On the morning of May 20th, the day after the National Basketball Association?s (NBA) draft lottery, the headlines of newspapers around the nation were plastered with grand pronouncements, such as ?Washington Wizards Win the John Wall Sweepstakes,? or even weighty questions like ?Can John Wall Save the Wizards??
Indeed, after the Wizards were awarded the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, thanks to both their prolonged mediocrity and just a little luck, many began to wonder if Wall, the super freshman point guard formerly of the University of Kentucky, is really the savior the franchise so desperately needs. Many talent evaluators state that Wall is one of the more remarkable prospects to come along in years, and it?s hard to disagree. By all means, taking Wall with the first pick in the draft would seem to be a decision so simple that even the inept Wizards couldn?t screw it up.
However, there?s one very large problem with this scenario, and it?s something the team has been confronting for over two years: the Gilbert Arenas situation. Enough has been said of Arenas? myriad problems involving his injuries, his exorbitant contract and his propensity for taking firearms to places they do not belong?the real issue is whether or not he can co-exist with Wall on the court.
While both players are nominally point guards, Arenas isn?t half the play-maker that Wall is, so moving Gilbert to shooting guard is not the problem. Rather, issues arise regarding how Arenas will feel about surrendering the role as prime scorer on the team to a player ten years younger than he is. Keep in mind that Arenas is the same person that demanded he be called both ?Agent Zero? and ?Hibachi? at certain points in time, and it becomes clear why emotional maturity may not be something to expect from him.
From a pure basketball standpoint, the pairing of Wall and Arenas in the backcourt creates further issues. While Wall is able to create scoring opportunities for others, Arenas needs to constantly drive to the basket and create contact in order to play at his best. Furthermore, although Wall has the potential to develop into a effective defender, it has been proven that Arenas is not willing or even able to stop anyone. The combination of the two would hardly yield great results, especially considering that defense has never been the team?s strong point.
Despite these problems, the team is not without other options. Even though many feel Wall is the best choice for the first pick, some think that Ohio State junior Evan Turner may be the better option. Turner has the flexibility to play at any position but center and, by the end of last season, had become the most dominant scorer in the college game. He could potentially provide both a scoring touch and a work ethic on defense that could compensate for Arenas? failings.
Unfortunately, as is so often the case, pressure from the media may influence this decision. Wall is so popular among many that, if the Wizards were to defy convention and take Turner instead, that they would be criticized in the press for months to come. However, if this column has really said anything over the last several months, it is that the best decisions in sports are often the unpopular ones. If the Wizards do the unexpected, then they may be on the road back to respectability, but if they select Wall, they may find themselves out of the playoffs with yet another high draft pick at this time next year.