Jake Goldberg Intro: The Washington Wizards will be the most improved team this season. They finally have a healthy Gilbert Arenas who will look to return to all-star form. They added two important pieces in Mike Miller and Randy Foye to come off the bench and keep DeShawn Stevenson there. They also have a quality coach in Flip Saunders. Look for them to once again reach the playoffs.
Marc Gauthier Intro: The Los Angeles Clippers have a bright future ahead of them with their No. 1 pick Blake Griffin and second year player Eric Gordon. Baron Davis is coming back off an injury-year with something to play for. If only the Clippers' two big men in Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman can manage to stay injured at separate times, L.A. looks to have one of the strongest frontcourts in the league.
Jake Goldberg: Don't expect the Wizards to be anything like they were last season. They now have a healthy Gilbert Arenas, and Brendan Haywood, along with key additions of Mike Miller and Randy Foye. They will be the most improved team this season.
Marc Gauthier: The Wizards will be improved, but don't sleep on the Los Angeles Clippers. They have pure athleticism in potential Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin, have a bright future in Eric Gordon and the best part is they got rid of Zach Randolph.
Jake: Getting rid of Zach Randolph is always a big step in the right direction but the Wizards made several strides towards the right direction this offseason. The most important being Gilbert's health and a new coach in Flip Saunders.
Marc: Gilbert's health is a big-time concern for me though. He says he's back, ready to play, but can we trust him? I'm putting more faith into Baron Davis at this point, who's also coming off an injury-plagued season. If Davis locks in and is motivated, the Clippers have a tremendous amount of talent.
Jake: I am worried about his health along with Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman. Those two have been plagued by injuries over the years and the Clippers won't be able to win without a good front court. Also, the Wizards play in the East where it's easier to win, the Clips have to play in a tough western conference. Marc: Ok, the Clippers' big men are ridiculously injury prone, but as long as the two aren't injured at the same time, they have got DeAndre Jordan to back them up. Last year, in his rookie season, Jordan played sparingly, but showed signs of greatness. What do you do if Heywood goes down again?
Jake: The Wizards will have to play extremely small and run the floor because, in truth, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche are not the definition of good big men. But the Wizards can score. Just a few years ago their big three all put up around 20 points per game.
Marc: You said it's harder to win in the West, which is true, but the Wizards still have to play just as many solid teams in the East. How can you expect that team to improve if they have no frontcourt? And does the Jamison injury scare you at all?
Jake: Jamison's injury is worrisome, but the doctors have said he doesn't need surgery. Once he is healed the Wizards present match-up nightmares and can shoot the lights out from three. Agent Zero is 100 percent and looking good in preseason along with Miller and Foye. How can the Clippers overcome the worst coach in the league in Mike Dunleavy?
Marc: Ok, simply put, Mike Dunleavy is quite possibly the worst coach in the NBA ever. But with the amount of talent and skill-set coming to this year's team, he can't screw it up that badly. I'm just hoping he can go back to the 1998-99 season, when he was NBA Coach of the Year with Portland.
Jake: I will cross my fingers for you. As for the Clippers' chances, they will need big production from The Baron and need Griffin to step up. I think it's more likely that Gilbert, Foye, Heywood and Miller produce.
Marc: Davis has something to be motivated about, so you know he's going to come out and play. As for Griffin, he literally goes 110 percent on every single play. He's a rookie, he doesn't know any better. Also, he's been outstanding in the preseason. What about the Rasual Butler pickup? Another great role-player to help the Clippers produce.
Jake: Butler put up 11 points in 31 minutes last year in New Orleans. You can have him. The Clippers will be better this year, but are still a few pieces away from being in contention. The Wizards, on the other hand, are going to make the playoffs and possibly win a few rounds.
Marc: Just wait and watch these Clippers come into their own. This is the year we can all finally get to watch the Lakers-Clippers first round matchup that I know all NBA fans have been waiting for.
Be the first to comment on this article!