The Washington Wizards watched as its season dissipated after stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler faced season ending injuries just as the Wizards looked to take the Southeast division. On paper, it appears as if Washington's primed to best its division in 2008, but health will remain a concern.
Gilbert Arenas' huge chip on his shoulder are often backed up by stellar performances. He led the team with an average of 28.5 ppg, 4.6 rbpg and 6.0 apg last season. He does have help from forwards Antawn Jamison (19.8 ppg, 8.0 rbpg) and Caron Butler (19.1 ppg, 7.4 rbpg). The trio accounts for 74.6 ppg.
The real issue is whether or not Washington can find reliability and consistency in the paint. They extended the contract of youngster Andray Blatche, but will need centers Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas to be more consistent. Haywood has indicated he'd like to be traded and the Wizards have indicated they'd like to trade Thomas (and his over-inflated contract).
Statistics Projections/Depth Chart
- Center: Etan Thomas 6.4 ppg, 5.5 rbpg (back up: Brendan Haywood)
- Power Forward: Antawn Jamison 19.2 ppg, 8.3 rbpg (back up: Darius Songaila)
- Small Forward: Caron Butler 19.6 ppg, 7.1 rbpg (back up: Dominic McGuire)
- Point Guard: Gilbert Arenas 27.4 ppg, 4.5 rbpg, 5.7 apg (back up: Antonio Daniels)
- Shooting Guard: DeShawn Stevenson 10.9 ppg (back up: Nick Young)
Key Losses
The Wizards lost forward Jarvis Hayes to the Detroit Pistons.
Key Additions
Back up center Oleksiy Pecherov, whom the Wizards drafted with the 18th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft could be a nice addition. Also, the Wizards' 2007 top draft pick, guard Nick Young, should be able to contribute off the bench right away. He resembles Richard Hamilton in that he has a great mid-range game and works well off screens.
Team Rumors
There hasn't been too many rumors of late. Brendan Haywood demanded a trade at one point, but his trade stock doesn't give him much leverage to make any sort of trade demands. Washington has been trying to move Etan Thomas and his large contract. Thomas is a gifted, strong big man, but gets into foul trouble often.
Prediction
The Wizards shouldn't have as much problem winning the Southeast division with a 45-37 record. The Miami Heat continue sliding and no other team has improved enough to really challenge them. As the fourth seed, they'll face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2008 playoffs. However, LeBron James and the Cavs' rebounding ability will be too much, and the Wizards will once again fall to the Cavs in the playoffs in seven games.
Fantasy Spin
Gilbert Arenas is one of the top fantasy players availabe in the NBA. He's a prolific scorer, who provides a great boost in steals and threes, while contributing decent boards for a guard as well as assists. The only problem with Arenas is his turnovers. He has improved his field goal percentage, but he's one of the worst culprits as far as committing turnovers goes.
Antawn Jamison is another solid fantasy contributor. Owners can expect solid points, boards and some threes with high percentages from this forward.
Caron Butler had a breakout season before getting injured last season. Draft him for a decent scoring forward who can contribute boards and solid steals.
NBA Eastern Conference Team Previews: Atlanta Hawks; Boston Celtics; Cleveland Cavaliers; Chicago Bulls; Charlotte Bobcats; Detroit Pistons; Indiana Pacers; Miami Heat; Milwaukee Bucks; New Jersey Nets; New York Knicks; Orlando Magic; Philadelphia 76ers; Toronto Raptors; Washington Wizards
NBA Western Conference Team Previews: Dallas Mavericks; Denver Nuggets; Golden State Warriors; Houston Rockets; Los Angeles Clippers; Los Angeles Lakers; Memphis Grizzlies; Minnesota Timberwolves; New Orleans Hornets; Phoenix Suns; Portland Trail Blazers; Sacramento Kings; San Antonio Spurs; Seattle Supersonics; Utah Jazz
