Yahoo article.Besides, even if the whole gang does eventually get back together, would they be the same? That, to paraphrase Jamison, is the $64,000 question.
“With Gilbert healthy, DeShawn, we are a better team. We are a playoff-caliber team,” Jamison said. “The question is, are we a championship-caliber team? That’s the question that pops off: When everybody’s healthy, can the organization, can this team bring a championship here? That’s what I want to see.”
Actually, it’s the $161 million question.
Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld was so sure of the plan that he bet the future of the franchise on it when he signed Arenas to a six-year, $111 million contract and Jamison to a four-year, $50 million deal during the offseason. Grunfeld has attempted to downplay Arenas’ absence by citing the six-year commitment, yet this lost season means that 17 percent of that commitment has already gone to waste.
Also, there’s no guarantee that Arenas will be the same, buzzer-beating Agent Zero when he returns from such a major injury. Plus, there’s one key component that won’t be coming back at all: Grunfeld fired Jordan after a 1-10 start and hired old friend Ed Tapscott as the interim coach, a move easy to second-guess considering that Tapscott’s record is 8-25.
Still, the team has little option rather than stay the course and wait for the injured players to return.
Jamison: “Give me Gilbert healthy for a full season, and I’ll take that rather than taking a trade. That’s a big improvement, if he can get back to the way he was.”
Stevenson: “We’ve got to give it at least one more try. We keep saying this, and everybody gets hurt, but we’ve just got to try one more time and see everybody on the court.”
Butler: “We’re a dangerous squad, but it hasn’t happened in a long time. You want to get everybody healthy, but how long do you hold on to that? I don’t know. That’s management.”
We hear the assumption all over various jabberbox outlets that the Wiz are likely to blow the thing up in the offseason. I still have an inkling that I'd love to see what we look like with healthy personnel (+ a pick).
Though obviously the Coaching situation has altered. I don't see any quality Princeton candidates in the Pro's though (other than Europe) and our roster is built to take advantage of outside shooting (to open things up for perimeter drivers-- but only when Gil is in the game I guess; we need another slasher at the 2).
Record notwithstanding, I still like the squad. Assuming all return to full health...
