“Cursed.” If you’re a DC sports fan, the word has a special and significant meaning. ANY sports franchise in our area is “cursed.” Witness the Skins, Nationals, Capitals, and yes, the Wizards. And the notion was bolstered yesterday with the announcement that Paul Pierce is leaving the Washington Wizards for the LA Clippers. Now the franchise has to shift their focus to other areas to upgrade a roster that has been eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals the last two years.
The Wiz still need to address the same roster positions: stretch-four, defensive versatility and perimeter bench scoring. It’s likely those voids will come in the form of a stretch-four, possibly a wing player and a shoot-first combo guard.
A roster upgrade is always the goal, but Washington will not sacrifice its financial flexibility for next summer, where they have prepared for the chance to sign Kevin Durant in 2016. Washington has limited options this offseason anyhow. They don’t have any salary cap room and need to use their various exceptions to make any moves.
Stretch-four
The Wizards’ offense was at its best in the playoffs when they utilized Pierce or Gooden as a stretch-four, which gave them three shooters on the perimeter. Wall was then able to destroy opposing defenses with dribble penetration, passing and pick-and-rolls. The Wizards want to continue to do so on a more consistent basis next season. Gooden remains a possibility to re-sign and remain an option, but Washington also is looking externally. Possibilities include Omri Cassipi, re-signing Drew Gooden, and one, or both, Morris twins.
Defensive versatility
Washington badly needs players who can guard several positions. Guarding big or small lineups is paramount in today’s NBA, yet the Wiz struggled to contain small-ball lineups last season. They have the pieces to go big (Gortat, Nene and Kris Humphries) but should add front-line players comfortable with defending out on the perimeter. Possibilities: Luc Mbah a Moute, Alan Anderson and Derrick Williams.
Bench scoring
Washington’s second-unit offense often disappeared last season. Rasual Butler was performing at a high level for a third of the season but his blistering shooting plunged soon after and the Wizards couldn’t find anyone else to generate instant offense. Seraphin had his moments and exchanging Andre Miller for Ramon Sessions occasionally provided a spark, yet scoring often disappeared for long stretches. Possibilities: Wayne Ellington, Lou Williams, or Marco Belinelli.
—Mark Bacon
No comments:
Post a Comment