Dunk Base

The Washington Wizards are one of the most enigmatic teams in the NBA. One year, they're an above average playoff team, and the next they are the most prominent of bottom dwellers in the league. They consistently have a lot of talent, but they suffer from injury problems. Basically, you never know what you're going to get from the Wizards year in and year out, however I do expect that to change this year. One of the biggest reasons for this is the return of All-Star PG and de facto team leader Gilbert Arenas, who missed nearly all of last year with an injury. Regardless of his flaws as a player (and believe me, there are plenty), Arenas is the heart and soul of the Wizards franchise right now. He is the guy they look too when the rest of the team is falling on hard times, the guy they give the ball to at the end of games, and the guy who is supposed to lead them to post season success. Even if Arenas comes back at fifty-percent health, that alone should be enough for Washington to make a marked improvement on there 19-win mark last season.

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 Another reason to fear the Wizards is because the amount of young, athletic talent they have amassed over the years. Five players come to mind: Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, JaVale Mcgee, Andray Blatche, and Jarvaris Crittenton. All of these guys are on the younger side of 25 and none of them have reached there full potential yet. The fact that some of these guys haven't had a breakout year yet leads to the term "mental midget" being thrown around, and this may very well be a fitting description. However, you simply can not deny the talent that is on display here, and at any point during the season, any of these players can be primed to break out.

With all this being said, lets have a look at there opening night lineup, and some of there depth as well:

PG: Gilbert Arenas

Arenas has garnered many nicknames over his career, and they all have to do with the fact that he can flat out score the basketball. Arenas can beat you off the dribble, nail the pull-up jumper, or destroy you from his seemingly unlimited range; he has a vast array of weapons in his scoring arsenal, so to speak. While he does turn the ball over a fair bit and has never been a "true" point guard, he isn't a bad passer and, as mentioned before, is the leader of this team. There record without him last season shows this, so expect "Agent Zero" to be back to his old tricks again this year.

SG: Mike Miller

Now, don't quote me on this. There are a number of other players who could be primed to steal this starting spot, one of them the aferomentioned Nick Young, or recent acquisition Randy Foye. If they choose to go with Miller, though, they won't be dissapointed. Miller is a veteran wingman, entering his 9th year in the NBA, and he is extremely versatile as a player. He's a dead-eye marksmen from deep, he's capable of creating his own shot, and he distributes and rebounds relatively well. He took on a role far beyond his grasp in Minnesota last year and his numbers fell, but taking on a more secondary role in Washington should help get him back on track.

SF: Caron Butler

Over the years, there have been whispers among some Wizards fans that Butler should be the go-to guy on the court, the number one option instead of Arenas. Fortunately, the coaches and front office weren't listening. Butler is an immensely talented player, but he falls into the category with guys like Andre Igoudala and Gerald Wallace as guys who are game changers, but not necessarily elite, or capable of being team leaders. What Butler can do, though, is score in a number of ways, and he is also a very solid rebounder, and an absolute hound on the defensive end of the floor. He has battled injuries throughout his career, but when he's on the court, he's a consistent, important member of this team.

PF: Antawn Jamison

Mister Reliable, Jamison is entering his 12th season a pro, and is the most senior member of the Wizards core. Despite the fact that he's getting on in years, that didn't stop Jamison from posting averages of 22 and 9 last season, on a respectable field goal percentage. He is a defensive sieve, but offensively, he's one of the more versatile players in the league; he can beat you from on the block, or nail the jumper from anywhere on the court. With Arenas back, expect him to become less of a focal point in the offense, but it never hurts to have a player as dependable as Jamison to rely on when other guys are struggling.

C: Brendan Haywood

Haywood has been a frustrating player throughout his career, showing lack of work ethic and fighting with his teammates on occasion. He is absolutely a true centre in every sense of the word, but he doesn't often play like one. For a 7-footer, his rebounding numbers are paltry, and his man-to-man defense leaves something to be desired; however, he's a solid, fundemental offensive player who is also capable of blocking shots. Fortunately for him, that's all he's ever asked to do, plug up the middle while deferring to his four other teammates on the court. At some point this spot may be available to Blatche or McGee, but Haywood is the safest bet for now.

Key players off the bench:

Randy Foye was an unheralded offseason acquisition for Washington. He came to town along with Miller in a deal that sent the fifth-overall draft choice to Minnesota, and Foye simply gives the Wizards a scoring combo guard off the bench, capable of spelling Arenas at either position. He was often asked to take on full time point guard duties in Minny, and with a more reserved role, we should see what Foye is actually capable of on a decent team.

Nick Young is a scorer, plain and simple. You may be thinking to yourself, well, don't they have enough scorers? You'd be right (more on this in a minute) but that doesn't change what this young man is capable of. Young averaged 11 points per contest in just over twenty minutes, using his length and athleticism to cut inside defenses. He'll need to work on the other aspects of his game to garner a more prominent role, but he's certainly a dangerous weapon off the bench.

Dominic McGuire is one of my favourite young talents in the league. He got more playing time - 26 minutes per contest - last year than expected due to a series of injuries, but he proved that he was worth every one of those minutes. His scoring numbers won't wow you, but that's what is so good about him for this team; he isn't a scorer. McGuire proved to be a very solid rebounder and defensive player last year, and expect him to play a more prominent role if he can keep this up.

Fabricio Oberto is a guy who has simply been there before. You may wonder why I'm putting him here instead of Blatche or McGee, seeing as Oberto won't see much court time. However, what Oberto brings is a veteran big man presence to help mentor these young guys. Oberto has playoff and championship experience, winning a ring with the Spurs a few years back. While he's never honed any particular skill, Oberto can provide solid rebounding and hustle work in limited minutes, while being a leader in the dressing room.

So, there you have it. This is a team that is not going to have any trouble putting points up on the board, with a number of different offensive options for them to go to. With Arenas back, this puts together one of the more cohesive units in the NBA over the past while, as he, Jamison, and Butler form a "big three" much like the one in Boston. They've played together for a long time, they know each other well and when all three are clicking, this is a playoff team.

A weakness for the Wizards is obviously there defense. They have some good individual defenders in Butler and McGuire, but as a team, there really isn't much there to intimidate opponents. Flip Saunders will have to hammer home a defensive scheme in order to make sure the points being put up on the other end don't go all for naught.

 All in all, I see the Wizards being succesful again this year. With the Big 3 back at it, and the emergence of young talent, it's tough to see them missing the playoffs in the East. Will they ever be a true contender with this group? Probably not, but they'll be competitive for a while.

Predicted record: 46-36, 5th in East.

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