A Season Without Changes Shows Exactly Why the Washington Wizards Need Them

The Washington Wizards have been their own worst enemy this year. Their poor play made them a disappointment, and Gilbert Arenas' suspension has turned them into the black eye of the NBA.

All signs point to a need for a long overdue change.

In the offseason, the Wizards did a number of things to improve themselves. They traded away a handful of dead money and their draft choices to bring in Mike Miller and Randy Foye. They hired Flip Saunders and returned Arenas and Brendan Haywood, two key starters.

At this point, 34 games into the season, no one could have predicted they would be 12-22 and in the basement of the Eastern Conference, just a step above the Nets, Pistons, and Pacers.

Even with the number of changes the Wizards have undergone before and during this season, too much has stayed the same.

The best season the Wizards have had in the past decade was in 2004-2005. They finished 45-37, good enough for second in the division and a push to the second round of the playoffs.

The Wizards became known around the league for their big three of Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes, and Arenas. The trio averaged 67 points per game, which was among the best in the league at the time.

In the offseason, they allowed Hughes to leave for Cleveland, but held onto Jarvis Hayes. Hayes was averaging 10 points per game, and Hughes was averaging 22.

The next season, the Wizards still made the playoffs, aided by increased scoring from Arenas and the addition of Caron Butler. The team went 42-40, made the playoffs and lost to the Cavaliers. The new big three with Butler was just as formidable as the prior incarnation, but wasn't enough to carry the team to a better record or better showing in the postseason.

Since the 2005-2006 season, the starting lineup has remained largely the same, with a rotating cast of shooting guards. Continuity typically breeds success, but the Wizards' brand of continuity has impeded it.

The Wizards have young players waiting in the wings for their time to come, but with the team as it is now that will never happen.

Washington, whether they admit it or not, is looking for a way out of paying the remainder of Arenas' contract after his recent actions. Jamison and Butler are the most valuable players the Wizards can offer. The big three's time has passed, so there is no sense in holding onto them if their is a chance to improve.

All it takes is one move to show me that the Wizards are going to rebuild.

Even before the season started, I was unhappy with the state of things. I wrote about the Wizards in less than glowing terms, and a fair amount of people told me I was wrong, that this team was a playoff team right now. Barring a movie miracle-like turnaround, the Wizards aren't going to be playing come April 17.

Since Arenas began his indefinite suspension, the Wizards have gone 1-2, losing big to Cleveland, coming up short against New Orleans, but pulling out a good win against Orlando.

Based on the record it seems like more of the same, but the absence of Arenas has opened the door for Nick Young and Foye.

In two of the last three games, Young has seen 37 minutes on the floor and averaged 17 points. Better still, Foye is averaging 20 points over the last three games. Without Arenas, the Wizards have more balanced scoring from all positions.

And they no longer have to suffer through 8-of-20 or 6-of-22 shooting nights from Arenas either.

It is interesting that Arenas claimed he had altered his game to be more of a passing guard, yet he still shot 20 times per game. He was tied for his second lowest three-point shooting percentage with 34.8. He was also averaging a career worst 73.9 free throw percentage.

If the Wizards needed any reason to want out of the Agent Zero investment group, they need only look at his numbers

The season is a long way from over, and I expect to see some sign of change before the season's end. Whether it means saying goodbye to some familiar faces or making a clean break from the most visible player on the team doesn't matter. As long as there is a drastic change, it can only mean good things.