Wizards Offseason: Do-or-Die Decisions for Washington

Then there was the Kwame Brown saga.  Grunfeld inherited this tortured No. 1 overall draft pick from previous team president Michael Jordan.  Although Kwame had shot himself in the foot by acting like a knucklehead and getting suspended during the playoffs, he still possessed the potential that had seduced MJ into drafting him first overall—and Kwame was merely 23 years old.

Although all signs pointed toward an exit, the Wizards had to exercise caution about jettisoning another prospect.  Remember, Washington has a history of unloading young talent that thrives elsewhere, leaving egg on the faces of executives and angering fans of the franchise.

Once again, not only did Grunfeld make the right decision, but he fleeced the Lakers Mitch Kupchack, acquiring future All-Star Caron Butler in return for the underachieving Brown—which brings us to the current dilemma.

Butler is now entrenched as the Wizards’ future, and Washington must decide whether to retain the services of Arenas and free-agent forward Antawn Jamison.

If Arenas hadn’t had two surgeries on the same knee within a span of seven months, this would be a no-brainer.  Although I have doubt whether Arenas is championship material, he unquestionably is the bread and butter of the organization. 

Arenas is the face of the franchise, the biggest draw for ticket sales, tremendously active in the community—and you don’t have to worry about him getting fat and lazy with a massive contract.  Gil’s got that persistent chip on his shoulder and he wants to prove everyone wrong, so he’s a relatively safe investment.

Unfortunately, he is damaged goods, and I’m concerned he could be the next Grant Hill.  The Orlando Magic were supposed to contend for championship glory with Hill as the frontman, but instead he was a $93 million anchor for six painful, injury-riddled seasons of frustration.  If the Wiz sink a boatload of money into a crippled Arenas, this ship is going down like the Titanic and the Wizards will be bottom-feeders for the next half decade.

Then there’s the Jamison matter.  Antawn had his best campaign in Washington this past year, and helped the Wiz succeed even though Arenas missed 69 regular season games. 

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