Why Wizard Fans Should Be Optimistic

Being a season ticket holder and huge fan of the Washington Wizards might mean that I am automatically optimistic for the team this year, but let me assure you, there are reasons behind the optimism. 

0. Agent Zero- HES BAAAAAACK, The East Coast Assassin is back and healthy for the first time in a long, long time. He has averaged around 25, 29, and 28 points in his last three fully healthy seasons. Although he may not be a great team leader he is a great competitor and wants to win every game, and the dude can shoot. Prepare for Gilby to take many quality shots because his swag is phenomenal. 

1. Flip Saunders- Flip Flip Flip Game Over, no more fun and games with this team. Flip has the seventh best winning percentage of all active coaches (.597), and he was great in Detroit posting the highest winning percentage by any coach in team history (.715). Saunders does not mess around with a constant rotation of players either, which was one of Eddie Jordan and the joke of a coach Ed Tapscott's biggest flaws. Saunders has said that he likes to use an eight to nine man rotation, and he has a great squad of guys to do just that. Flip is also known as an offensive minded coach yet with the Pistons he had two teams rank in the top three for defense. The Wizards need to learn how to play defense so Flip is just the guy we need to teach them.

2. New Personnel (No more Songaila)- Anyone who does not like the trade made by the Wizards this offseason is crazy. The number 5 pick could turn up to be a good player but who knows, and Ricky Rubio who was taken #5 wont be seeing the NBA any time soon. Mike Miller is a veteran sharp shooter that we were in desperate need for, Deshawn being our best "shooter" was just plain sad, luckily that is no more. Randy Foye though is a much more intriguing player down for now and down the road. Foye is coming in to his fourth NBA season and has averaged 10+ points in all three of his previous seasons, averaging 16.3 last year. He can play both guard spots and can score from the perimeter or in the lane. 

Fabricio Oberto is also a good addition to help on the defensive side of the ball, plus he is a winner and this team was in desperate need of some of those. Also along with Arenas, Brendan Haywood being back in the lineup will be a huge boost to this team, he had a career year two years ago but missed the majority of last year. With these new additions via trade, free agency, and health the Wizards have one of the deepest rosters they have ever had. 

3. Progress of the Young Guns- Nick Young, JaVale McGee, and Andray Blatche have all gotten another year of experience. These three guys all have tremendous upside and it is going to really show this year. Nick is entering his third year, the same year that RIP averaged 20 points for the Wizards (Unfortunately Michael Jordan had to kill our organization) but I see Nick following in these footsteps, he is a born scorer and that is what he will do for us. McGee has been very solid thus far in the preseason scoring more then 10 points in 3 of the 5 games. He is a physical freak who has amazing athletic ability even at 7 feet. Then there is Andray Blatche, the mystery man. He is going in to his 5th season but is still very young, coming from high school. Blatche has gone nuts some games dropping over 20 but then will follow it up with games under 5 points. He has said he is starting new this year and switched his number to 7, lets hope it brings a more consitent Dray. These three guys could make or break the Wiz Kids season this year, they may not start or get a huge amount of PT due to the depth of the team, but they will be called on in pressure situations, I think they trio is ready to take on the pressure.   

4. Depth, Depth and More Depth- This team has never seen so much talent, never. With the Big Three back and healthy this team has three stars. Caron and Twan are great leaders who did not deserve the year they had to endure last season, luckily for them they wont have to. The Big Three is great, but I'm even more impressed with the supporting squad. Mike Miller and Randy Foye are both capable of starting at a few positions and it is highly likely one of them will be coming of the bench. Haywood could be the weak link in the starting rotation but he is certainly the anchor of the defense which is something this team desperately needed last year. Then you have the young trio of Nick, JaVale and Andray, all three of these guys are highly capable of coming of the bench and posting big numbers. Then there are the three other spots on the roster, I assume they will be Deshawn, Fabricio and Dominic McGuire. Each of those three players have a specialty essential to every team. Deshawn can shoot...well sometimes, Oberto can help lock down the lane, and Nic provides the type of energy that can change a game, even if he is only in for a minute. Looking at the roster of this team it is hard not to get excited, this team has the talent to make a run in May and possibly June.  

