Return to story

With Wall, Wizards can start fresh, exorcise draft demons

May 20, 2010 12:36 am

MAYBE IT'S a function of sheer probability. If you're really bad in a lot of sports for a really long time, you're due some dumb luck. (Don't try to sell this logic to the angst-ridden folks in Cleveland, though.)

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. If he pans out, he'll be the second straight sensible and productive first-round pick, following Brian Orakpo. When was the last time the Redskins could say that?

The Wizards need that same kind of good karma. Picking Brown ahead of Pau Gasol in 2001 set them back by years.

Fortunately for the Wizards, Jordan won't be making the pick on June 24. A man far more qualified (Ernie Grunfeld) will be. While Washington has glaring frontcourt needs following Grunfeld's February fire sale, a good young point guard is a valuable commodity.

Look around the NBA. Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose all have led their teams to success. And having a dynamic ball-handler and distributor will make your team far more attractive to free agents. Even if the Wizards aren't players in this summer's bonanza, Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony hits the market in 2011.

Plus, Wall has the star potential the Wizards have been lacking since Gilbert Arena's knees and brain became damaged a few years back. He could fit nicely in a backcourt combo with a healthy Arenas--or take his place if Arenas squanders his last shot (pun intended).

Wall won more games (36) last season than the Wizards (26). Granted, he was playing with far more talent at Kentucky than Washington put on the floor after liberating Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood at the trade deadline.

Wall won't automatically make the Wizards a playoff team. Rookie point guards are a recipe for growing pains. But he'll make them far more interesting (in a good way), and more worth paying to watch.

It's also possible that some team that covets Wall (like the New Jersey Nets, who planned to use Wall as an enticement for LeBron James) will make Grunfeld an offer he can't refuse. That could allow the Wizards to add multiple starters and accelerate their metamorphosis even more.

Either way, thanks to ping-pong karma, the Wizards can see a light at the end of the tunnel. And a few years from now, perhaps they'll join the Nationals, Redskins and Capitals in playoff bliss--thanks to a bit of good luck and some prudent decisions.

Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com