NBA / Sep 17, 2009 / 10:30 am

The Wizards Could Win The Championship This Year

By

Gilbert Arenas

Before you skip the article and head directly to the comments to destroy me, just hear me out. And for fans of the Celtics, Cavs and Magic, it’s not that you don’t think it’s possible, but rather that the thought of the Wizards beating you in the second round of the playoffs makes you sick. But the more and more I think about it, the more and more I convince myself that the Wizards could win the championship this year.

While a lot of teams have pieces to the puzzle and some key players coming off the bench, I truly believe that there are few teams as deep as the Wizards at every position. Check it out:

PG – Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye, Javaris Crittenton
SG – DeShawn Stevenson, Nick Young
SF – Caron Butler, Mike Miller, Dominic McGuire
PF – Antawn Jamison, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee
C – Brendan Haywood, Fabricio Oberto

And with this roster there is great flexibility. Depending on matchups, the Wizards could drop Butler down to the two, play Jamison at the three and have one of their athletic bigs step in at the four. Also, what teams can say that they have the ability to bring two starters from last year off the bench in Foye and Miller?

Clearly this whole notion hinges on guys staying healthy, but that’s a risk that every team has. Could the Celtics have won back-to-back titles last year if KG and Leon Powe were healthy? I think so. Could the Wizards do it this year? Perhaps.

With Flip Saunders at the helm, the Wizards should have as good a shot as any. And perhaps the best of their offseason moves – besides trading away their draft pick – was signing Oberto. While he was never a “star” in San Antonio, Oberto went up against the elite in the Western Conference each night, and had to play against Tim Duncan every day in practice. While he could just be insurance if Haywood can’t stay healthy or if Blatche and McGee don’t pan out, he will be an integral part of the Wizards success this season.

In the Washington Post yesterday, Jamison was talking about the “C word” and definitely sees in his team what many people do: talent.

“The thing about this team is, everybody has a chip on his shoulder. You got guys coming back and saying, ‘Am I going to come back and be the same player I was before the injury?’ You got guys trying to get new contracts. You got guys trying to make a name for themselves. And you got me, trying to lead this team to a championship. That’s the only thing that we should be playing for. I think everybody has that mentality.”

And if everyone does, then Wizards could win it all.

What do you think?

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← Older Comments
  • geoff

    with the exception of antawn jamison, every player on this team is over rated.

  • karizmatic

    There are several things that prevent the Wizards from ever winning a championship.

    1. Gilbert Arenas is a shoot first no defense point guard
    2. Antawn Jamison while a good player is not a winner…not a clutch player and really not even a guy you double.
    3. Flip Saunders is their coach
    4. Brendan Haywoode is talented and soft when it comes down to crunch time
    5. Lebron has their number they are his version of MJ’s Knicks or Shaq’s Sacramento Kings
    6. Deshawn Stevenson is on their team
    7. DESHAWN STEVENSON IS ON THEIR TEAM!!!!

  • Bing

    gilbert arenas at 100% is awesome but he never lead them to a ring before. why would this year be any different??

  • heartbreaker85

    AGAIN WITH THE WIZARDS.

    of all the players you listed, NOT ONE PLAYER CAN PLAY A LICK OF DEFENSE.

    sure butler might be a so-so defender, but after him who else is there?

    sure they can score, no doubt. but answer me this aron philips, who’s going to stop the kobes, james, parkers, howards and cp3s of the nba?

    and having coach flip on the team doesnt really upgrade your defense.

  • “Tha Boddy™”

    Great read AP your a gentleman and a scholar

  • M Intellect

    I love the fear the comments section has garnered and as a regular commenter, I am proud. We’re like the crowd at MSG.

    If Javale McGee outplays Haywood, he’ll punch his lights out ala Evan Thomas.

  • Matt

    DeShawn Stevenson is wack…the dude took himself out of the starting lineup last year because he knew he was wack. Nick Young isnt much better…and i dont know what people see in blatche, he is lazy out of shape, has no moves and is butt ugly. Its gonna be the same d.c. story, gilbert chucks up ugly shots and butler and jamison clean up his mess. They’ll be weak.

  • Rob

    As a fan of the team, it’s a stretch for them to win it all, but some comments in here are plain dumb.

