Be Like Tike

Saturday, October 27th, 2007 by Adam Wagner

Trying to Figure Out Which NBA Team to Root For – Washington Wizards

The Wizards are another team with an enigma being a major part of their equation. Granted, superstar Gilbert Arenas is Washington’s enigma while Chicago has to worry about half of its young team freezing up at one time. Arenas is undoubtedly one of the game’s most entertaining superstars, from his crazy mannerisms to his excellent quotes to his keeping a blog on NBA.com.For instance, Arenas wrote at one point this summer that he felt bad for sharks because humans are intruding on their property by swimming in oceans. He then proceeded to ask how a human would feel if a shark came sauntering through his front door. After trying not to choke in laughter, the only reaction was to say, “That’s Gilbert being Gilbert,” which is almost as effective, and certainly more entertaining, than “Manny being Manny.”

Actually, I could just write about Gilbert Arenas’ blogs for a year. They’re that entertaining, but when looked at in relation to what’s happening on the court they acquire even more significance. For instance, in his last entry, Arenas wrote that he still needed to heat up the Hibachi, the statement he shouts after makng a big shot.

Other reasons to root for the Wizards include the likely possibility of a playoff spot, which is vital for any team that I pick. I want to be able to be sitting at PNC Park next June and say, “Hey, wait, that team I picked to root for has a game tonight.” The Wizards probably won’t go that far, but they will almost certainly make the playoffs or be in the mix for a spot. Throw in the fact that Washington has a legitimate Big Three with Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler (last year’s fantasy revelation) and this team could be extremely interesting to watch.

They can score more than most Eastern conference teams and, with Arenas, there is a legitimate chance that this Big Three can win as many games as that “other Big Three,” as Arenas refers to Boston’s three superstars.

What Washington has and Boston does not, though is Nick Young. The former USC guard is a phenomenal athlete, a player that can change a game with his sheer skill level. Having him around will give Arenas, who is certainly an unselfish superstar, more options to utilize in his efforts to make the Wizards a championship contender. It will also be entertaining to watch his development, as his upside is potentially very high.

Washington has all of the parts necessary to make the run, the story (Arenas), the location (Eastern standard time), a young player who could be a story, and they are nearby enough that I could potentially attend one or two of their games this season (ROADTRIP!).There are not a whole lot of negatives to rooting for Washington outside of the fact that they don’t play a whole lot of really important games unless Arenas makes them important.

The Wizards are almost certainly the class of their division, especially now that Miami appears to have completely given up, but they still finished at exactly .500 last year. That’s not really enough wins, but the team has enough upside that it can probably be ignored.The Wizards are the John Farrell (definite front runner) of this process right now.

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