Washington Wizards are in Need of Rebuild, Not Just Retool

The Washington Wizards are off to a mediocre start to the 2009-2010 NBA season. The team is 7-16 to start the season and has been involved in an NBA-record eight straight games decided by four points or less.

They have won just two of those eight games and are riding a six-game losing streak in the midst of a West Coast road trip.

The Wizards' problems stretch far beyond this season alone. Last season they matched a franchise-low for wins and have thus far failed to make any significant adjustments.

This team, flat out, cannot win in the long run.

Washington has eight players signed for the 2010-2011 season and only three signed beyond next year. The Wizards aren't any different from the rest of the league, but the three players they have invested the most money in have already failed to take the team beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Gilbert Arenas signed a gigantic six-year, $111-million deal at the end of the 2007-2008 season, even though he had only appeared in 13 games during that season.

A year of the contract was wasted last season, as Arenas appeared in just two games stemming from his knee injury from 2006-2007 and the multiple surgeries required to repair it thereafter.

Not to make the obvious comparison, but Juwan Howard anyone?

Howard inked a $105-million contract, with then Washington Bullets, after making the All-Star team in 1996. He never recreated the numbers that earned him the contract in just his second season and the renamed Wizards were forced to let him play out the remainder of his contract.

Factor in Arenas' recent injury troubles and the money he is making now hardly seems worth it. But Arenas is just the tip of the iceberg. The Wizards locked up aging veteran Antawn Jamison through the 2011-2012 season to the tune of $50 million.

The Wizards rank in the top 10 in total salary this season and aren't getting the same production as the NBA's top teams.

The rest of the top 10 includes the Lakers, Mavericks, Celtics, Jazz, Knicks, Spurs, Magic, Cavaliers, and Nuggets—only Washington and New York did not make the playoffs.

In short, the Wizards are spending championship money and not getting anywhere near championship results. The problem is nearly impossible to solve quickly, which means more mediocrity in future years.

Arenas' contract is too big to trade away or even eat if they ever decided to cut him. Jamison is too old to get anything in return and is undersized for his position. Caron Butler is the cheapest of the three, but isn't having his best season which hurts his value.

Earl Boykins is making just over $1 million this season, and has outperformed DeShawn Stevenson ($8 million over the next two years), Mike James ($6 million this season) and Fabricio Oberto ($2 million this season).

Considering the extreme measures the situation may call for, it could be another seven years before the Wizards are ready to compete. But that is if, and only if, they make moves to get younger and start a legitimate rebuild of a decaying franchise.

The next two years could be rough because of the expiring contracts and a lack of room under the salary cap. Next season's free agent class is littered with superstars that the Wizards should, and will likely be forced to pass by.

There is plenty of youth on the roster, but it is buried behind the veterans commanding the big contracts. Butler, Stevenson, Jamison, and Arenas get in the way of Randy Foye, Nick Young, Andray Blatche, and Dominic McGuire's development.

Not that those three are the future of the Wizards, but they are substantially cheaper and leave options for sound free agent signings and drafting.

The Wizards are worlds away from title contention and the future doesn't look good. Too many big names without any production.

Arenas may fill seats on name alone, but fans will eventually wise up and see that one man doesn't make a team. Especially not a man who is a shadow of his former self and content to blame everyone else for the losses while taking the credit for all the successes.

By season's end, I could be dead wrong about this team not being a playoff contender. But I am ready to say adios to the big three if it means an eventual return to prominence and a bright future.