Washington Wizards Face Problems after Major NBA Power Shift

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Dwight Howard, and Deron Williams.

Half of those names weren't part of the Eastern Conference last season and all of them pose a major problem for the Washington Wizards.

They are a problem because none of them are on the Wizards roster, and are effectively smothering the struggling franchise.

The NBA's recent talent shift has left the rebuilding Wizards buried under an influx of elite talent already prepared to succeed.

When the Wizards lucked into the first overall pick in last year's draft and nabbed John Wall, it was clear that they had taken their first steps on the road to rebuilding.

But because they still had Gilbert Arenas and his albatross of a contract, they could neither trade themselves into a position of contention nor could they feasibly sign a big name a still fill out the roster.

After unloading Arenas and refusing to part with their young talent, the Wizards couldn't make any splashes around the NBA's trade deadline.

At the trade deadline, Washington was able to free up a fair amount of cap space by trading Kirk Hinrich for Mike Bibby, then buying out Bibby's and Al Thornton's contracts.

In the process, they saved over $6 million from Bibby's contract and picked up Atlanta's first-round pick in this year's draft.

Progress is good, but the Wizards fell behind in the conference while several other teams improved by leaps and bounds in a matter of weeks.

Washington is in a terrible position right now, even though they are taking the proper measure to repair the numerous problems the team has.

Owner Ted Leonsis stressed building through the draft, and GM Ernie Grunfeld has done a great job acquiring picks to help in the process.

It is going to take some years to gather the right talent to build a winner, and everyone was prepared to suffer the worst if it means there is light at the end of the tunnel.

While patience is a virtue, Washington is going to be worse off for taking their time with the number of great players that entered the conference since last summer.

The key for the Wizards moving forward is to, essentially, disregard what everyone else is doing.

So what if Anthonyand Stoudemire are lighting the world on fire? Mike D'Antoni couldn't win in the playoffs with Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion in his prime.

The Heat may have the biggest Big Three in the NBA, but they're riding a four-game losing stream and looking every bit as beatable as the Cavaliers.

It is no stretch to say that the next big piece of the franchise puzzle next to Wall has not been drafted yet.

Andray Blatche was signed to a five-year deal for his breakthrough performance last season.

The jury is still out on him, though, since he puts forth minimal effort on defense and does not fit into the half-court set very well. He plays too much for himself and explains his career-highs across the board more than simply being starter material.

JaVale McGee is still too raw in the paint and Nick Young is simply too pure of a scorer to be a true running mate for Wall.

Young has shown a ton of consistency this season, first averaging 20 points off the bench for a stretch before becoming the full-time starter.

He is averaging career-highs in field goal and three-point percentage, while averaging 18 points per game. What he has in scoring, he lacks in anything else, averaging just 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

The Wizards simply don't have the proper pieces for the playoff push the Knicks are looking to put together over the remainder of this season.

They should be focused on making splashes with superior drafting and a well-built roster, not the latest free agent they shelled out for over the summer.

Washington is taking the proper steps towards becoming a respectable franchise instead of a perpetual lottery team.

The Knicks look mighty fine now, but wait a few years when Wall has someone like Jared Sullinger playing monster in the paint after the coming draft.

Washington is going to look as different as the Eastern Conference does in a few seasons. It is only a matter of time and patience.