Wiz Shall Overcome

So much for blog heroes. This post inspired me to hope for the best in my Washington teams, especially the Wizards.

This post gave me a perspective I hadn't thought of: a Wizards team that could actually be dangerous.

Then, the game.

Now all hell's breaking loose! People are talking about "The Curse" again like Rip Hamilton was the DC basketball equivalent to The Babino. Seriously, if we, as Americans, can find some humor in our disasterous economy, why can't we slap a smile on our face despite the latest Wizards mindfuck? Do I have to make an "Icanhazchampionship" blog full of Wizards cats or something?

If there had been different owners between 1977 and now, instead of Abe Pollin, I would agree that there was/is a curse. But what people seem to forget is that we've had the same cheap, corner-cutting, out-of-touch-with-the-mainstream owner for...well, ever. I have little doubt that if we had an owner who ran this club like a true lover of sports and not some ex-real estate guy, GM Ernie Grunfeld would have had a decent, defensive-minded point guard in the lineup...whether by trade, releasing a player, whatever. You wouldn't have had Antonio Daniels playing heavy minutes or guys like DeShawn Stevenson and Roger Mason, Jr. playing out of position (with all do respect to coach Eddie Jordan's system, if you don't have combo guards in the backcourt, you need a point guard).

If Stevenson and Antawn Jamison had injured themselves playing pickup basketball or a fight at an IHOP, then I would agree that there was a curse. These guys hurt themselves making a play to win a game. Thank about that people; when's the last time more than one player cared about being a Wizard to the point that they'd dive for a ball, knowing that he was (to this point) the healthiest of the top contributors and that his actions may not only hurt his team's playoff run, but possibly his own career?

If Gilbert Arenas had spent the last 60+ games hanging out at strip clubs and Dunkin' Donuts, only to arrive to the Phone Booth 30lbs overweight and smelling of cigarettes, then I would agree that there was a curse. But he's been busting his butt to get back on the court. He tried to come back the first time despite what the doctors told him. How many good Wizards players have actually wanted to come back to the court after a almost season-ending injury? Most guys would making plans for Love Nightclub, not running back and forth on a football field wearing a parachute.

Remember last season, when Arenas and Caron Butler both went down? Around that time, the prevailing argument was that Jamison was expendable, and that the Wizards should trade for a player who could be a force in the post (people, myself included, were also sore on Brendan Haywood). And what happened? Jamison played his ass off and saved the Wizards from being the worse playoff team since that Boston squad defied Danny Ainge two (or three) seasons prior.

And Stevenson? He must have heard people hate on his supposed lack of offensive skills, because he came back like the Fugees did on The Score. When's the last time a guy who was brought in for defense ended up being a reliable scoring option?

Oh and Haywood: he's gone from Brenda to Brendan to Brandon (the guy who's been wrecking havoc for more than half this season) over one summer. Whether is was a talk with Jordan or the idea that Etan Thomas was nowhere near the floor, Haywood has shown that he can be a legitimate center.

One more thing, least we forget: Nick Young can fill up the basket. Andray Blatche is quick, active and can block shots like nobody's business. Dominic McGuire is the best young defender on this team. Darius Songalia is as fundamentally sound as you'll get from a backup frontcourt player. And Oleksiy Pecherov...well, he still has some work to do, but you can't say that he doesn't create matchup problems.

This team has a GM with an actual brain, if not a blank check. They have a head coach who has preform miracles with an ever-changing roster. They have great assistant coaches who have made the team better defenders, trey-makers and free throw shooters.

So Jamison and Stevenson may be down. That leaves us with a possible starting lineup of:

1. Center: Haywood
2. PF: Songalia
3. SF: Butler
4. SG: Mason
5. PG: Daniels

With Arenas, Blatche, McGuire and Young coming off the bench. And even this may be what, five games worth? I'd go to war with this squad. What would you prefer, the Miami Heat's roster of healthy losers? The dysfunctional New York Knicks? The Team Full of Trade bait known as the Chicago Bulls?

There's still an outside chance that we'll have a full roster for Game 1 that's at least 75% healthy; which is way better than last season. I think things are better than they seem. Stevenson did go to his b-day party, afterall.