    First, Dominic McGuire, Stevenson, Butler, and Haywood are all above average defenders with potential in McGee turning into a great defender once he fills out and gets more experience. Oh, let’s not forget Oberto who can bang and flop as well as Varaj in Cleveland. I might add Foye in the mix too.

    Second, you guys talk about past failures like losing to the Cavs in the playoffs as if this is the same team. It’s not and those teams were not completely healthy either nor as deep as this year’s team will be.

    Third, Flip is the perfect coach for this team and he did employ zone schemes in Minnesota that made the sum better than the parts defensively. Eddie Jordan was the coach who virtually dismissed defense altogether. And, with all the scoring on this team, they only need to be average defensively to win 50 games or perhaps slightly more.

    I got them finishing 4th in the conference with a chance at 3rd if someone slips a little and possibly making the CF in the playoffs. This upcoming season’s version of the Nuggets.

  • ab_40

    it’s a chemistry thing… they can go for 50 to 53 this year if everything is clicking if not they’re a middle of the pack team in the east. and at the end of the season their record wouldn’t be good enough to get to the playoffs in the west.

    i was just checkin and the east has no exciting young teams loaded with talent. so I have to get leauge pass to see the exciting young teams play I can’t stay up till 3 in the moring for a game to start hehe.

  • cp3

    i dont think theyll be contenders, i think they will make the playoffs though.
    and why is everyone sleeping on nick young?

  • Whatever

    If they are able to play defense as a unit, in which I haven’t seen them do that IN A WHILE. Also, Arenas has to be Arenas again, and everyone else has to play up to the hype. All of this has to happen before you EVEN CONSIDER them contenders. After that, they still have to play the Celtics, Cavs and or the Magic in the playoffs before they even get to the NBA Finals. I’ll admit that they could go as far as the 2nd Round, depending on who they meet in the 1st Round, but to say that they’ll get as far as the NBA Finals, let alone the West Finals, is just ludicrous.

  • http://dimemag.com IVO

    DID EVERYBODY SEE MIAMI WADE BRING BACK THE HEAT TO THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR ALONE OKAY 1ST ROUND BUT THEY ONLY HAVE ONE PLAYER WHO DID EVERYTHING.
    THE WIZARDS WILL PLAY MORE DEFENSE AND A BETTER DEFENSE BECAUSE FLIP SAUNDERS IS A DEFENSE ADICT LOL.
    WILL BE COMPLICATED I HAVE 80% SURE THEY CAN’T WIN A CHIP BUT WHO KNOWS… THEY ARE A GOOD OFFENSE TEAM ARENAS, BUTLER, JAMISON, FOYE AND MILLER… WE EXPECT DEFENSE

  • http://myspace.com/bqmuzik BQ

    don’t sleep on Foye. He had to work too hard for his shots last year cuz Al J never kicked it out when double teamed. Randy had to create too much for himself…he’s gonna get more open shots now…dont sleep on what he can bring to the offense

  • Skywalker

    Foye, Young, Miller, and Caron playing the 2 with Gil running point….Wiz have the best rotation of SGs in the league. It’s easily their strongest and most reliable position.

    Foye is not a PG.

    on paper, Wiz are deep

  • Kenneth

    The Wizards won’t win the championship and I don’t think there’s much possibility. They can get to the second round and possibly beyond.

    Folks are sleeping on Arenas not being back, but being better than ever. Tim Grover in Chicago says so and so do all the pros who’ve worked against him.

    The thing that will make this the best Wizards team ever are a better coach, much better bigs, and much better perimeter shooting. Saunders will coach the defense up without taking away from the offense. Haywood’s in a contract year. Oberto is a savvy flopper. Blatche has a new number, has had a terrific summer, and is going to have his best season. McGee is a 7 foot 1 player with freakish athleticism. His dunks will come frequently because of three point shooters who can pass in Foye and Miller.

    The Wizards are a balanced team that will probably win 30-35 games more than they won last season. (19)

    I think they could get to the second round and maybe come out of the east if they are healthy because Boston is old and Shaq will throw off Cleveland’s chemistry.

    Don’t sleep on the Wizards. (But don’t bank on a championship, either, until the defense is better at the PF position).

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