The Wizards youthful experience

October 2, 8:44 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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The Washington Wizards finished day six of their seven-day training camp today, and Nick Young, the fan-favorite according to a recent poll held over at the Wizards official site, sheds light on the mix of experience and flexibility the Wizards will have this season.  33-year-old Antonio Daniels is still considered the Wizards go-to point guard, while Young, at the age 23, is in fact young.  The fans might not mind, but the question will be whether Young will be able to get the vote of Coach Eddie Jordan.

The Wizards average just under 27 years of age with their current 18-man roster.  The oldies of the bunch include Daniels at 33, Antawn Jamison at 32, reserve Darius Songaila at 30, as well as poet-warrior Etan Thomas at 30.  The youth include 20-year-old JaVale McGee and 22-year-old D-League sensation Andray Blatche.  With this mix of experience and youthful talent, the Wizards have held the recipe for lasting the 82-game season, but haven't been able to taste that Eastern Conference Championship due to injury.  Should the Wizards choose to keep 29-year-old Juan Dixon (crosses fingers), anything less than second-round will be a disappointment, and I think the Wizards will have a legitimate chance to win it all.

The D-League's Impact on the NBA
An interesting article was posted yesterday regarding over 100 players throughout the NBA's training camps whom came from the D-League, including Wizards Andray Blatche and DerrMarr Johnson.  Over the Summer, the D-League served Team Iran in Utah, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, and the Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, turned a few corporate heads as a place that might one day hold an NBA team.  The D-League draft starts on November 1st, and the Dakota Wizards, co-sponsored by the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies, will begin their season at the end of November.