Wow. This year has been pretty upsetting for the Washington Wizards and their fans. The team who kept getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Cavs will not even taste the sweetness of the postseason this year. To make it even worse, they're in last place in the east, and the only team worse than them this season is Sacramento Queens. I've been joking with a friend of mine about how the only good thing for the Sacramento Queens this year will be the draft where they might get Blake Griffin, assuming they get the first pick in the draft. But that lead my thoughts in the direction of the "what-if's." What if Miley Cyrus decides that she doesn't want to be Hannah Montana anymore? What if Passover food was the food we ate year round? What if LeBron went to the Clippers?! Crazy things to think about, I know...but let's talk What-If's Wizards style. What if Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood, and Caron Butler all stay healthy next season? What if Antawn Jamison re-signs with Washington? What if the Wizards hire Flip Saunders as their new head coach? But WHAT IF the Wizards get the first round draft pick? Let's break it down. Staying off the injured list is a key factor for any team in any sport. Agent Zero is the X-Factor behind the Washington Wizards' success, and it is evident when he isn't playing, they aren't winning. And by the time that he did start playing, it was too late for him to dig himself out of the hole that players like DeShawn Stevenson, Andre Blatche, and Darius Songaila dug with heavy construction machinery. But when he has played, he looked good. He's still the dominant force that he always has been, and next year, if he and the other players can all stay healthy, the Wizards will thrive. Switching gears, let's talk about Jamison. Right at the trade deadline, there were some rumors floating around about Jamison going to a number of different places. And even though he'll be sure to get offers from many other teams, if the Wiz make him an offer, I'm pretty sure he'll stay. Antawn Jamison has been verbal about his frustration with the team this year, and who could blame him? The Wizards are sure to be back in playoff contention next year, and he will likely be a part of that postseason push. Once again, let's change it up. ESPN.com reported hya that they are talking to Flip Saunders about coaching next season. First of all, I'm not sure Eddie Jordan should've been fired this year. He's a good coach, and his team wasn't winning because he was lacking some of the team's vital members. But whatever-they fired his ass, and I'm sure he'll have a new job by the time the next season starts, and I'm going to say that he'll be going to the Sacramento Queens. Saunders coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for 9 1/2 seasons, making the playoffs eight times, but only once did they get out of the first round. He then spent three years at the helm of the Detroit Pistons, and got them to the Eastern Conference Finals all three seasons, but lost in each one. Flip is a great coach with playoff experience, and I think the Wizards would be smart to give him a deal. If Rick Carlisle and Mike Dumb-levy still miraculously have jobs, I'm certain that Flip will get a little somethin-somethin his summer, probably from Washington. Now for the main event: The Draft. Don't count out the Wizards in terms of getting the first pick in the draft. Nobody expected the Bulls to get the first round draft pick last year, and they had a very slim chance of it actually happening. But you know what? It did. If the Wizards can get their hands on Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, or Ricky Rubio, they'll be stacked. Griffin is without a doubt, the best player in the draft pool this year, and any team would be lucky to get him. Thabeet has a cool name, and played very well at UConn this year. He was a total rebounding and blocking machine, but his numbers wee so inflated because of the style of basketball that Jim Calhoun has his Huskies play. Many scouts insist that his numbers will severely drop when he goes pro, but I'm not so convinced of this. I don't know much about Ricky Rubio, but I like the alliteration in his name. Everything I've heard about him is good and I'm sure he'll be great.
So fear not Wizards fans: there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, it's a lot to do and to work on, but these are all things that are definitely not impossible to achieve. Just wait 'til next year Wizards fans, and before you know it, you'll be getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Cavs for the fourth time in five years. Yep, just wait 'til next year...
