The Washington Wizards’ 2009-10 campaign was unraveling well before it started ferociously tearing at the seams this week, as details emerged of the reported Dec. 21 locker room gun incident involving Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.
While the indefinite suspension that NBA commissioner David Stern handed down to Arenas on Wednesday could be the final piece that brings the whole thing to the ground, the team already endured endless injuries and poor play, including two losing streaks of six games in early November and early December. Those stretches have fueled trade rumors involving the team’s biggest stars, including Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, the latter who the Cleveland Plain-Dealer essentially begged the Wizards to trade to the Cavaliers on Thursday. (Contrary to reports, however, one team source has said the players themselves have not asked to be shipped.)
But hope is not lost.
The Atlanta Falcons saw their own foundation crumble beneath them in 2007. The investigation of quarterback Michael Vick‘s involvement in a dog-fighting ring began a year-long downward spiral that ended with a 4-12 record, a locker room in turmoil and a disgraced coach who ditched the club to return to the college ranks.
Vick was suspended in August of that year after pleading guilty, leaving the Falcons with backups Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich to take over just as the season began. Tight end Alge Crumpler and cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who were two of the team’s biggest stars aside from Vick, were both gone by spring of 2008 after showing support for Vick. Head coach Bobby Petrino, who was hired to develop Vick, resigned midseason with a 3-10 record, leaving only a locker room note for his players.
Who would’ve imagined that the Falcons would finish 11-5 the next year and make the playoffs after signing free agent running back Michael Turner and a wonder-draft that landed them quarterback Matt Ryan, tackle Sam Baker and linebacker Curtis Lofton?
Perhaps John Wall could signal the beginning of that kind of fairy tale for the Wizards. The only problem is, two-thirds of the season remains to suffer through. So while the sun may shine again, it’s currently getting darker in Chinatown because this thing hasn’t yet reached the bottom.
