Wizards: Consigned to Eternal Mediocrity?

It has been a bit of a recurring thread since Washington extended both Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, the idea that Washington has assured it will remain a mediocre, 44-win team for the next five years by capping out with this roster. Via Bullets Forever, ESPN's Chad Ford is the latest to tie D.C. to the middle of the pack. Fans have also been guilty of the thought.

I don't buy it: the Wizards should soon be better than average. Last year, with Gil missing most of the season, the team rallied its defense, Caron Butler went All-Star, and the team won 43 games. I don't need to tell you Arenas is vastly more productive than his noble replacement, Antonio Daniels. Healthy, Arenas is one of the best offensive players in the league, hitting a ton of threes and getting to the line often. Washington had the #12 offense in Gil's stead -- with Gil in 2006-07, it was #3.

If the Wizards can keep a modicum of defense in tact (the defense, though improved, was still modest last year), the team could easily see its offense carry it to 47-50 wins. That's not elite, but it's good. The Wiz could use more physical, defensive-minded help in the frontcourt, and improvement from Nick Young to boost the guard corps. Washington's hardly so capped out it can't make some moves to bolster its chances. It'd be a huge jump to contender status -- and yeah, that's the goal -- but it isn't like this team will be something awful the rest of the decade. The parts are there, it's just all got to come together.