Projected Rotation:

G-Gilbert Arenas

G-Randy Foye

C-Brendan Haywood

F-Antawn Jamison

F-Caron Butler

6th-Mike Miller

Sub-Andray Blatche

Sub-Nick Young

Sub-JaVale McGee

Sub-Deshawn Stevenson 

If this article does not get you excited for the upcoming Washington Wizards season then I don't know what will. The only bad thing is that I am going to have to wait till the third game of the season to see the Wizards at Verizon. 

MH

Fantasy Week Five Studs and Duds

Overall Record: 13-11

Last Week: 4-2

Week 4 Studs:

Kevin Walter- 1/41-Miss

Aaron Rodgers- 26/37 384 yards 2 TD 1 INT 1 Fumble- Hit

Matt Forte- 12/121 1 TD 2 rec 19 yards- Hit

Week 4 Duds: 

Brett Favre-24/31 271 3 TD- Miss

John Carlson- 5/39- Hit

Maurice Jones-Drew-6/14 1 TD 3 rec 26 yards- Hit

Week 5 Studs:

Brandon Jacobs RB-NYG: Jacobs is going up against the Raiders, and their Run D has not been great. Plus if the Giants do what the Texans did last week (Get up big early then run) it will be a very big day for Brandon.

Jake Delhhome QB-CAR: The Panth

ers MUST win this game against the Skins, and to do so they are going to need solid play from 17. Jake is going to do more then play solid in this game, after a very shaky start to the season he starts to pick it up here. 

Chad Ochocinco WR-CIN: Ochocinco says that he sees holes in the Ravens secondary, and when Chad sees holes he gets catches. I have the Bengals winning this one, and the only way the get the dub is if Chad shines. 

Week 5 Duds:

Steven Jackson RB-STL: Jackson is going against a deadly Vikings D. If he does not get off to a huge start before the Vikes go up 30 then he will not be getting much action. The Rams really need to show something eventually, but this game is not going to be the one. 

Joe Flacco QB-BAL: Flacco has proven me wrong so far this season, he is a very good NFL quarterback not just a game manager. Cincys D is underrated though and they are going to be playing inspired ball after their D coordinator's, Mike Zimmer, wife passed away. 

Matt Ryan QB-ATL: Matty Ice is going to be pressured all day by the 49er defense. The 49er defense has been very very good so far this season and Atlanta could have a hard time going against it. Michael Burner Turner is going to need to have a big game for his side. 

MH

JG's Week 5 Picks

Washington (+4) @Carolina- Although the Panthers are 0-3 and the Skins are .500, the Redskins have looked horrible. Their two wins are by a combined five points over winless teams. The Panthers win this one with ease coming off of a bye.

Panters 24- Redskins 16

Dallsas (-7.5) @Kansas City-The Cowboys laid an egg last week vs. the Broncos. This week, the only egg laid is a golden one, as America's team lays one on the Chiefs.

Cowboys 31- Chiefs 14

Raiders (+15.5) @New York Giants- Eli Manning is a question mark with foot issues and 15.5 is a whole lot of points. The Giants win this one but fail to cover.

Giants 24- Raiders 10

Pittsburgh (-10.5) @Detroit- The Men of Steel dodged a late chargers comeback to get back on track. Matt Stafford cannot go, meaning that DAUNTE CULPEPPER gets the start. Sadly for the Lions Daunte does not get the roll going today. Pittsburgh dominates Detroit and caps off a tough week for a city that saw their baseball team blow a 3 game lead with 4 to play.

