Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Murphy's Law Hits the Wizards

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse. When losses in consecutive nights to the Charlotte Bobcats isn't even your top concern, you've got some real issues. Tonight, in losing to the 'Cats, Wiz star Gilbert Arenas injured his left knee in a collision with Charlotte's Gerald Wallace. He's having an MRI on Thursday to measure the damage, but let's not kid ourselves - you hear knee injury, and you don't think day-to-day.

Not that it's likely to matter at this point as far as Washington's chances in the playoffs go. When Caron Butler was lost, for all intensive purposes, for the season last weekend, the Wizards' season went down with it. Butler may not be the team's best player - it's Arenas - but he is the heart of the team, the glue in the Wizards' triumvirate of Arenas, Butler, and Antawn Jamison that holds it all together.

What's troubling for me is how quickly the season flipped on its head for Washington. At the All-Star break, this team was flying high. There was an MVP candidate in Arenas, an All-Star Game coach in Eddie Jordan, and a division title seemed like a formality. But the Wizards have shown an inability to play consistent ball if they are missing any of their three stars. On a team that doesn't play defense, you need all the offense you can get, and a duo of high-scorers isn't enough to win. Now, a team that once had the best record in the Eastern Conference is barely above .500 at 39-35, and an first-round exit in the playoffs seems more certain with each passing day. In the playoffs, the Wizards are likely to draw either Toronto, who they have had a ton of trouble with this year, or more likely, Miami, which has owned Washington seemingly since time immemorial.

Hopefully Arenas' MRI doesn't turn up disastrous damage, but even if that's not the case, don't expect to see Washington get past the first round for a second consecutive year.




2 comments:

Johnny said...

Caron Butler was lost for all intensive purposes? What, like he didn't show enough heart in practice or something?

I think you mean "for all intents and purposes."

Oh, and by the way, I was at that game, and it was miserable. When the best player on the floor is Emeka Okafor, you know you're in trouble. There was one point in time when the Bobcats had 4 white guys playing at the same time, and their best white dude, Hermann, was on the bench. Yikes.

SAMO said...

And with that injury there goes the Wizards chances of doing anything this post-season.

Sports blogs Top Blogs Sports Blogs - Blog Top SitesDirectory of Sports Blogs Blog Directory engine
Blog Directory
Top Sports blogs Blogarama Blogarama - The Blog Directory blog search directory Outpost