Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Gilbert Arenas is desperate to make it to the playoffs this year. With Antawn Jamison beside him, he and the Wizards quietly think this should be their year. But the long road to the playoffs begins with the first win, and Washington's chance comes tonight as they face the deep and talented Grizzlies tonight in Memphis. An opening night victory over last season's 50-win team would send a loud message to the rest of the league: wake up! The Wizards are here.
Arenas and Jamison are forming the new nucleus of what will be Washington's future going forward, along, probably, with recently extended Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas. The only other players signed past this season are Jared Jefferies and rookie Peter John Ramos.
Kwame Brown is still recovering and will not be an option for the first batch of games but when he gets back, he might find himself having an easier time scoring points, with Arenas and Jamison drawing more of the attention, and because advance scouts and coaches will have focused their defense on stopping those two. He might actually play himself into top-caliber form. If he plays too well, he might get priced right out of Washington's price range.
Either way, having a top draft pick coming in to join what should already be a successful team can only benefit the Wizards. But to become a successful team, they need to get their first win. What better time than Basketball New Year? What better place than against last year's surprise?
NEXT GAME
The Wizards' season kicks off on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Blues, brews, and basketball just feels right on a cool Tennessee night. Tip-off against the Grizzlies is slated for 8:00 p.m. Eastern/7:00 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Network. Tickets are still available for this game at the FedEx Forum.
TEAM NOTES
Tune into WTOP every weekday at 7:17 a.m. and 5:17 p.m. as the Wizards discuss topics on and off the court. On Monday, NBC4's Arch Campbell and Gilbert Arenas got together to talk aboutCollateral.
INJURY UPDATE
Steve Blake(ankle) is out 10 to 12 weeks;Kwame Brown(pinkie toe) will miss training camp, return date unclear;Etan Thomas(abdomen) is out with return date unclear.
Michael Lee ofThe Washington Postwrites: "That was the first time Gilbert was actually serious," said Jamison. "He called me and was like, 'I'm tired of this. I want to go to the playoffs.' "Arenas liked his chances of making his first playoff berth playing alongside Jamison again and he expressed that opinion to Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards' president of basketball operations, when Grunfeld mentioned he was interested in acquiring Jamison. "I told him, 'I like Antawn,' " Arenas said. "We play well together."
John Mitchell ofThe Washington Timeswrites: If the Wizards get what they anticipate from Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison, they won't need Kwame to make first-team All-NBA.With Jamison down on the block, Kwame should be an afterthought to a lot of defenders. That means he should be able to get a lot more open looks — of the up-close-and-personal variety — at the basket. Judging from the way Kwame and Gilbert interacted during the preseason, they appear to have put their little tiffs from last season behind them and are ready to ball.
John Mitchell ofThe Washington Timeswrites: When the Washington Wizards drafted Kwame Brown with the No. 1 pick overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, they envisioned him as a cornerstone for their future. Now he might not even have a future with the franchise. With Brown and seven other players who could be free agents at the end of the season, Washington is faced with the possibility the players it thought as recently as last year would form the nucleus of the team for years to come might not wear the Wizards uniform next season.