The Washington Wizards performed a slight roster overhaul in the early parts of this off-season. From acquiring front court veterans Trevor Ariza, a forward, and Emeka Okafor, a forward and center, to drafting versatile shooting guard Bradley Beal from Florida and getting rid of forward Andray Blatche through the league’s amnesty provisions, the Wizards will definitely have a new look next season. But will that new visual be enough to see them make the playoffs next year? Considering that the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Eastern Conference has been notoriously weak for the last few seasons, there’s a good chance Washington may be able to pull it off. But there’s also history on a floundering franchise’s side that says they won’t. Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate.
Green: From top to bottom, I think the Eastern Conference has slowly improved over the last few years and I just can’t see the Wizards making that leap into the postseason. Maybe in 2013, but not this year. I still haven’t seen much improvement from franchise star John Wall and I haven’t seen new coach Randy Wittman direct a team throughout a season-long campaign. Will the new pieces even work on this team and can Beal come in and be a star? Those lingering questions are a little bit too deep for me to trust with a team that has continued to disappoint season after season.
Riley: Five times over the last seven seasons the NBA’s Eastern Conference has seen a team with a below .500 record qualify for postseason play. That factoid alone tells me the Wizards should be looked at as a possible contender for next year. Annual playoff teams like Atlanta, Orlando and Philadelphia could easily fall out of the top eight considering the players they’ve lost or are set to lose while your Miami’s, Boston’s and Chicago’s will more than likely be there in the end. I don’t see much talent difference between this Wizards’ roster and Atlanta’s, Orlando’s and Philadelphia’s. Washington has slowly pieced together a strong team. I would be on the lookout for positive things.
Green: The only way this team gets into the playoffs next year is if Beal outperforms expectations. He’s a young, undersized shooting guard who’s being counted on for things that may be too big for him to accomplish. Much like Wall, a lot of expectations are being placed on this youngster. It’s difficult to expect a freshman to arrive out of one lone season in college and dominate against pros. We’re going to have to see a lot of improvement from the other guys on this roster if we realistically expect the Wizards to make any noise. We’re counting on Wall, who hasn’t shown any consistency on his jump shot, and we’re counting on Nene, who hasn’t shown any consistency in staying healthy. Good luck.
Riley: This team has the same number of question marks as each of the other teams in the lower half of the conference. There aren’t any teams outside of the conference’s big four (Miami, Boston, Chicago and Indiana) that have a point guard with the ability of Wall or a scoring big man like Nene. Washington has a lot of front court depth with Ariza, Okafor and youngsters Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker and Jan Vesely coming off of the bench. Their shooting guard rotation between Beal and Jordan Crawford should be at least solid and I liked the way they performed over the second half of the season when they dropped teams that were still vying for postseason position in Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando and Chicago. The Brooklyn Nets look improved but the jury is still out on them as well, in my opinion. Washington has as good of a chance as any.
Green: My top five for next year include Miami, Boston, Chicago, Indiana and the Nets. If center Dwight Howard returns you can pencil in Orlando for the playoffs. New York still has a lot of talent and Philadelphia and Milwaukee could make significant jumps. Look, I’m not saying it’s impossible that the Wizards will make the playoffs but coming off a 20-win campaign, that may be too big a jump for this young squad to accomplish.
