The "Wiz Kids" Bring New Life To D.C.

To the untrained eye, what the Wizards have done over the trade deadline was ludicrous.  After losing their star point guard in Gilbert Arenas, they preceded to trade away all four of their other starters (Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison). However, after four games, this new team is showing that maybe the fire sale the team had at the deadline wasn't insanity.

If you live in D.C., you knew Butler and Jamison were going to be traded.  That's all people talked about, and it was just a matter of when and for whom.  It's a shame that it had to end this way for guys as classy as they have been, but that is just the way it goes in the NBA.

DeShawn Stevenson, however, was an absolute cancer on the team that needed to be gone.  He's a terrible shooter, who didn't know it and took way too many shots.  He was a trouble to control as far as attitude, and was an overrated defender.  In fact, Marc Stein said that the Wizards "insisted" Dallas take him from them.  The Wizards only traded Haywood for that very reason: they wanted Stevenson gone.

Now, out of all of the people we traded away, Haywood is the one I take issue with. Haywood has been getting better every year on offense, but more importantly, he was the center of the defense.  He should have been a crucial part of the rebuilding process, and I really think it was a mistake.  People in Dallas will understand in about two weeks (if last night's 20 rebounds didn't do it for them).

As far as what the Wizards got, people who are "in-the-know" understand that this wasn't a desperate move to get under the luxury tax (though I won't say that wasn't a factor). From Dallas, they got Josh Howard, who is just struggling with injuries this year.  The ACL injury last night was a huge blown, but when healthy, he is at least as good as Caron Butler.

James Singleton seemed to be just a random that was shipped to even out numbers, but it doesn't look like that anymore.  In just four games, he has proven to be a tough rebounder, good passer, and a surprisingly efficient offensive player. I didn't even bother to learn the guys name up until I saw that he has put up close to eight points, eight boards since joining Washington.

For Jamison, the Wizards seem to have gotten a raw deal, but things aren't always the way they look.  Thorton's numbers look crappy right now, but that should be chalked up to the fact he played with the Clippers.  The Clippers are the Raiders of the NBA. Consider it a black hole.  Anyone who watched him at Florida State knows what he can actually do.  The Wizards also got Quinton Ross, a first round draft pick, and Illgauskas' (I don't care how badly I butchered that name...If your name looks like that, you should be glad I even attempt) expiring contract.

Perhaps what made these trades even more understandable isn't what they got, but what the Wizards had in their back pocket, Andray Blatche.  I have been Blatche's biggest advocate every since I saw him play his rookie year and it is starting to look like I wasn't wrong.  Since Jamison's departure, Blatche is averaging right around 20 and 10, as well as basically having the offense run through him.

If you have watched the Wizards play since bringing in this new core, you have seen some of the best ball movement the Wizards have ever had, the best defense they have played all year, and more effort than they have been displaying.  Maybe that roster shake up was what they needed.

Overall, the Wizards did something that is very hard to do these days: admit a failure and basically start from scratch.  You need to be able to swallow your pride to essentially give up on a team that you honestly thought was going to be a success. Hell, just three years ago, this team had the best record in the East at the All-Star break.

One thing that did shock me about the Wizards personnel moves this past week was Ernie Grunfeld saying that Gil would stay a Wizard and he wouldn't be bought-out or traded.  I still don't believe it, but if it's true, then I'm thrilled.  I still think Agent Zero (Arenas) is a star.  And if he comes back, he has got a young and talented cast waiting for him.  Adding him and two first round draft picks isn't going to hurt this team.

I know this seems a lot like every other piece about a Washington D.C. team lately (except the Caps, who are legit contenders), but its the truth.  Whether it be the Orioles, the Nationals, the Wizards, or the Redskins, one of them is going to step up to that next level.  They all have too much talent for them to all to screw it up.