As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise".
Who said that Wizards' owner Abe Pollin is cheap? Oh yeah, that was me. The Wizards have retained their two big-name free agents, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, and appear to have the cap room necessary to sign another role player.
One question I will attempt to answer here is who that additional player should be. But first, let's look at the Jamison and Arenas deals.
Jamison had a great year, an All-Star season, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. Having said that, he is 32-years old and will be 36 by the time his new four-year, $50 million contract expires.
I understand that the first-year salary will be around $9 million. I was thinking that Jamison should have received a contract that averaged $9 million a year, and apparently the Wizards initially thought the same. It has been reported that their first offer to Jamison was for three years and $27 million. The Wizards offered Gilbert Arenas the maximum allowable salary under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, $127 million over six years.
The question I have is: is Arenas a max player? When I think of a max player I think of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett—players that have won MVP awards and championships—players that have made their teams better with unselfish play, not players who have made their teams better by not playing.
Don't get me wrong. Arenas is a very good player, especially at the end of games when he can either create a shot or get to the foul line. It's the time between minute one and minute 47 that concerns me. It's the matador defense and poor shot-selection that concerns me. I am not however, concerned with Arena's character. Off the court, he realizes that he can't do it all by himself. He left about $16 million on the table when he agreed to accept $111 million dollars over six years.
This is no small amount of money, especially in this era of me: me, me I gotta get mine athletes. I applaud Agent Zero for his generosity. I can only hope that he has come to realize that he can't do it alone on the court as well. Washington has not made any significant changes to its roster since the end of the season. They drafted a seven-footer from the University of Nevada, JeVale McGee, but it's hard to imagine him contributing much next season.
They will have to get it done with virtually the same players they had last season. The thinking around the Verizon Center is that the Wizards are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference when they are healthy. The problem is, they are rarely healthy.
They need to sign another small forward/big guard to provide depth behind the eternally brittle Caron Butler. Matt Barnes would be my choice. He can play the 2 or the 3. Barnes is a decent defender and can help spread the defense by making perimeter shots.
Nick Young and Dominic McGuire need more playing time. They have proven they can be effective when given minutes. Andrae Blatche and Oleksiy Pecherov need to show me something. Blatche was inconsistent and Pecherov only seemed interested in jacking up three-point shots whenever he entered a game.
Note to Stewie...you are not Dirk Nowitzki. Get in the paint, rebound, and block shots. We don't need you to shoot three-pointers. If you want to play, get in the paint and make something happen. There is frequent chatter on sports-talk radio about the Wizards needing a bruising big man. They already have one. He missed the entire 2007-2008 season. Yes, I'm talking about Etan Thomas. What's wrong with a starting lineup of Arenas, Butler, Haywood, Thomas and Jamison?
Every team and every lineup needs role players. My proposed lineup yields three scorers and two role players. Basketball is a game of matchups. It's time for the coaching staff to start thinking outside the box.
The Wizards need to identify roles for the bench players and put them in situations (favorable matchups) that allow them to have success. That will keep Arenas, Jamison, and Butler fresh by reducing their minutes. Only then will this team come close to realizing its potential. Good talent can only take you so far. Good chemistry can take you all the way to the title.
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3 months ago
well, the reason they can't have haywood and thomas starting is that you can't have two such lousy shooters in the game - they are way too limited away from the basket.
The role player they need is James Posey.
He does whatever is needed but his specialty is hardnosed, veteran defense and poise.
Just what the doctor ordered.
2 months ago
agree with Tom ^^ getting james posey would be the steal of the free agent market instantly transforming them into a contender in the eastern conference. Brendan Haywood is the biggest concern for me personally...he has flashes but is an extremely average player nearly 85% of the time. Etan Thomas provides a physical presence at the pf/c position and was a huge loss last season. great article though...give me more of your thoughts on blatche...He has the potential to become a Posey like player.
from 2 months ago
Blatche is an intriguing player. He has good size and guard-like ballhandling skills. I think that is a blessing and a curse for him. He needs to play more like a 6'-11" guy and less like a 6'-6" player. He is nowhere near the defensive player Posey is. Blatche is basically going into his senior year of college right now development wise. I want to see him get in the paint and bang with the big boys...he has to get stronger. Given his size there is no reason why he should not be a better post defender. This is a big season for him. If he is not consistently productive, I don't think the Wizards will bring him back for the 2009-2010 season.
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