Washington Wizards 2010-2011 preview
What an eventful season it was for the Wizards last year, and not in a good way.
Winning the draft lottery is a great triumph for any team but for the Wizards it was a massive reprieve considering the embarrassment the franchise suffered during the season.
Not only did they get off to a slow start to the season but Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by the NBA after 32 games after both he and Javaris Crittenton brought guns to the Verizon Center locker room following an altercation over gambling debts.
That suspension gutted most of the Wizards’ team and put them into re-building overdrive. Antwan Jamison was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood were traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Arenas is now the only thing stopping the Wizards from truly being able to re-build. His six-year $111million contract is one of the worst in the NBA; no-one will want to take on, not only because of the amount of money but because of concerns with his surgically repaired knee.
Arenas has now just played 47 games in three-seasons while the Wizards continue to pay his salary – during his suspension the Wizards still had to pay the NBA what Arenas was owed.
But in John Wall – this year’s No.1 draft pick – they have a player who they can rebuild a franchise around. If Arenas happens to take well to playing at the two guard rather than at point, the Wizards in the backcourt will be pretty intimidating.
If they learn to take better shots (ranking of 28th in two-point shooting percentage last year) the Wizards should improve on their 26 wins last season.
Off-season moves
John Wall is the best thing to happen to the Wizards in years. They’ll build their future around him and with his athleticism he’ll be making an impact in the NBA right away. It will mean Arenas has to see less of the ball but that could be a blessing in disguise for the Wizards.
The Wiz traded the rights to Vladimir Veremeenko to Chicago for Kirk Hinrich, cash and rights to No. 17 pick. While Hinrich comes with a $9million salary he can defend and can shoot the long-ball, the problem comes from the fact that he’s due another $6million the season after - $17 million over two-years for Hinrich is not good value.
The Nets gave the Wizards $3million in cash plus Yi Jianlian for Quinton Ross. The Nets pretty much paid the Wizards to take Yi off their hands so this trade comes at no risk. If he plays well they can sign-and-trade him next year or if he plays badly they can let him walk.
Washington might be getting stick for re-signing Josh Howard but for one-year and $3million it’s not a bad contract. Yes, he’s coming off a bad knee injury and yes he is a 30-year-old but the team does need some experience and Howard does at least bring that to the table.
Prediction
With John Wall, the Wizards will improve on their 26 wins last season, but with the team in re-building mode anything above the 30-win mark will have to be considered a success. No play-offs for the Wizards, not yet at least.
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