Deja Vu All Over Again

In what seems to be an annual event in the month of April, the Washington Wizards were eliminated from the playoffs, this time in six games after a 105-88 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the end, the physical play, the tough talking, the big boost of energy in Game 5 and the home court advantage of Game 6 did not make a difference.

LeBron James was his normal brilliant self, scoring 27 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and handing out 13 assists. Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson scored 26 and 22 points respectively and the Wizards simply could not match their energy level.

Washington scored 31 points in the first quarter and was then unable to maintain any semblance of continuity on the offensive end after that. After a big Game 5, Caron Butler was only able to score 18 points, and after a 16 point first half, Antawn Jamison had a quiet seven in the second half. None of the other Wizards were able to catch fire, and with Gilbert Arenas on the bench, they had no chance of defeating the Cavaliers.

While the season may be over the players, Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld will have some serious issues to deal with during the offseason. As the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns can attest to, consecutive losses in the first round of the playoffs will cause an organization to think about making some serious changes. In the Wizards’ case, they have lost three years in a row to the same team on their home floor, so the pressure is even greater.

There are some major issues that need to be addressed before training camp begins in October:

Gilbert Arenas
In June of 2007, Arenas announced that he would opt out of the final year of his six-year, $65 million dollar contract and test the free agent market. At the time it seemed like a big deal, because he seemed to be the clear cut leader of the franchise. Despite the Wizards being able to offer him the most money, Arenas repeatedly voiced his opinion to play for a contender and he wasn’t sure the Wizards were headed in that direction. A year later things have changed quite drastically. Arenas missed the majority of the regular season with another injury to the same knee, and with the exception of his 24-point performance in the opening game of the Cavaliers series, he was a non-factor in the playoffs. On top of that, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison stepped up as leaders of this team. Butler played the role of tough guy and motivator, and Jamison was the quiet leader who posted double-doubles on a nightly basis. The duo led the Wizards into the playoffs and it led many to question whether Arenas was even needed on the squad. If he does end up wanting to stay, Ernie Grunfeld will have two options. He can re-sign Arenas and work him back into being an integral part of the Wizards’ rotation, or he can look into a sign and trade. If Arenas leaves, and the Wizards are not able to get anyone back of value, it could be quite a setback for the team.

Antawn Jamison
After playing in the shadow of Arenas, and to a lesser extent Caron Butler, Jamison emerged as the go-to-guy for the Wizards this year averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds and making the All-Star team for the second time in his career. Jamison is a free agent after this season, and Grunfeld will have to decide whether he wants to re-sign Jamison, who will be 32 at the start of next season. Arenas has said on many occasions that he is willing to re-sign for less money, so that Jamison can be brought back to the team, but given Jamison’s age and how he seemingly plays better without Arenas on the floor, he may not be a good fit for the Wizards in the future.

Eddie Jordan
There are two ways Ernie Grunfeld can look at Eddie Jordan’s 2007-2008 coaching performance. The good part is that he did lead an Arenas-less team to a fifth-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. He also was able to finally get the Wizards to play defense, after that was such a glaring weakness in years past. On the negative side, Jordan was bounced from the playoffs by Cleveland for the third year in a row. On several occasions, it seemed like the franchise player, Gilbert Arenas, preferred to communicate his playing status via his blog or the media instead of Jordan directly. Grunfeld will have to decide whether to tinker with the roster and give Jordan another shot at coaching this team, or to bring in a new coach with a new philosophy.

Roster Weaknesses
A major problem for the Wizards during this series with the Cavaliers was rebounding on the offensive and defensive end. There were several occasions when the Wizards needed a rebound and the front line of the Cavaliers would simply out muscle and out hustle them. Brendan Haywood is not a consistent rebounder, and Jamison, despite averaging 10 rebounds a game, is only 6’9″, 225 lbs and often gets pushed around by larger forwards. The Wizards will need to address this via free agency or the draft. Also worth noting is Etan Thomas, who sat out the majority of the year with a heart ailment, does not play well with Haywood. In past years, Haywood and Thomas have fought both privately and publicly, and it’s no coincidence that Haywood had his best year as a Wizard without Thomas around. The possible departures of Arenas and/or Jamison will also greatly influence how Ernie Grunfeld drafts and who he signs via free agency.

All of the good feelings the Washington Wizards may have felt about making the playoffs without Gilbert Arenas and finding a new identify quickly subsided after yet another first round exit to the Cavaliers. Unfortunately for them, the offseason may prove to be an even more formidable opponent.