Washington Wizards 2009-2010 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

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Washington Wizards 2008-2009 NBA Record: 19-63, 5th in Southeast Division

Washington Wizards 2008-2009 ATS (Against The Spread): 31-48-3

Washington Wizards Betting Trends & Betting Angles:

• 3-1 0 ATS past 1 3 at home to Atlanta

• 0-6 ATS past 6 visits from Magic

• 1-13-1 ATS past 15 at home to Heat

• 1-16 SU, 3·14 A TS past 17 vs Southeast foes

• 2-16 SU past 1 B games on no rest

• 4-12 ATS past 16 as favorite

• OVER is 8-2 past 10 April home games

Washington Wizards 2009-2010 Preview & Prediction

Grunfeld is still catching some heat over trading that fifth pick and then seeing Ricky Rubio drop to that spot on draft night, but in Faye and Miller, the franchise got two players that can help right away.

With Jamison turning 33, and Arenas’ knees aging in dog years it seems, there’s some heat to make this mix win right now. Just two years ago, this seemed a team on the brink of something special if they could ever get by LeBron & Co. Saunders is obviously a great choice to help facilitate playoff possibilities and the hard lessons learned last year may make this team a little tougher.

Washington Wizards Coach: Flip Saunders (1st season)

Washington Wizards Returning Players: Guards Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton, Mike James, DeShawn Stevenson, Nick Young; centers Andray Blatche, Brandan Haywood, JaVale McGee; forwards Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Dominic McGuire.

Washington Wizards Key Additions: Guard Randy Foye (trade from Timberwolves), forward Mike Miller (trade from Timberwolves), center Fabricio Oberto (trade from Bucks).

Washington Wizards Key Subtractions: Forward Etan Thomas (traded to Timberwolves), forward Darius Songaila (traded to Timberwolves), forward Oleksiy Pecherov (traded to Timberwolves), guard Juan Dixon (signed by Hawks).

2009-2010 Washington Wizards Point Guards:

Arenas is the heir apparent in the new system, one that will fill the perimeter with scoring threats – including Agent Zero – and let them create havoc off the dribble. The 27-year-old star has had three knee surgeries since April 2007, and also pocketed a $111 million contract that pushed the team north of the luxury tax.

But if Arenas, who averaged 28.4 points and 6.0 assists in his last nearly-full, nearly-healthy season in 2006-07, is all the way back, he’s worth the money and worth the wait. And now he has a lot more help than he did before.

Javaris Critrenton carried the point guard luggage down the stretch last year in the disjointed team’s offense. Veteran Mike James was the starter before breaking a finger and missing the last month.

2009-2010 Washington Wizards Off Guards:

This is where the Wizards have really upgraded. Foye’s a dynamic force in attacking the basket and has quickness to fortify the team’s disarmed defense. Miller, a former Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, has posted double figures in scoring in eight of his first nine seasons, and he’ll knock down shots when defenses collapse on some of the other key threats.

Saunders, who maintained a home in Minnesota last year, and assistant Randy Wittman, over from the Timberwolves’ bench, both know exactly what they’re getting. The 6-8 Miller is a career 40 percent shooter from 3-poim range, and Foye cans 37 percent, a definite step forward for a team that was 29th in the league last year at 33
percent tram deep. Nick Young, another athletic 6-6 scorer, will get some run, too, either here or at small forward. As his defense and consistency improve, he’s got a chance to make a mark – as he did with 23.8 points and 50 percent shooting from the field for the Wizards’ summer league squad.

DeShawn Stevenson’s minutes will diminish, but he’s still a useful reserve. He won’t be asked to do too much, as has been the case throughout his Wizards’ tenure.

2009-2010 Washington Wizards Small Forwards:

With Arenas out, Caron Butler served up his best season, averaging 20.8 points to go with 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The two time All-Star scored 30 or more points in 11 games and is considered a centerpiece on the team along with Arenas and Jamison.

He missed some time with a hip injury last year, but the Wiz’ improved depth on the perimeter, particularly with Miller and the fast-improving Young, could allow Butler to scale down those 38.6 minutes played.

Injuries helped Dominic McGuire post the team’s third most starts (57). A big man with a good handle, McGuire even played shooting guard some, and Saunders was grooming him at all three front-line positions this summer. A skilled passer, that versatility and his 6-9 frame will get him on the floor somewhere.

2009-2010 Washington Wizards Power Forwards:

Jamison is a pro’s pro. He was 11th in the NBA in scoring (22.2 ppg), 10th in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and fourth in total minutes played (3,095). His 38 double-doubles ranked ninth in the league, and he did all of that with a consistent presence in the post thanks to Haywood’s injury and the revolving door at center that situation created.

While Arenas has grabbed most of the headlines, the Wizards wouldn’t have had anywhere near the success they enjoyed before last year without Jamison’s steady contributions at both ends of the court.

Fifth-year forward Andray Blatche posted career highs (10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds), but he needs to become more consistent and prove he can help night-in and night-out around the basket. Just in case, former Spur Fabricio Oberto was a late sign this summer and will immediately shore up the squad in the paint.

2009-2010 Washington Wizards Centers:

After posting career highs of 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 27.9 minutes the previous season, a wrist injury sidelined Haywood most of the year and helped wreck the Wizards. They missed him at both ends of the court, bur particularly on the defensive end and on the boards.

Then-rookie JaVale McGee showed some promise, particularly late. He has some offensive potential and was tabbed for Team USA’s summer mini camp, a testament to his rapid improvement.

Washington Wizards 2009-2010 Season Predictions

We predict that the Washington Wizards will finish 5th in the NBA Southeast Division .

Washington Wizards Betting

Washington Wizards NBA Championship Odds: +2000

Washington Wizards Eastern Conference Odds: +8000

Washington Wizards 2008-2009 Betting Stats

Washington Wizards Straight Up: 19-63

Washington Wizards ATS: 31-48-3

Washington Wizards Home ATS: 16-25

Washington Wizards Away ATS: 15-23-3

Washington Wizards Record As Favorite: 5-9

Washington Wizards Record As Dog: 14-54

Washington Wizards Over/Under: 40-40-2

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