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Re: What do you think?
In his blog, Arenas states that he is opting out of his contract to get more money while staying with the Wizards. The Wizards also have to remain competitive while taking steps towards an NBA championship if Arenas chooses to stay.
The Wizards do not need to rebuild from scratch. They have the luxury of building around Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, their two all stars from the year before. Arenas can score from anywhere on the court and create for others but his biggest weakness is clearly on the defensive end, where he will need to pick it up if the Wizards are to become serious contenders. Butler is one of the glue guys that holds the team together. Nicknamed "Tough Juice", he plays hard every night averaging 19.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 3.7 apg.
Although Jamison is a tweener, he does help the Wizards stretch the floor with his 3 point shot and post game. Jamison is a character guy that brings leadership. Still, he is the definition of a black hole on the defensive end. And at this stage in his career, he shows signs of wearing down when logging too many minutes. I could Jamison getting dealt because of his expiring contract, but he would be a good player to bring back on a cheaper deal.
The Wizards have bigs that could potentially help the Wizards down the road. Pecherov is a 7 footer from Ukraine who can nail the three. If the Wizards retain Andray Blatche, he has good ball handling skills for a 6'11 guy who can finish at the rim and play defense, he just needs to improve his jumper.
At the shooting guard position, the Wizards have an adequate starter in Stevenson who can play solid defense and knows when to pick his spots with Arenas. When the Wizards were fully healthy, Stevenson was shooting over 50% from the field. Plus they have Nick Young, a 6'6 rookie from USC, who has the potential to become a great scorer but needs to improve his decision making process.
The Wizards also have Dominic McGuire, the 6'8 rookie from Fresno State who figures to make it into the Wizards rotation this year. He has great ball handling abilities for a player his size while he utilizes a spin move to create an offensive shot. He also knows how to play great defense at multiple position in the summer league while he use strength and leaping ability to get rebounds. He is a player who can figure to earn minutes in the Wizards rotation.
The Wizards weakness lies in the center position where Haywood and Thomas played minutes last year. Both have been erratic in terms of their play. While Haywood has much more talent than Thomas, he does not put in a consistent effort night in and night out. Eddie Jordan has given him a short leash. Thomas gives a lot of effort but he has terrible hands which causes a lot of turnovers.
The Wizards should trade to get an upgrade at either the power forward or center position. But big men are at a premium right now so I do not expect a deal to get done in the offseason. Maybe the Wizards can unload Jamison and other pieces when the trading deadline comes around to get a quality big. For instance, if Memphis, the Grizzlies, Clippers, Pacers, or Nuggets fall out of contention when the trading deadline rolls around, maybe Gasol, Brand, Jermaine O'Neal, or Marcus Camby will become available.
The Wizards would be willing to trade Jamison, Daniels, Songailia, Haywood, and Thomas. It's also hard to determine how untouchable the 3 rookies the Wizards acquired are but I do not expect them to be traded. I don't see a circumstance where Butler will be traded unless it somehow lands them someone like KG. And Arenas is more than likely untouchable unless he demands a trade.
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What do you think?
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