Each week The Examiner sits down with a Comcast Sportsnet personality to get their take on the issues of the day. Even after four straight losses, Chick Hernandez believes the Wizards control their playoff destiny.
Examiner: Are we in the middle of a Wizards freefall out of the playoffs?
Chick Hernandez: I think that it all hinges on the health of Caron Butler. He’s been such a huge part of what this team has accomplished this season. They need him back on the court. The good part is the Wizards still control their own destiny and they may have caught a break with LeBron James’ ankle injury. Cleveland may choose to rest LeBron before the Wizards play the Cavs at home on Sunday.
EX: Did you have any idea that Butler was this valuable? The Wizards almost seem lost without him.
CH: I think a lot of people thought Caron was a valuable addition to this team, especially after they lost Larry Hughes to Cleveland in free agency. So I’m not necessarily surprised. But I am impressed that he has brought this much to the table. It’s not easy to walk into a locker room with strong personalities like Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison and immediately take on a leadership role. But he’s done that.
EX: If Jamison continues to slump like he did early in the season, would the Wizards have any chance of being competitive in the playoffs even if they made it?
CH: No question, one of the Big Three can’t have a down series if the Wizards want to equal or better what they did in making the second round last season. The thing that helps Antawn is he does so many different things with the ball and creates a lot of his own opportunities so he can contribute points even if he isn’t shooting the ball that well.
EX: Do the Wizards need to shake things up this offseason and go after a power player of consequence like Carlos Boozer?
CH: Eddie Jordan has said it himself. They have got to have a big in the worst way. They started Calvin Booth last night again in place of Brendan Haywood at center. The relationship between Jordan and Haywood can’t continue like it has for the past two months. That may be where a change occurs. I don’t know if we can say the addition of a big inside presence is the final piece for the Wizards. But with the other parts they already have it would make them even more of a factor in the Eastern Conference.
— As told to Examiner staff writer Brian McNally.
