Expert predictions: Washington Wizards

Originally Published: October 20, 2009

ESPN.com

Predicted Finish For Washington Wizards: 2009-10

ANALYST	COMMENT	PREDICTIONS
	J.A. Adande, ESPN.com \| Adande's picks They'll have the team they wanted last season ... and will discover it's a lot like the team they had a few years ago. Middle of the playoff pack in the East, only with fewer blogs.	Southeast: 3 East: 6
	Jon Barry, ESPN \| Barry's picks I loved their offseason. Miller and Foye are great additions and if Arenas can stay healthy, this is small ball at its finest. A couple of years ago, this team was off the charts. They are going to be a matchup problem for everyone.	Southeast: 3 East: 6
	Chris Broussard, ESPN Mag \| Broussard's picks Obviously, Gilbert Arenas must stay healthy. Without him at full strength, the Wiz may not even make the playoffs. But with him at full-bore, they're just a notch below the EC elite. Says here Agent Zero will stun many with his playmaking abilities and prove he's still one of the league's best.	Southeast: 2 East: 4
	Chad Ford, ESPN.com \| Ford's picks The Wizards were awful without Arenas. But now that he's healthy they have a chance to be dangerous in the East. Arenas is a game-changer, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are excellent sidekicks and the additions of Randy Foye and Mike Miller really strengthened the bench.	Southeast: 3 East: 5
	Jemele Hill, ESPN.com Page 2 \| Hill's picks Agent Zero has promised to be less mouthy, but this still strikes me as a team that would rather talk a big game than win one. As long as Arenas' knees hold up, the Wizards are assured to double last season's win total. Going further depends on their moody superstar.	Southeast: 3 East: 6
	John Hollinger, ESPN.com \| Hollinger's picks I'm a big Flip Saunders believer, but I also believe the Wiz have overrated their talent -- who else goes all-in after winning 19 games? Look for yet another .500-type campaign from the Arenas-Butler-Jamison nucleus.	Southeast: 3 East: 6
	Jalen Rose, ESPN \| Rose's picks New coach Flip Saunders will make sure he tailors his offense to suit Agent Zero, Butler and Jamison. This will be the most improved team in the league.	Southeast: 3 East: 6
	Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com \| Sheridan's picks We'll miss you, Hibachi/Agent Zero/Uberblogger -- if you stick to your guns and keep your mouth closed all season. But the guess here is the mime act/silent treatment ends by mid-January en route to 44 wins and the playoffs.	Southeast: 4 East: 8
	Marc Stein, ESPN.com \| Stein's picks Even as a longtime Flip fan, allow me to tap the breaks. The Arenas/Butler/Jamison core had a limited ceiling even at their youthful and healthiest best. Playoffs? For sure. But you can't automatically call the Wiz a top-10 team.	Southeast: 3 East: 7
	David Thorpe, ESPN.com \| Thorpe's picks If there's a dark horse team, it's this one. New coaching will help on both sides of the ball and Arenas makes a difference. But if Foye and Blatche, two guys with talent and something to prove, can step forward, then all of a sudden they'll go from obscurity to the playoff hunt.	Southeast: 4 East: 9
AVERAGE RANKING Southeast: 3.1 \| Standings East: 6.3 \| Standings