Steelers 27- Lions 14

Cleveland (+6) @Buffalo- Buffalo looked helpless against a subpar Dolphins team. That being said, the Browns are a serious mess right now and look like the worst team in the National Football League

Bills 20- Browns 13

Minnesota (-10) @St Louis- Last year, this game would have looked like a sure let down for the Vikings coming off of an emotional Monday night victory. With #4 at the helm though, he will keep the guys focused and in great shape for a blowout win over the Rams. It will also be his first victory in his 40s.

Vikings 23- Rams 10

Tampa Bay (+15.5) @Philadelphia- 15.5 points may seem like a lot, but after watching an entire game of the Tampa Bay Bucs, it does not seem like nearly enough. Their Josh Johnson lead offense could only muster 13 points against a mediocre Redskins D, when the Skins offense turned it over 4 times. The Iggles take care of business.

Eagles 34- Buccaneers 14

Atlanta (+2.5) @San Francisco- The 49ers sixth ranked defense will try to stop Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez, and crew. Mike Singletary has his team playing tough, but I believe today the Falcons will have success going vertical on San Francisco's secondary. Take the Falcons in the straight up win.

Falcons 28- 49ers 27

New England (-3) @Denver- This is a classic matchup of pupil vs teacher. The Broncos may be 4-0, but the 3-1 Pats are the far supperior team. Bill Belichick shows Josh McDaniels exactly how to run a football team.

Patriots 24- Broncos 20

Jacksonville (+1.5) @Seattle- Jacksonville makes about the longest possible road trip a team can make. The Hawks get their team leader and quarterback back to win a close one but still cover in the Emerald City.

Seahawks 27- Jaguars 24

Houston (+5.5) @Arizona- This is going to be an absolute barn burner. Two stud offenses take on two sub par defenses. Matt Schaub and Kurt Warner both have great days. In a high scoring affair the Cardinals take it.

Cardinals 38- Texans 31

Indinapolis (-4) @Tennessee- Each week I have said that this would be the one the Titans finally turn it around. Sadly for old man Collins and the Titans, this will not be the week. Peyton gets the job done on NBC.

Colts 24- Titans 17

In Week 5 I see a lot of favorites covering...part of me wants to see some dogs for a gret day of football.

Houston's Finest Week Five Picks

Cincinnati-Baltimore: Cincinnati- The Bengals have looked very solid so far this year, and I think Ochocinco is going to put on a show in this big division game. 

Cleveland-Buffalo: Buffalo- Cleveland does not Rock.

Washington-Carolina: Carolina- The Panthers have not looked to good to start off the season with a 0-3 record, but the Skins have looked even worse with a 2-2 record

Pittsburgh-Detroit: Pittsburgh- After giving Da Bears a little scare the Lions crumbled and so did their QB. Culpeper may have to start this game, either way though Pitt wins easy. 

Dallas-Kansas City: Dallas- The Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the NFL and Dallas needs to rebound in this one or else Cowboy nation will be incredibly unhappy. Tony Romo is going to need to find his game early on in this one. 

Oakland-New York Giants: New York- After watching Jamarcus Russell against the Texans pass D last weekend I learned just how bad he was. And with no Run DMC it is going to be a LOOOOONG game for the RAIIIIIIDAS. 

Tampa Bay-Philadelphia: Philadelphia- Donavan McNabb and Westbrook are back and ready to tear it up. Plus they have Brent Celek...

Minnesota-St. Louis: Minnesota- Could the Rams be any worse?

Atlanta-San Francisco: San Francisco- San Francisco has been a very impressive team so far this year and I look for them to keep it up in this tight game with the Falcons. 

Houston-Arizona: Houston- Who knows if the Texans can show any consistency ever. But I do know this shoot out will be a fun one to watch. 

New England-Denver: New England- Seriously how is Denver 4-0? Finally there streak comes to an end against Brady's Bunch. If Denver win this one then I am a believer. 

Jacksonville-Seattle: Jacksonville- Seattle has not been too impressive this year, and after a slow start the Jags have started to get on a roll, Garrard is starting to look like the Garrard from two years ago. 

