The Washington Wizards called it quits yesterday with the Big 3. It’s really over. From a national perspective this is not a huge story. Washington failed to make the playoffs last season, and this season will make it two years in a row without a postseason appearance. This franchise seems headed in the wrong direction. It is hard to believe that the Big 3 had been together in Washington since the 2005 season. Despite the accolades the team received in the early going, the talented trio was never able to advance past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Yet in Washington they gave reason for optimism. Prior to the arrival of Jamison and Arenas in 2004, it had been 22 long suffering years since the team advanced past the first round of the playoffs. The fact that the Big 3 never accomplished that feat was okay in DC. They reached the playoffs in three successive seasons together, (four counting the year prior to Butler’s arrival) a feat that had not been seen in The District since the 1980’s. They gave Washingtonians hope that better days were ahead.
The problem is that potential is nothing if not actualized. The Locker Room Gun Show may have been the catalyst that brought about the breakup, but even when healthy and playing in unison, the Big 3 were no longer good enough to be considered a playoff contender. Even in the miserable Eastern Conference. A breakup was inevitable. The team traded the number 5 draft pick in the 2009 NBA draft for Mike Miller and Randy Foye, two players GM Ernie Grunfeld believed would be the necessary pieces to return the Wizards to relative glory. The move didn’t work though. Caron Butler was having his worst statistical season since his arrival 5 years ago. Gilbert Arenas showed flashes of Agent Zero, but was no longer an elite player following successive knee surgeries. Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood have both had extraordinary seasons in the paint, but their ply has not translated into team victories. Both were left off of the All-Star team. In NBA terms, it is time to break up a team when the parts are of more value than the sum of those parts. Such is the case now in Washington. So it’s time to end the 5 year love affair with the Big 3.
Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood were the first to call Tyrone. Last night a trade was announced that sent Butler, Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas in exchange for Drew Gooden, Josh Howard, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross. The four Dallas players headed to Washington are each in the last year of their respective contracts and are likely not in the future plans of the Wizards. In effect, the franchise is cashing out and going into rebuilding mode. No matter how necessary this breakup was, it is hard for the fans. In DC, rebuilding had become an annual affair much like the Cherry Blossom Festival for years. The team was never able to establish an identity and always seemed to either draft the wrong player, or give up the player they should have kept in exchange for the wrong player. At least with the Big 3 we knew what to expect. Lots of offense with a smattering of defense. Now we don’t know what to expect.
What this move means is that the Wizards will be under the salary cap by about $15-$20 million going into the offseason. It also means that there will only be 7 players out of a possible 15 on the roster. The questions beginning to surface are which of these expiring contracts will the Wiz decide to keep, and will Jamison and Arenas be back? I imagine most of the newly acquired Wizards as well as Jamison and Arenas will not be back in 2011. This to me seems like the first move of a total gut job. I expect the team to field offers for Jamison in the coming week leading up to the trade deadline and if they can get the right combination of draft picks, expiring deals and young inexpensive talent in exchange for him, that a deal will be made. Meanwhile, Wizard fans are left with nothing but the prospect of starting over. Breaking up is harder than I expected this time around.
Yep, this is sad, but necessary. I just can’t see how this team is any good for another 3 to 5 years. Who will be the star player next season? What do the Wizards need in the draft? Knowing their luck they’ll probably get the number 5 or 6 choice. One bright spot I think is that the move to get rid of Haywood opens a huge opportunity for McGee. I know we’ve talked about him as a talented young prospect at the center position. Now is his chance to show what he’s capable of doing. Nick Young is another player who has the remainder of the season to show whether he can be a keeper for this squad. I really think this is it for him. He’s had chances in the past but he’s had to share time and touches with talented offensive vets. Now is his chance to shine. We shall see, huh?