Three thoughts about the Wizards’ 95-94 loss to Miami and the Gilbert Arenas trade to Orlando for Rashard Lewis:
Arenas and the Wizards both ultimately got what they wanted and needed. The numbers might not exactly show it, but Arenas wasn’t having a great season, and he wasn’t happy in Washington anymore. The injuries and all that transpired last year had changed him. The trade rumors that had existed for so long were there for a reason. The Wizards tried to put a positive spin on what they had with Arenas and John Wall, and there’s no denying that there was potential there, but it wasn’t working as the team had hoped, and unless it had worked spectacularly from the outset, it may have been doomed from the start. Still the right mix of variables for a trade to happen wasn’t going to be until now, and it appears the Wizards jumped at their first chance.
What happens next for Arenas is hard to tell. Orlando just flipped its team, but will it have the right chemistry to challenge Boston or Miami for the Eastern Conference?
(By the way, it’s difficult for me to weigh in on the hibachi and playoff years for Washington. I didn’t cover the team then, making it difficult to characterize the mood in and around the organization at that point. What I do understand is those days are long gone and unlikely to be talked about much anymore with Arenas now out of the picture.)
Josh Howard’s return immediately changes the complexion of the Wizards, but it’s difficult to say if the addition of Rashard Lewis will help in the same way. Howard got off to a great start against Miami after a ten-month layoff from his ACL injury. He’s got both a veteran presence and defensive skill, two things the Wizards sorely need. He’ll remain limited in his minutes for a while, but there’s a sense of confidence with him on the floor that the Wizards haven’t had this season, even with Arenas because his play was so erratic.
It’s hard to say exactly where Lewis will fit in. He’s underperformed this season, and getting traded probably wasn’t at the top of his Christmas list. But if Howard and Wizards head coach Flip Saunders can convince him to get on board, there’s certainly plenty he can offer. Washington has some work to do in figuring how best to play him, considering the contributions of Howard and Andray Blatche.
The one-point loss to uber-confident Miami was a good way to start as the Wizards get into the next chapter of the rebuild, but the same limitations outside of Arenas remain. Washington imploded in the final minute against the Heat, with multiple players sharing in the blame. Blatche and Nick Young both need to complement their scoring ability with intelligent decisions on both ends of the floor down the stretch. JaVale McGee and Kevin Seraphin both need significant improvement at center; one person I spoke with on Saturday said the Wizards, because of their commitment to that pair, didn’t have any interest in Marcin Gortat, who moved from Orlando to Phoenix in the three-player deal between those teams. And Wall must get healthy because Kirk Hinrich simply cannot physically endure 47 minutes, 54 seconds every game.
