Cleaning Up the Wizards: One Good Scrubbing

After having a little time to reflect on the Wizard's regular and post-season, let me wrap up my pre-draft thoughts on who the team can afford to keep, and who could be shown the door.

I've already set my list of who ranks where, and I started with those most valuable to the team. Now for those the team could do without.

50/50 PLAYERS:

Etan Thomas is active and energetic, but not consistently productive. He's one of the few holdovers from the Michael Jordan Era, but that shouldn't be the reason he's expendable. No, the reason the team doesn't really need him is because he style of play doesn't fit the Princeton Offense. The PO requires a big man who can pass and make a 12-to-15-foot shot with regularity. That's just not Thomas. And that could be overlooked if not for the fact that he's only 6'10", which in even this center-lite League is problematic (especially in the post-season). His career stats are good for a backup but not a starter.

Mike Hall hasn't played much. Meaning, "like two games." So he doesn't seem to be part of the team's long-term plans.

Calvin Booth's best years were his early ones (when he was being juggled between Washington and Dallas). Sadly he hasn't come close to that since. He's more a of scoring big man who can defend than a defending big man who can score, which means he needs to be on the floor more than your average third center option. He good for practice sessions, and he can run the floor, but he's not exactly a key component for a playoff team.

ANCHORS:

And then we come to Brendan Haywood. Despite wanting to be a starter, his career stats are anything but (in fact they look eerily similar to Thomas'). This guy is 7-feet and has never averaged more than 7 boards for a season. He could average .600 from the field if he didn't try to take so many ill-advised fade away shots and did more center-type scoring moves. He doesn't get along with the coach or his center counterpart (Thomas) and most of the team has admitted that it's a distraction. You can expect him to be an All-Star for only ten games a season, average for about twenty, and for the rest he's either a non-factor or being outmatched by a 6'9" guy. His hands are just as bad as Etan, but at least Etan doesn't give up on a play if he's not part of the offense. The best things Haywood has going for him is that he's still young, his contract is relatively cheap, and someone somewhere is bound to take a chance on a 7-footer. But he doesn't fit in with Eddie Jordan's schemes, he's far from a fan favorite (his actions and attitude during this last playoff series will not be forgotten) and he's starting to affect team morale.