Pick a Lineup, Any Lineup

Upon reflection on the Wizards-Cavaliers game, I realized the biggest boon to Washington may not necessarily be offensive. After all, they have very capable scorers in Arenas, Butler, Jamison, Miller, Foye, Young, and Blatche. And while the team needs the Tri-Force to win the big games, a lighter roster should be more than capable of putting away the scrubs.

No, the most significant change for the Wizards is their defensive potential. Consider the following lineups (going in order from PG to C, in in cases when more than one player can work, the preferred player goes first):

  1. Traditional Lineup: Crittenton/Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, Oberto, Haywood. Your standard NBA lineup...I say "standard" because as good and valuable as he is, Jamison is not a traditional power forward.
  2. You Want Small-ball? I Got Yer "Small-ball" Right Here: Boykins, Arenas/Foye, Stevenson, Jamison, Blatche/Oberto. There are still those teams (they usually have no reliable post players) that will try to go small. Let 'em.
  3. Let's Get Physical: Boykins, Stevenson, Butler, McGuire, Oberto. This is the closest we have to a rough-'em-up lineup; if the squad ever gets into a rock fight, I'd really like to see these five on the floor together.
  4. Stand Tall: Arenas/Stevenson, Miller/Butler, Butler/McGuire, Blatche/Oberto, Haywood/McGee. Sure, we could start Haywood and McGee, but i wanted to be somewhat realistic; neither has the offensive skills to play power forward for a significant length of time.
  5. The Best Defense Is A Good Offense: Arenas, Foye, Miller, Jamison, Blatche. If I ever hear an announcer say, "And the Wizards are on a 20-point run!" this is the squad I imagine seeing.
  6. All A-board: Miller, Butler, Jamison, Blatche, Haywood. So far, they are the team's best rebounders. If the coach wants a board, this is the group that can do it.
The possibilities are almost endless; just about any man-to-man or zone defense can be utilized. My hope is that the Wizards can get opposing teams to about 95 ppg by January.

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