After it has ended, it is fairly unclear how much stock can be taken out of this year’s Washington Wizards preseason. As usual in preseason games the stars generally saw limited minutes, particularly at the end of the game. When the Wiz played the Cleveland Cavaliers they did not have to deal with Lebron James and the Wizards had to cope with a “swine-flu backcourt” for several games. It was ironically against those same Cavaliers that workhorse power forward Antawn Jamison endured a shoulder injury that could prove onerous in the beginning of the season. Flip Saunders remarked that Jamison’s injury is better to occur at the beginning of the regular season rather than the end. That’s a glass-half-full perspective but far from appeasing for a fanbase that is sick and tired of injuries plaguing promising seasons. As fans we could revert to what’s become an old adage, that “at least it will give time for the young players to develop,” but after three essentially lost seasons, that contrived positivity has run its course. It is hard to believe that the trio of Arenas, Butler, and Jamison hasn’t played a regular season game together since April 1, 2007.
It’s understood that if Jamison is to be integral on a team that contends there is little time to waste. Each year the circumstances become more and more exigent, if you were watching when Gilbert Arenas hit the game winner against the Chicago Bulls in the 2005 playoffs then you understand why. If you were a “witness” of Lebron crab-dribble his way past Michael Ruffin in 2006, you understand why.
Now, Antawn Jamison’s subluxation of the shoulder, or whatever it’s called, is not the end of the season, or the world. It is just about the rough equivalent of kicking out the crutches of a person who in the last few years has had three knee surgeries, a broken hand, a broken wrist, a subluxation of the shoulder, a labral tear in the hip, and swine flu. It just means that the most reliable player the Washington Wizards have is out for up to five weeks, maybe until Thanksgiving.
It is no doubt going to be tough to replace his production of 20 and 10 every night, Flip Saunders will likely have to look to 6-11 forward Andray Blatche to grow up pretty quickly over the next few weeks. He is the logical replacement for the short term who seems to be rather close to emerging as a quality NBA big man. Saunders will likely experiment with the starting power forward position in the first few games and we’ll probably see extended minutes at the four from Blatche, Fabricio Oberto, Javale McGee, and maybe Mike Miller.
Jamison’s injury could really hurt the Wizards chances of getting the seed they want come playoff time. As Michael Lee noted recently the first 15 games of the Wizards’ season is a challenging stretch. In a race as close as the East might be every game will count sooner or later. If the Wizards have any chance to make a run for homecourt advantage in the 1st round they will have to play at the top of their game for the entirety of the season.
Blatche Watch:
The man with the most mispronounced one syllable name flirted with excellence in the preseason before reverting back to mediocrity. His final averages were:
11.6 ppg
7.1 rbg
24.8 mpg
We will get a great look at Andray over the next few weeks as he will get the playing time to show what he can do.
Keywords: NBA, Washington Wizards
