Washington Wizards Best Options for Thursday's NBA Draft

The last week has been quite interesting in that an influx of trade rumors and draft scenarios have flooded the Washington Wizards internet community.  Michael Lee of The Washington Post has reported rumors of trades involving the Wizards’ 5th pick going to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers (gag), and the New York Knicks.  While nothing really seems to be of substance, as www.bulletsforever.com has acknowledged, they are impossible to ignore.  Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Javale McGee are some of the notables that many teams, as many as 14, have expressed interest in.  As we approach the draft, the fans’ opinions seem to be forming an almost consensus for Davidson guard Stephen Curry.  The Washington Post conducted a poll that resulted in nearly half the votes garnered by Southern Conference product.  DraftExpress.com now has the Wizards slotted for Jordan Hill with the 5th selection while both SI.com and ESPN.com are predicting James Harden.  What do the Wizards need?  And should they draft for need or get the best player?  Both possibilities, in my opinion, may indeed overlap.  
I believe the most glaring need for the Washington Wizards is at the guard position.  The Wizards have addressed the frontcourt pretty aggressively in recent years with the draft of McGee, Pecherov, and grooming of Andray Blatche.  What appears to have happened is a negligence of the need for a guard, evident in the acceptance of Roger Mason, Jr.’s departure.  Right now as the roster stands the Wizards possess a superstar in Gilbert Arenas but no significant contributor behind him.  Stevenson could very well be done as the only thing he can do these days is talk trash.  Even at his best he would be most effective coming off the bench.  His occasional 3-point hot streak and solid defensive play would be a nice commodity in a reserved role.  Nick Young is on the verge of being a solid 2 guard but an upgrade is certainly possible given the team’s draft situation.  He might be at the point in his career when a little competition wouldn’t hurt.  Mike Jones might not be a Wizard for long but I believe he could give quality minutes in a reserved role.  He is not good enough to be the back-up point guard any more.  I could see his best-case-scenario being reduced to the role of an Anthony Johnson, not the primary back-up but a solid third option for sporadic minutes.  I like Jarvaris Crittenton a lot, he is around 6’5” with good speed and a nice work ethic.  With the overstock of combo guards in this draft the Wizards may be able to pick a player that would still allow Crit room to develop as a role player.  You have to like his prospects with his size and athleticism, he is just a classic case of a player who entered the pro’s too early, only he has a chance to actually make it in the Association.  

The best option for the Wizards in this draft might be getting a guard who can play both positions.  I think if Tyreke Evans is on the board he must be selected.  This guy has been acknowledged by many in the press as a potential star.  He seems to be the player that may not fit perfectly into the Wizards current mold but could be a costly pass-up down the road.  His length is ridiculous for being 6’5” or 6’6” and he seems to possess that killer instinct that the great scorers have.  I remember in the NCAA tournament when he destroyed Maryland, penetrating at will with spectacular finishes at the rim.  His reported weakness is in his long range shot but it can’t be as bad as Demar Derozan (16.7% from 3).  This is what Mike Prada of bulletsforever said about the 3 guards the Wizards should consider (James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Tyreke Evans):

“All three can help the Wizards alleviate their many weaknesses.  Evans can help with the defense and Curry can help fix the Wizards' shooting and passing woes.  Meanwhile, Harden seems like he has the type of game that could translate well to blending in alongside Arenas, creating when he needs to or fading into the background to let Arenas do his thing when he has to.”

If Evans can produce on the defensive end I think that it is a no-brainer.  The play-making skills this guy has on offense are impressive and defensive help on the perimeter would help the Wizards tremendously.  It seems that each of these three players could help the Wizards in their respective ways but Evans appears to be the best bet at adding another All-Star to the roster.  
Prada makes an interesting point about “fading into the background.”  When I read this I envision Gilbert doing his thing with the ball, collapsing the defense, and finding either Curry or Harden to knock down the open 3-pointer.  Arenas would be well-served by having a player that could help him spread the floor.  You see this all the time with Kobe Bryant doing the drive-and-kick to Fisher or Ariza or with the Magic and Rockets using the three to get back in games.  It is possible that the best bet is for the Wizards to get a shooter to help change games with instant offense.  It was Juan Dixon who served this role the last time the Wizards won a playoff series.  He contributed by scoring off the bench to alter the series against the Chicago Bulls.  Regardless of what happens, it should be exciting to see what Ernie Grunfeld decides to do.  The Wizards appear to be in a good position to improve their standing in the Eastern Conference, let’s just hope they get the best value for the pick. 




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR200