Wizards Can Go Far In Soft Conference

Is Larry Hughes really that good?That’s the question in Washington after the Wizards were blown to smithereens in their first two games without the high-scoring guard, who is on the shelf for at least a month with a broken thumb. They dropped the first game sans Hughes 101-73 to the Spurs, then suffered a 137-120 beat down in Dallas Tuesday that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicated – Washington trailed by 33 at the half.Of course, the Wizards aren’t the first team to be humiliated in the brutal Texas two-step, and they won’t be the last. San Antonio and Dallas are a combined 34-8 on their home courts, making Washington’s pathetic showing a bit easier to swallow.But as shown in the two blowouts, the Wizards’ surprising record is a bit deceptive. Sure, their 22-13 start wasn’t entirely unexpected in some circles (ahem), but it certainly got people talking, since it nearly matched last season’s win total of 26. But underneath that fine win-loss record lurk several question marks.For instance, the Wizards outscored their opponents by just 57 points during that stellar beginning, which means they were more like a 19-16 team than a 22-13 one. They benefited from three more home games than road games, accounting for most of the remaining difference between them and a .500 record.The Wizards should be doing better, given that Hughes, backcourt partner Gilbert Arenas, and forward Antawn Jamison are the first trio of teammates since the Warriors’ “Run TMC” to average over 20 points a game (ironically, all three played together in Golden State in 2001-02). The new rules that cracked down on hand-checking hugely benefited the D.C. guards, making it seem like they might exceed even the lofty expectations I had of them at the start of the year.Unfortunately, they’ve had so little help that it’s put a lid on the Wizards’ emergence. The two most recent lottery picks, Jarvis Hayes and Jared Jeffries, have proven offensively inept. Hayes somehow is third on the team in minutes despite his lofty 36.4% masonry from the field – this is a guy who was drafted as a shooter, mind you – while Jeffries converts his shots but attempts them so rarely that they might as well stick a scarecrow on the court in his place.Washington’s veteran imports haven’t fared much better. Anthony Peeler led the league in 3-point shooting with Sacramento last year but hasn’t been able to find his stroke in the nation’s capital. Meanwhile, despite annually lowered expectations, Samaki Walker has found a way to disappoint yet another employer.The simple solution would be to stop playing Hayes and Jeffries, but those two have been forced into action by Washington’s other misfortunes. The Wizards’ 2003-04 campaign was ruined by injuries, and this year they seem headed down a similar path. Hughes’s malady is the latest and most severe, but two key injuries in the frontcourt have forced Washington to employ a makeshift lineup for much of the year.The first blow came when Etan Thomas missed the first 32 games with an abdominal strain, depriving Washington of its best frontcourt reserve and most active interior defender. He’s back in theory, but he hasn’t scored more than seven points in a game since he returned.At least Thomas is on the court. It’s been a lost year for Washington’s projected starter at power forward, Kwame Brown. He had surgery for a broken toe in preseason that kept him out for two months; when he returned earlier this month, he experienced recurring pain and went back on the injured list. This week, he’s visiting foot specialists in an effort to figure out what’s wrong with him – never an encouraging sign.The absence of Brown and Thomas has left Washington with just two functioning big men – Brendan Haywood and Michael Ruffin. Haywood has been solid, but Ruffin … well, he has to be seen to be believed, and even then I’m not sure you’ll believe it. Saying this guy is the worst offensive player in basketball isn’t doing it justice – he’s the worst in at least a decade. This guy makes Joel Przybilla look like Clyde Frazier.Ruffin is getting nearly 20 minutes a game and averages a point. One! He has more than twice as many fouls as points, and his turnover rate is very nearly the worst in basketball at more than one for every five possessions he uses. On the bright side, his 32.6% shooting is his best mark in four years.Yet it’s hard to blame Eddie Jordan for using him – he has no other options, and Ruffin is at least passable on defense and the boards. Washington entered training camp with just three quality big men and hoped to paper over the deficiency by giving Jamison and Jeffries heavy minutes at power forward. That part of the plan worked, but with two of his three key big men out of the lineup, the Wizards still are short on bodies in the frontcourt.As a result, it will be a long five weeks until Hughes returns. Nobody will be shocked if Washington slips back to .500 while he’s gone. But in the long term, this team could become a force in the East. By April, Hughes will be back, Thomas should solidify the middle, and Ruffin will be relegated to waving a towel on the sideline. And they still have massive firepower on the perimeter.Because the Wizards are virtually guaranteed to make the playoffs by virtue of being in the Eastern Conference, getting healthy by April is really all that matters. It’s tough to keep sight of in the wake of two depressing defeats, but provided they’re all on the court, the Wizards are good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs. This week’s events did nothing to change that.

Wizards Can Go Far In Soft Conference

Wizards Can Go Far In Soft Conference

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