Washington Wizards Cannot Afford Another "Off" Season

Who knew there were new levels of abysmal which the Wizards could sink to? They followed up a 19-63 season with a somehow worse 26-56 record this season, traded three starters, and became the focus of a felony investigation spotlighting the antics of their expensive and maligned star point guard.

The 2009-2010 season couldn't end fast enough for Washington, and they have all summer to begin to redeem themselves.

Perhaps highlighting all the bad things that happened this season isn't the best way to instill hope in the fans of the floundering franchise. The transition of Andray Blatche from potential player to budding star gives the Wizards at least one building block for the future. The transition of ownership from the Pollin family to Ted Leonsis gives the notion of stability and promise when looking at what he has done for the Capitals in his time as owner.

There are plenty of things to be hopeful for in the future of the Wizards. The question is, will any of that hope come to fruition in the coming draft and free agency period?

Expecting an instant turnaround following the offseason is absurd for any team, let alone the Wizards, who have holes in their roster and no legitimate compliment to the newly explosive Blatche. Even with the probable return of Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards are thin on talent.

The first thing the Wizards' management needs to do is re-sign key players to create depth, which is lacking on the contractual end at present. Currently, only five players are under contract for next season, with the potential for eight when considering outstanding player and team options and one qualifying offer to be tendered.

There are players who seem deserving of a place on the Wizards' roster, but it is impossible to tell what the plan for the future is.

It will be interesting to see how the team handles Mike Miller, whose contract is up. He would probably prefer to play for a contender, but with the slow development of Nick Young the Wizards may bring him back to be a safety net in case Young can't cut it as a starter.

The other holes on the roster are just as intriguing.

Josh Howard was shaping up to be a decent option before he went down for the season with an ACL injury. Now it isn't certain that the team will exercise the option on his contract, making him a free agent. The Wizards can't afford to invest in an injury-prone player, as Howard has become in recent years.

Washington should bring back both James Singleton and Shaun Livingston. Livingston showed flashes of his former self without suffering a brutal injury in the process. He isn't as explosive as he was coming out of the draft, but he has a high basketball IQ, which is invaluable for a young team. Singleton just does everything. He doesn't score a ton but does the dirty work on the boards, providing a bit of nastiness off the bench.

Neither player should carry a hefty price tag, and would give needed depth and familiarity with Saunders's system.

Rebuilding is a bit tricky for a team without a clear plan. What does Flip Saunders want? What does Ernie Grunfeld want? Will Leonsis play the same role with the Wizards that he does with the Capitals?

In short, I don't know. No one knows. I don't know that anyone knows. Grunfeld has made it sound like the Wizards are in the midst of a refurbishing rather than a rebuild, which worries those of us who have seen him refurbish rosters in the past.

It is unlikely that the Wizards will make much of a play for any of the big names destined for free agency. As great as it would be, do not expect LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, or Amar'e Stoudemire to don the blue and gold anytime soon. The Wizards aren't contenders, and won't be anytime soon.

The Wizards would be better off utilizing the three picks they have in the upcoming NBA Draft.

At this point, it should be safe to pencil in Arenas and Blatche as starters, and maybe JaVale McGee. That leaves two-to-three positions that can be filled through the draft, most importantly with the potential top-five pick.

There are a number of prospects worth drooling over in terms of what they would bring to Washington.

The three players projected to be in the top of the draft that the Wizards should give strong looks at are Evan Turner, Wesley Johnson, and Al-Farouq Aminu. There is a ton of versatility between the three and plenty of room for growth within the right environment.

Turner is arguably the best player in the draft, but isn't likely to be the top pick over John Wall given the Nets needs and chances of getting the top pick. Johnson is older than a lot of the highly projected prospects, but adds leadership and a surprising amount of potential to his wealth of talents. Aminu appears to be the most raw of the three, but has a ton of room for growth on top of an already solid body of work.

All three will likely gain muscle in their transition to the NBA, which could ultimately shape their careers. For the Wizards, they can't really go wrong with any of the top picks in the draft unless they fall out of the top seven in the lottery. The draft is deep, but seemingly more uncertain than in recent years.

There is plenty of room to fit any pick into whatever plan the Wizards establish moving forward. For the first time in a few years, the Wizards won't have to worry about fighting high expectations. Rebuilding is a process the team should take its time with.

Rushing to compete without the proper players and system in place will not end well.

Even the Knicks have a plan in place, even if it is as far-fetched as luring LeBron to New York for a max contract and all the exposure he could possibly want. It's still a plan.

The Wizards, with Leonsis, have the makings of a plan and need only put it in more concrete terms to give hope for the future, even if it doesn't pay off for three or four years. Patience is the key, and it seems that for the first time in years the Wizards will have the luxury of taking their time.

The next few months should be busy for the Wizards. The franchise cannot afford to take days off in rebuilding and would be wise to start evaluations as soon as possible since they aren't in the playoffs. There's nothing wrong with scouting some potential free agents or taking a better look at the prospects. Anything to gain an advantage headed into two critical periods of the NBA offseason.