The Opposite of Progress: Why The Washington Wizards, Not Congress, Is The Least Productive Team in Our Nation's Capital

I jest with my Congress comment because I'm sure those guys are getting a lot of stuff done. But I'm not kidding around about these Wizards. The Washington Wizards were never exactly a proud franchise with an illustrious history, but they certainly are not slouches. They were coming off a tumultuous season last year after the entire Gilbert Arenas' gun incident and his suspension. They did some selling of their own, trading Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers. But things started to look up when they won the lottery and picked up point guard extraordinaire John Wall, a gifted and athletic guard from Kentucky. With the addition of Kevin Seraphin, Kirk Hinrich, and the return of Gilbert Arenas into lineup, the Wizards looked poised to have a decent season. They were probably going to miss the playoffs, but at least, they would give us something to look forward to in the future. Unfortunately, they did not do that at all.

Let us start with one of the bigger problems early on in the season: Gilbert Arenas. Agent Zero was nothing but an agent of chaos for this young team. He had the issues with a loaded gun last season. He had scoring issues ever since his ankle injury. He now has stunted the growth of John Wall. He was supposed to either move to the 2 guard or teach him. Recently acquired Kirk Hinrich was a mentor to John Wall, but Arenas was definitely messing with the chemistry. So Arenas was traded for Rashard Lewis, going from one overpaid player to another. But then the Wizards traded Hinrich for Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, and Mo Evans. Bibby was waived because he didn't want to play for another lottery team, so Wall was left without a teacher. But those aren't the only problems

Then of course you have the young front court of Javale McGee and Andray Blatche. These are two very talented big men. Blatche is a great offensive player and McGee is extremely athletic, as shown by his impressive and arguably winning performance in the dunk contest. But neither of them is mature, basketball-wise. Just look at their attempts at the triple-double. Blatche, who was one rebound away from a triple double, got angry at a teammate for snaring down the rebound that would have put him over the top. McGee, who was 1 point away from a triple double, missed a free throw, clanked two contested shots, turned the ball over, and dunked in the ball, but then got a technical foul for hanging on the rim. McGee is a highlight reel offensively and defensively, but he isn't that great on either side. He gets lazy on defense and unless he is in blocking range, he won't contest you. Blatche is great offensively, but has poor shot selection.

Then you have the inexperience of the team. They have some veteran players like Rashard Lewis, Maurice Evans, and Josh Howard. They have some great scorers like Nick Young, who is a veritable candidate for Most Improved Player. But they are very young and not playoff-tested. They have started 3 rookies at one point. It does not reflect on the talent of the team, but it reflects on its youth. The Wizards should not lose hope because they do have a strong coach. Flip Saunders is a great coach, but he will need a lot more than John Wall, Nick Young, and Javale Mcgee to get back on top. He will need to turn an offensively and defensively immature team into a contender. Unfortunately, things like this don't always work out. Hopefully, the Wizards will bring back some progress to the nation's capital, but as of now, we will watch and see how Wall and Saunders will save this ship.