Washington Wizards On Verge Of Contending For Title

Are the Washington Wizards right on the edge of making it “big?” As we’ve already seen, players have expressed their confidence in the team. New offseason pickup Alan Anderson said his decision to come to the team was “easy,” and claimed that they were on the edge of being contenders for lifting a banner.

Is this accurate? It seems like even the most diehard Wizards fans are scared to bring up the possibility of contending for a championship. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Wizards fan say much about the playoffs further than the conference finals.

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Sure, this might be because the Wizards have struggled to make it past the semifinals in the past two seasons, but I think it could be because of how daunting the task seems. Especially in the East, since no team without LeBron James on the roster has made it to the Finals since 2010.

Now, however, Anderson has sparked a discussion that’s hard to ignore. An actual member of the Wizards roster has expressed that he came to the team because he felt like it offered him a place to contribute to a team that can offer him a winning environment.

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It’s different when the only talk of a possible title is coming from fans (and very rarely coming from even that source), to hear it from a player. It really is refreshing, but does wake us up and make us realize what the Wizards have.

Especially this offseason, it’s been pretty tough for Wizards fans to realize that they have a team that can compete, because they lost one of their veteran players, Paul Pierce to free agency.

This has put an overall negative feel to the moves the Wizards made this offseason, which is unfortunate, because when we look back, they actually made some moves that position them to make a run, as soon as this year.

They started off with a decent foundation. They have John Wall and Bradley Beal running the backcourt, and Marcin Gortat, another player who has had great days as a Wizard starting for the team. In addition, it looks like Otto Porter, a former first round pick, is finally going to get his look at starting for the team, who did fantastic in the playoffs next year.

They added some great players. Kelly Oubre was a good pickup in the draft, and Anderson, Jared Dudley, and Gary Neal were all players picked up this offseason who have good qualities to offer to the team.

Initially, I compared these three to Pierce collectively, and discussed how they made up for the loss of him. As Anderson pointed out, he’s not Paul Pierce. He can’t replace a player like that. But he did point out he can offer his own qualities, and contribute to the team’s goal to win in the playoffs.

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That’s something that can be said for almost every player on the roster. They’re all decent players who bring their own qualities to the table, and help contend for the goal of a championship.

Wall is one of the best guards in the league, and Beal is a great supporting role player who is about to get a huge payout to stick with the Wizards.

Additionally, as Anderson pointed out, the Wizards are an attractive landing spot for free agents. They were able to make a splash in the market this season, and could potentially do the same next year. Fans are already rilled up with the possibility of Kevin Durant coming back to play in his hometown with the Wizards.

Even without Durant, the Wizards have one of the best offenses in the league armed with an arsenal of shooters. Personally, Anderson’s comments on his excitement to play for the team made me realize that the team isn’t doomed without Pierce. They still have a roster of players that can compete and be a team that contends to represent the East in the Finals next year.

So, yes, I believe the Wizards are truly on the verge of being contenders in the Eastern Conference. We may be afraid to discuss it due to superstitions, but Anderson has awoken the conversation, and I don’t think we should ignore the possibility.

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