Go all-in with the Wizards this season!
In all seriousness, the Wizards should be getting more recognition as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. Miami and Cleveland have to be considered the favorites, but the Wizards should be right there with all the other top teams in the East. The Pistons are going to miss Ben Wallace significantly and weren't quite as good last season as it seemed. The Bulls are really strong defensively, but they need someone to emerge as a reliable, consistent scoring option before they can be considered legitimate contenders. New Jersey has the Big 3, but they were mediocre for much of last season and didn't do much to address their key weaknesses. Indiana and Milwaukee have potential, but they were worse than Washington last year and made significant changes to their roster. The Wizards were a better team last year than in 2004/05 despite the drop in wins, and that was after struggling to figure out how to use Butler and Daniels for half a year. I expect this year to be the Wizards best year yet, and it wouldn't shock me to see them get 50-55 wins this season if everyone stays healthy.
5. Besides your team, who will win the NBA Finals this coming season? Just give me a team name, at least.
Even if everything goes perfectly for the Wizards, they're not winning the title. My pick this year is the San Antonio Spurs. Despite injuries to Duncan and Ginobili, they still won 63 games, and nearly beat the Mavericks at their own game in that 7 game series. I see Duncan having a huge year this season and I see the Spurs hoisting the championship trophy again.
Mike, thanks for doing this and giving us a sense of what to expect from the Wizards this upcoming season.
MY TAKE - Things Go Right If These Three Things Happen:
1. The killer of trio of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler continue to light up the scoreboard and the team as a whole actually steps up their defense and stops some people.
2. DeShawn Stevenson matures and excels as a fourth option scorer, as well as a stopper on defense against perimeter players.
3. The combo of Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood can lock down the middle defensively for the Wizards. Are you getting a sense I think the Wizards need to improve on defense?
MY TAKE - Things Go Wrong If These Three Things Happen:
1. Arenas, whose been playing with a chip on his shoulder his whole career, suddenly gets lax and loses his edge.
2. The bench doesn't provide any scoring depth. How much can you ask from Arenas-Jamion-Butler on a night-to-night basis? They're bound to need some rest during games.
3. All offense all the time. Some defense some of the time.