With Howard injured, position is wide-open
Josh Howard won’t be back from the torn ACL he suffered in February until at least late November. But he has a message for the players who are vying for the Wizards’ small forward spot that was rightfully his before he got hurt.
“Good luck,” Howard said. “That’s just a friendly competition, of course. No hard feelings.”
But perhaps the toughest preseason decision Wizards coach Flip Saunders faces is how to fill the hole Howard’s absence has left behind. Among the options are two draft picks, two arrivals via trade, a call-up last year from the NBA Development League and a training camp invitee.
Al Thornton should have the edge after averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds following the deadline deal that brought him to Washington from the Los Angeles Clippers last year.
“I’ve been here for a while, and I’m familiar with the system,” said Thornton, who completed the main offseason goal he was assigned — to lose weight — but still needs to improve his jump shot. “I think that can be an advantage.”
The more unlikely challenger is Adam Morrison, who owns a pair of championship rings after spending the last two years on the Los Angeles Lakers’ bench. Despite an underwhelming first four seasons in the league since being drafted third overall in 2006, the 6-foot-8 Morrison still possesses size and a shooting stroke that has impressed in camp thus far and could complement the Wizards’ talented backcourt. He spurned offers from teams expected to be more competitive this season specifically because of the opportunity in Washington.
“He’s done some things,” Saunders said Thursday. “I think that he’s one of those guys, if he’s along with a guy like John [Wall], he can bring him up. He’s going to draw a lot of coverage.”
Meanwhile, Nick Young and Trevor Booker are at opposite ends of the development spectrum. This season will be a learning one for Booker, who also can play power forward, but Young, entering his fourth season, has bulked up and knows that a solid year is critical to his NBA future.
Yi Jianlian is versatile but at 7 feet tall is needed more on the inside, and Cartier Martin parlayed an energetic leap from the D-League into summer league and camp invites but remains down the pecking order.
“It’s going to be very challenging,” Thornton said. “We’ve got a lot of guys at that position.”
