Wizards Seek Redemption with Agent Zero, Healthy Vets

The NBA's Washington Wizards love to boast about what could have been. For about a fortnight during the middle of the 2005-2006 NBA season, the Wizards had the best record in the Eastern Conference before injuries decimated their grand playoff hopes. During the course of the following seasons, with All-Stars Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas out of commission during various parts of the years, the Wizards were anything but rock steady. With disappointing losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the past three years in the playoffs, Washington has made sure to keep its core intact, while adding new blood to rise to the top of the East again.

A healthy Gilbert Areans will make things alright, and having inked a long-tern extension to his contract, which happened to be less than what he was worth on the open market, he has to be commended. A concern for him revolves around whether he has taken enough time to heal and rehabilitate to return to full strength on the floor.

DeShawn Stevenson will be counted on for his consistent defense and at least 12 points a game, but it would be nice to see him develop his game a little more, even though he's an 8-year-veteran, though he's only in his mid-20s. The young players in Nick Young, Oleksiy Pecherov and Dominic McGwire will be needed for effort and their respective skills; Young being a slasher/shooter, Pecherov a perimeter forward and McGwire acting as a prototypical small forward with scoring ability.

The Wizards' offseason moves were solid, as they didn't overextend themselves, but they didn't really do anything to help their cause with any help in the middle. Their first round draft choice, JaVale McGee, is a center/power forward, but with his raw skill set and lack of significant size, it's a wonder he was taken by Washington to make any contributions. It would not have been a poor choice, if their current developing player, Andray Blatche, would step up and take some initiative in committing to playing a more fundamentally sound game, as a hybrid perimeter/post player.

Counting on good health and forward progression of the team, the Wizards have a decent chance to make a major mark in the Eastern Conference--but don't count on it.