Counting the Washington Wizards Out? Think Again

Going under the knife for the third time, and with another long rehab looming, Arenas’ projected comeback of December seems ages away.

And judging by all his hiccups in fixing his bum knee, this seems highly unrealistic—even by Agent 0’s optimistic standards. 

It’s easy to pick the Wizards as duds of a revamped Eastern Conference—and why not?  Boston is coming off a world championship, and the Sixers picked up possibly the most underrated big man in the league, Elton Brand. 

Cleveland brought in a new sidekick for Lebron in guard Mo Williams, who posted 17 points and six assists last season playing with Michael Redd, who isn’t really known for sharing the ball. 

Not to mention a Detroit team that still knows how to win, reaching the conference finals yet again last year with strong performances by Jason Maxiell and rookie Rodney Stuckey.  Orlando is an up-and-coming team, and Chicago should not look nearly as bad as their 49-loss season from a year ago would suggest.

The Wizards made their own moves this offseason, giving Arenas a brand new $111 million contract and re-signing Antawn Jamison for the foreseeable future.  But even with Gilbert leaving $16 million on the table, the Wizards are in salary cap hell for at least the next two seasons.

They had very little wiggle room this offseason to shore up a bench that saw Rodger Mason leave for the Spurs in free agency after coming off an impressive playoff performance.  They brought former Illinois standout Dee Brown in—but frankly, he cannot begin to fill the void.

So all seems bleak in Wizards nation, right?  Wrong. 

Caron Butler showed his dominance last year putting the team on his back with Jamison.  His knack for getting to the basket and playing aggressive in-your-face basketball is something Washington hasn’t seen in years, and made him an Eastern-Conference All-Star. 

The Wizards had an impressive run without their franchise player, posting 43 wins and locking up the five spot in the playoffs.  This season will be tougher, but they’re getting more help.  With all the news of free agency and Arenas’ rehab, people forget that the one area the Wizards really lacked last year was their frontcourt—and they are getting a huge boost with the return of Etan Thomas. 

Thomas put up decent numbers, as the number-two big man, averaging nearly six rebounds a game behind center Brendan Haywood.  This was prior to Thomas needing open-heart surgery to repair a leaky valve that kept him sidelined for all of last season. 

As long as Haywood and Thomas can keep the peace—unlike before when the two constantly went at each other, even getting into fights at practice—his return will surely help the Wizards down low. 

Another year of experience will definitely benefit the Wizards’ 2007 first-round draft pick Nick Young, and his strong shooting ability should help the team while Arenas is out. 

Andray Blatche took a step forward during last year's playoffs, despite the loss.  And with Thomas back this season to ease the pressure of being the primary backup big man, we should see another big step in the evolution of Blatche’s game.

So does this mean that they are better off without Gilbert, like was said all last season? Not a chance!  Washington is a good team, and they can perform well without their franchise player—but with him, they will be a force to be reckoned with. 

Let’s not forget that the last time they had a completely healthy team.  The Wizards were first in the East, and Eddie Jordan got to coach the Eastern Conference All-stars.