Washington Wizards NBA Forecast: 2007-2008

Recap: (41-41): Wizards fans can only think "What if" when referencing last season. They were at the top of the conference for most of the year, but when Gilbert Arenas went down with a season-ending knee injury, all that was gone. Before the injury, the team had three all-stars in Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, all averaging above 19 points a game. After the injury, the team fell into the playoffs and was quickly swept up by Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But despite the injuries, it was no given that the Wizards would have experienced playoff success. While ranking fifth in offensive efficiency, the team ranked 28^th in defensive efficiency. And we all know the saying, "defense wins games."

Off-season: The Wizards finally signed Oleksiy Pecherov after letting him spend 2006 playing overseas. They drafted Nike Young to come in and play some shooting guard, hopefully he be able to live up to they hype.

Starters:

C - Etan Thomas: Another NBA statue only meant to start the game and defend the rim.

PF - Antawn Jamison: Putting up 20 a game with Arenas on his team is a challenge that Jamison has accepted.

SF - Caron Butler: He is officially an all-star caliber player with a myriad of skills.

SG - DeShawn Stevenson: His game is too raw for somebody his age.

PG - Gilbert Arenas: Assuming his knee is healthy, the league had better watch out.

Bench: Antonio Daniels, Donell Taylor, Nick Young, Oleksiy Pecherov, Dominic McGuire, Mike Hall, Darius Songaila, Andray Blatche, Brendan Haywood.

Philosophy: Score! That is what they do and they do it well. They have three virtually indefensible players, and Gilbert Arenas just cannot be touched once he gets on a roll. When Brendan Haywood is in the game, he provides the team with a little bit of inside scoring that is lacking in their starting lineup. The Wizards do not concern themselves with petty things like defense, and they will be that way all season. Their mission is to outscore the other team, and during the regular season, that is what they do the majority of the time.