On The Ball

Wizards Future Is Bright Despite Sweep

A Different Age Opinion

Let me begin by saying that although the Wizards were swept out of this year's eastern conference quarterfinals by the Miami Heat, they have nothing to be ashamed of. As a matter of fact, they have some positive pieces already set in place and depending on what kind of offseason moves they make, the Wiz could be in a position to make even greater strides next year.

One of the first priorities for the Wizards has to be deciding on whether or not they want to part ways with enigmatic big man, Kwame Brown the first high schooler to ever be drafted No. 1 overall.

Brown is a restricted free agent who has endured four tumultuous seasons in Washington. He was suspended for most of the postseason after missing a practice and Game 4 of the Wizards' first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards however, refuse to rule out his return.

"There is no saying that he won't be back with us," president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. "We'll explore all of our options. We'll meet with him and his representatives and see where we are. There is a possibility that he will be back with us. He's a talented player who is 7-feet tall and athletic. We'll sit down and evaluate the situation and see where we are with him."

The Wizards brass doesn't want to give up on a player who still is relatively young and could blossom at any minute, so this is a fairly important decision for them.

However, an even more important task for the Wizards is re-signing guard Larry Hughes.

Hughes is an unrestricted free agent, so there invariably will be quite a few offers on the table for the talented shooting guard.

"Larry is a very big part of what we're doing but he is also a free agent - an unrestricted free agent. He has the right to negotiate. That's the way the system works. I'm sure he'll explore all of his options. But he has let it be known that he wants to be back here, and we're on record as saying that we want to have Larry back," Grunfeld said. "He is a big part of what were doing and he fits in very well with Gilbert [Arenas] and Antawn [Jamison] and the rest of our players."

One of the things I like most about Washington is their head coach, Eddie Jordan. Anyone who knows a thing about the game of basketball, knows Jordan is extremely knowledgeable about the intricacies of the game and he is a player's coach who gets the maximum out of each of his players.

"Eddie did a very good job and his staff did a very good job. They had to mix and match different players in different situations and he kept the team together all year," Grunfeld said. "He kept them competitive and we got to the playoffs. We had our best record in 26 years and Eddie had a huge hand in that. He gave them confidence and he plays an entertaining brand of ball."

As exciting as the Wizards were this season, for them to really contend in the eastern conference, they will need at least one more big man with above average talent, and possibly two, depending on what happens with Brown.

With Gilbert Arenas, Juan Dixon, Antwan Jamison and Jared Jeffries, the Wizards are pretty much set at the skill positions. What they need are some big bodies to go up against the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and the Wallaces - Ben and Rasheed, in Detroit.

One player who could conceivably make an impact at some point in the future is 7-3 center Peter John Ramos. Although he is young and didn't play much this season, he will be getting valuable experience this summer.

"Player development is very important to us, and Peter Ramos is one of our younger players that we feel has potential. He's in a unique situation because he's on the Puerto Rican National Team in the 21 and under World Championships, so he'll be getting a lot of international experience and getting his feet wet under those conditions," Grunfeld said.

I think the playoffs are more than a possibility next season for the Wizards if they make the right moves this off-season. If they don't re-sign Hughes and add another quality big man, things could get interesting in the quickly improving eastern conference. At least Grunfeld has high expectations for his team.

"Our expectations are that we want to get back to the playoffs," he said. "We want to improve. We are still a young team and I think that we are going to do that. The only expectation that we put on ourselves is to work hard, to get better and continue to grow. But, it's always good to raise the bar."

One area of concern for the Wizards and Jordan has to be an improvement on defense, which was almost nonexistent this past season.

"That's one area that Eddie (Jordan) has mentioned that he really wants to focus on and improve on for next year," Grunfeld said.

I have to admit, I've never been a huge Ernie Grunfeld fan, and I generally don't think he as bright as he tries to come off, but he was right on the mark when he said the basketball fans in D.C. are as knowledgeable as fans anywhere in the country - but then again, this is a city that was raised on great basketball players like 'The Big E' Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld and Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the fans in D.C. know their hoops.

"I think the fans here are very knowledgeable," Grunfeld said. "They understand the game and all they look for is a good effort out there. If you go out there and produce, the fans will be on your side and I think they proved that this year."

About Eric Williams

Eric Williams is six year veteran Sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun. Eric was born and raised in Philadelphia and has covered all four major professional sports in the Philadelphia area. He has also covered golf, track and field, soccer, tennis and bicycling.

Lifetime Boston Celtics fan. Basketball and football are his favorite sports. Eric is married with five children and currently resides in Marshall,Missouri.

Comments and feedback can be sent to eklass66@yahoo.com