The Wizards Trade

The Washington Wizards completed a very surprising trade on Wednesday. This trade came out opf nowhere, and I did not even know about it until Friday. When told on Friday I was in shock. I didn't even think to check the Wizards news. After a day of driving on Thursday, this was really good news. I waited until today to collect my thoughts, because this is a big deal.

Who the Wizards Got

They got two solid pieces. Washington picked up Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, pictured above. These two players combined salaries are also lower than that of the player we are getting rid of. More on the exiting player later, but let's focus on what we got. These guys are serviceable veterans who can definitely fit in the Wizards rotation. I especially like Ariza, who was one of Kobe's favorite teammates in LA a few years ago. The duo averaged a combined 20.1 points and 13.1 rebounds per game last year combined. That production is nice for some role players. It would be good for a Wizards team that hasn't been deep on the front line. Both of these guys are hard workers and play defense, so they will fit in nicely with the new team first Wizards.

What They Give Up

Rashard Lewis is leaving the Wizards! Before you get upset about giving up the cap flexibility of using the amnesty on Lewis, think about it in the right way. First, no top name free agent is coming to Washington right now. Dwight Howard certainly isn't and we weren't on his short list. Also this frees us up to amnesty Andray Blatche. We could only amnesty one, and getting rid of Lewis frees us of both contracts. Just by that standard alone, this is an excellent deal.

The Wizards managed to get rid of all of the people I can't stand since the trade deadline if Blatche is amnestied. First Young and McGee, and now Lewis in Blatche. It is finally looking up for Washington basketball. Here is what Wizards Extreme had to say about the trade. Personally, I give this trade an A+.

-Noland

The Andray Blatche Rant

With the NBA Playoffs now moving toward the conference finals it is a familiar sight for Wizards fans. We are on the outside looking in and seeing other teams compete for the title. Never in my lifetime have I seen the Wiz have a very good shot at the title. Well maybe, the one year they were in 1st for a while with Arenas, Butler, and Jamison, but even then not really. These guys just aren't competitive. So we are left thinking of what it will take to make this team competitive.

Whenever I think of this question, I can only think of one answer. Why the heck did we give Andray Blatche a contract extension? The guy is a malcontent and a horrible teammate. He doesn't try hard, he is overweight, and he makes way to much money. Why did we keep him at all? This guy is horrible for the Wizards. It will be difficult to escape him. Should we amnesty him then?

Blatche bashed his coach in the media. He proclaimed himself the team captain. The fans boo him everytime he touches the ball. His career as a pro in basketball may be done period and not just with the Wizards. The guy is out of shape.

I was working on this post and then checked Wizards Extreme they also have a post on Blatche. They are working on grading all the Wizards and Blatche got F's straight down the board. Here is their review.

This guy has got to go. I say use the amnesty clause. Otherwise, Blatche will make a ton of money over the next three years. Get rid of the guy. I am fine with Lewis for another year off the bench, we can use his expiring contract in a trade or get the cap space in a year. Andray Blatche is far more of a problem than Rashard Lewis.

-Noland