Washington Wizards: 5 Ways The Wiz Can Magically Change Their Season Around

The Washington Wizards' season isn't exactly starting off on the right foot.  They haven't won a game on the road yet and are already being hit with the injury bug. After almost a month of basketball, John Wall has tweaked a couple of his body parts, including his groin, foot, and his shin.

Head Coach Flip Saunders' hair is growing grayer and grayer by the week, and if the Wizards keep playing the way they have been, well, at least on the road, then expect Saunders to look like an old man by the end of the year.

With the injuries to Al Thornton, Yi Jianlian, and Josh Howard, the Wizards are having trouble finding a starting lineup that works on both offense and defense.  

After the second time the Wizards got embarrassed on national television against the Atlanta Hawks, they showed that they indeed need some help on interior defense, in an IQ standpoint.  Right now, the Wizards' season is declining and they need to make some changes to flip this boat around.

Keep Nick Young As The Sixth Man

The Wizards have tried this numerous times in past seasons, but the experiment failed due to the inconsistency of Nick Young. This year, Nick Young is in his "contract year," in which his contract expires this summer, making him a free agent.  He has already stated before that he knows that it is his contract year and that this year will be very important for him.

Young also benefits John Wall because he can roll off of screens and easily knock a jumper down for an assist...and that's what Wall needs to further his career, some more shooters.

Nick Young is a "lazy" scorer, not based on his effort, but based on his style of play. He is known for having a herky-jerky drive to the basket, and having an old man's jumpshot to finish it off. The past five games, Nick Young has averaged 18.2 points per game, in which some of the games, he seemed to be the only one playing.

His amazing go-to moves and crossovers make him a threat to opposing teams, but with his reputation of being inconsistent while being a starter, might just be a sign that he is most comfortable coming off the bench as a scoring punch.

Bench Blatche When He Lacks Defense on The Court

I like Andray Blatche, at times.

But his defense so far this year is...well....horrible.  He hasn't been alive in any games that I've seen this season and seems scared to contest layups or dunks.

With JaVale McGee, who I guarantee will be a beast in the next five years but has a below-average basketball IQ, we need another frontcourt piece that knows how to play help-side defense.

In order to become a playoff contending team, the team needs to start playing defense, and most of the struggles come from the interior. I don't mean to call out Andray Blatche like that, because McGee has his share of dumb moments, but with him being 2nd in the league in blocks...he can get a little bit of a bypass.

I think that now the heads must turn to Flip Saunders...I know that he watches film, and I know he sees the horrible defense Blatche has been playing lately. So what's the hold up?

Hire a Real Big Man Coach

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SAN ANTONIO - JUNE 9: NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon is introduced to the crowd during the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons in Game one of the 2005 NBA Finals at SBC Center on June 9, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User

During the ORL game, over on the Orlando Magic sideline, Patrick Ewing was sitting there mentoring an already seasoned Dwight Howard who is already established as the best center in the NBA. Then when you look over at the Washington Wizards' sideline you see several of our young and unestablished bigs without the same level of mentorship or coaching. I'm sure that Wizards' Big Man Coach Gene Banks is doing the best he can, but the Wizards need a coach with experience, perhaps hall of fame experience.

Outside of Andray Blatche, there are no bigs who have a fundamental sense of how to play with their back to the basket. McGee has the skill set to be a dominant center in the NBA ( he will be able to put on the extra weight necessary as he is only 22) and one of the top 5 in the league. He is not Noah or Chandler, he can be better, but needs the right coaching. This is a guy who can develop a devastating hook shot and offensive arsenal (he has the length and dexterity, just needs the coaching and repetition). The best example of a team/player not settling is Orlando's Dwight Howard. He spends the offseason working out with Hakeem Olajuwon to improve his game and ORL still maintains the services of an overqualified Ewing.

Hakeem would be a perfect coach or trainer for JaVale McGee because they both have similar body types, as Hakeem was never the strongest guy in the post but was always the smoothest. There is a thick line between McGee becoming the best center in the league and it will take some time, as he needs to add some weight and grow smarter with his decisions.

It would be best to start early...

Block Out All The Off-Court Discussion

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In the past 48 hours, the Washington Wizards' fan community has been actively talking about a report that the Orlando Magic have been discussing trade possibilities with the Washington Wizards from Magic Blog PinstripePost:

The Orlando Magic have engaged the Washington Wizards in an ongoing trade dialog centered around Wizards shooting guard Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Pinstriped Post has learned. What Orlando would send Washington in return for the three-time All-Star is less clear, but the proposed deal likely includes shooting guard Vince Carter, according to a source. Wizards big man Andray Blatche, Magic forward Rashard Lewis, and Magic center Daniel Orton could also be involved. Both teams have a mutual understanding of what the trade might include, the source says, and it's unclear what factors are holding up the trade. What is clear around the league, however, is that Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith has his eye on Arenas. If Orlando is to make a major trade this season, Arenas will likely be the target.

Gilbert Arenas probably heard about the trade and it somewhat affected his play, because the same night he went 1-10 shooting when the Wizards got beaten in blow-out fashion by the Toronto Raptors. Maybe the Wizards need to cut off electronics before games...

Let Gilbert Arenas and John Wall Spend Some Quality Time Together

When I say "Spend quality time," I mean on the court.

John Wall and Gilbert Arenas have yet to stay on the court together for a long time; part of it can be blamed on Flip Saunders, but I'm not going to put it on him. The injury bug has sidelined or limited six players on the Washington Wizards' roster, which caused a see-saw effect on Arenas and Wall's playing time together.

When Gilbert Arenas was injured in the beginning of the season, John Wall took over and even had his triple-double. While Wall was sidelined for the foot injury for six games, Gilbert Arenas dropped his season high 31 points on a disappointing loss against the Orlando Magic. There have been only two games where Wall and Arenas played in the same starting line-up and so far, it hasn't shown us anything.

If the Wizards want to get Gilbert Arenas' contract off their plate, then they will have to experiment with him and the first overall pick franchise player they have in John Wall in order to see where he stands in his career right now.

Hopefully they can mesh soon before the season slips away from them.