smith, don’t need a top 3 pick wing) are all bad fits for the Wiz. That leaves my man Jared Sullinger out of Ohio State there at the 4 spot. A power forward in a power forwards body(6’9, 265 according to espn.com) who can step 15-17 feet away from the basket and knock down jumpers, while also not being afraid to go inside and throw his weight around. He has also put up stellar percentage numbers this year; shooting 74% from the foul line, 43% from the 3-point line, and nearly 60%(59.7) from the field(Andray Blatche...39.7%)
Now, as I said earlier, this is a deep draft, and with the addition of the Andray Blatche trade the Wizards will have three second round picks. According to nbadraft.net these are some names that will be available: Quincy Acy(undersized PF, amazing athlete out of Baylor), Robert Sacre(7 footer from Gonzaga with back to the basket game), JaMychal Green(Bama), Herb Pope(Seton Hall), Dee Bost(Miss. St), and Festus Ezeli(6’11 defensive minded center from Vandy). I say take Acy, Sacre, and Ezeli and sign all three of them.
With free agency and the draft complete, let’s look at the new roster:
Wizards 2012-2013
PG: John Wall Quincy Acy
SG: JR Smith Festus Ezeli
SF: Chris Singleton Luc Mbah a Moute
PF: Jared Sullinger Trevor Booker
C: JaVale McGee Andre Miller
Bench
Roger Mason
Shelvin Mack
Marco Belinelli
Jan Vessely
Robert Sacre
Now that is a roster to get excited about, and did I forget to mention the best part? Hire Mike D’Antoni after the Knicks fire him this year. Enjoy dreaming of this roster Wizards fans. For John Wall’s sake, I hope it happens.
Congratulations, you have successfully catapulted my interest in sports related endeavors. Well done.
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