It’s the heart of summer, so you’re standing over the grill, sitting beside the pool, or strolling along a beach. But somehow, dreams of cold nights at Verizon Center are starting to seem enticing. With free agency moves complete, can the Wizards make winter fun again?
Craig Stouffer » A final piece in the frontcourt was a glaring hole. But with the addition of Fabricio Oberto, who won an NBA title as the San Antonio Spurs’ starting center two years ago, Washington’s 14-man roster feels complete.
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Brian McNally » No question the Wizards have a better bench than their four straight playoff teams did from 2005 to 2008. But that isn’t saying much. Michael Ruffin and Jared Jeffries and Jarvis Hayes didn’t exactly scare opponents come April. This group will have to be a lot better than that one for the Wiz to become contenders again.
CS » All the indications point to it being so, with Nick Young‘s solid showing in Las Vegas eclipsed only by JaVale McGee, whose shot-blocking prowess earned him an invitation to the USA Basketball mini-camp. Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche were less than stellar, but Flip Saunders only uses eight or nine guys.
BM » Impressive. But we’ve seen this before. Blatche was the crown prince of summer league hoops. At some point, young players have to carry things over to the real season — itself a prelude to the playoffs. If they can’t, there are going to be a lot more ugly second quarters at Verizon this season with the reserves on the court.
CS » Of course, it’s the fourth quarter that matters, and that’s when the Wizards need Gilbert Arenas. He’s taken the low-profile road this summer, and the word on the street is that he’s slimmed down and geared up for what, he knows, needs to be a huge year.
BM » That’s the key. But even if Gilbert is healthy — an open question — can he play the way he did at the end of last year when he had 20 assists in just two games and got his teammates involved in the offense? That was the criticism of Arenas before he got hurt. A Wizards title remains a summer fantasy until he learns to reign in his own offense for others’ sake.
