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STEVE DeSHAZO: Like their D.C. counterparts, Wizards can revitalize themselves with No. 1 pick Date published: 5/20/2010 By Steve DeShazo MAYBE IT'S a Still, after suffering through a couple of decades of mediocrity (or worse), Washington sports fans finally have reason for optimism. No one's buying playoff tickets yet, but neither are they hiding their Redskins, Wizards or Nationals gear. Tuesday night's stroke of luck in the NBA draft lottery assured the Wizards the No. 1 pick and a clear shot at the best available player, former Kentucky point guard John Wall. That pick should jump-start a major rebuilding effort from inarguably the most embarrassing season in franchise history. Of course, you can't mention "Wizards" and "No. 1 pick" without invoking the name Kwame Brown. He's the man who showed that Michael Jordan was far better at sinking jump shots than evaluating talent and who makes JaMarcus Russell look like a decent choice. But since that 2001 blunder, No. 1 picks have been far kinder to D.C. teams. Alex Ovechkin (2005) is the NHL's most dynamic player and led the Capitals to the league's best record this season (although his playoff legacy is still shaky). Stephen Strasburg looks like the next coming of Roger Clemens (without chemical enhancement, we hope). His ETA for the Nationals is a bit more than two weeks off, and even if he doesn't pitch like Walter Johnson, he's sure to fill the seats in Nationals Park every fifth night. The Nationals also have this year's No. 1 pick and are expected to choose junior-college catching prodigy Bryce Harper. And although he wasn't chosen No. 1 overall, tackle Trent Williams was exactly what the Redskins wanted. The Wizards need that same kind of good karma. Picking Brown ahead of Pau Gasol in 2001 set them back by years.
Date published: 5/20/2010
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