Washington gets big

September 6, 9:09 AMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Last season, a healthy Brendan Haywood broke a long drought in Washington: he became the go-to big guy.  Offensively, Haywood averaged a career-best 10.6 points per game, and improved his free throw shooting tremendously, from a dismal 54.8% just a year ago, to a solid 73.5%.  In fact, Haywood finished 18th overall on the free throw percentage list for centers in 2007-08, climbing 41 spots fom the previous season. 

With the ball out of Haywood's hands, he attacked the boards, averaging 7.2 total rebounds per game with a fifth-best 3.4 offensive rebounds per a game.  Defensively, Haywood averaged 1.7 blocks per game, and only missed two games of the 82 game season, providing a huge role for a Wizards team unable to fight nagging team injuries.

But what would a team be with just one big?  Ask 17-year vet Houston Rockets backup, Dikembe Mutombo.  Add three year vet Andray Blatche, and newcomer JaVale McGee, who some believe to be the next Andrew Bynum (he certainly has the hops and foot speed), and you've got some young, finger-wagging power in Washington.

Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, Andray Blatche?
The cherry on top of Washington's proverbial cake this year is that Blatche can flat out shoot the ball, all the way out to the three point arc.  If McGee is Bynum, then Blatche is Lamar Odom, with a quiet, KG sort of style and respect.  So what's the big deal?  Well, other than the Lakers being the Western favorites coming into the 2008-09 season, the Wizards will have to face quite a few big teams in the East, namely Toronto's Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal, the Detroit Pistons rangey Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and, of course, Kwame Brown, as well as Boston's defending duo of Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins (a six and six guy, but still a load in the paint), and the enforcer they call P.J. Brown.

Blatche dominated Vegas earlier this summer, and should expect to see an increase in minutes this year, while McGee, if he is another Bynum, will not play often, and when he does, will get dunked on by the Phoenix Suns' Shaquille O'Neal (assuming Shaq will still be able to make it from the DJ tables to the court this year).