Indianapolis-Tennessee: Indianapolis- Colts could very well be the best team in the NFL right now. Its hard to say the Titans are going to be 0-5 but I just cant see them beating Indy.

New York Jets-Miami: New York- This well be a fun one to watch. Sexy Rexy's Tenacious D vs the Wildcat. Plus to young QB's. The Jets D might be too much for young Chad Henne to take on.

MH

163

I thought I would post a quick note on the one game playoff played between the Tigers and Twins last night. The game could have been the last baseball game ever played at the Metrodome, and the Dome was absolutely rockin. The 12 inning up and down game which saw both teams blow leads was one that basebal fans will not soon forget. I must say that prior to this game I was not very excited for the MLB playoffs, but now, I cannot wait until they really get going. The Twins won the game but the celebration was brief considering an ALDS matchup in New York against the Yankees begis today. I am hoping for a Twins Rockies world series just to stick it to all the big market teams. Let's enjoy.

JG

Houston's Finest Week Four Picks

Overall Record: 32-16

Last Week Record: 11-5

After a shaky week 2 I rebounded strongly in week 3. Now all I can do is hope that the Texans rebound against the lowly lowly lowly Raiders. Jamarcus, you have completed less then 50% of your passes, what are you doing in the NFL as a starting QB? Feel free to read the blog and comment any time Jamarcus, I will be waiting. 

Detroit-Chicago: Chicago- The Bears are looking very strong after a week 1 loss to the Pack that came at the very end of the game. Even with the Lions coming off of a win, it could be there last for a while. 

Cincinnati-Cleveland: Cincinnati- I just can not see the Browns winning a game any time soon, and with OGOchoCinco sportin' the pink for breast cancer awareness throughout the month of October he is going to show up big this weekend. 

Oakland-Houston: Houston- If the Texans lose this game D-Coordinator, Frank Bush, and Head Coach, Gary Kubiak, will have very toasty butts after the game. Luckily for them I think the team is too powerful for the Raiders to beat. 

Seattle-Indianapolis: Indianapolis- With Seneca "Harrison" Wallace starting for the Hawks I do not think that they are going to win, especially against a very strong Indy team. Pierre Garcon, get in that endzone today for my fantasy squad. 

Tennessee-Jacksonville: Tennessee- The Titans are not going to start the season off 0-4. They have had a tough schedule to start the season so this team is not as bad as there record shows. Keith Bullock has told all fantasy owners to BENCH MJD! I agree. 

New York Giants-Kansas City: New York- The G-Men have looked like one of the better teams in the NFL so far, Kansas City at 0-3 are not pulling off any upset today. 

Baltimore-New England: New England- People are beginning to think the Patriots have lost there swagger, but the Brady Bunch today will pull of the home W against the Flacco led Ravens. 

Tampa Bay-Washington: Washington- As bad as I wanted to pick the Bucs in this game, I could not do it. Josh Johnson gets the start over Byron, but I would not be surprised if the game ends with a different Josh playing QB for the Bucs. 

Buffalo-Miami: Miami- Yes I do think that Chad Henne can lead this Dolphin team to victory over the Bills. I also expect to see a heavy heavy dose of the Wildcat. Run Ronnie Run. 

New York Jets-New Orleans: New York- As I said before, until the Jets do in fact lose I can not see them losing. Their D has just been way too dominate and Sanchez has looked like a very very solid QB. But Leon cant do everything... (Budwiser Commercial Reference) 

Dallas-Denver: Dallas- I have no faith in the Broncos even though they are 3-0, they have beaten the Bengals, Raiders, and Browns. So could anyone really believe this team is any good? Plus Marion Barber is coming back for the game today. 

St. Louis-San Francisco: San Francisco- I like this 49er team a lot, if it were not for Brett last week then they would be looking at an incredibly good 3-0 start. Even without Frank they still have Coffee.  

San Diego-Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh- Big Ben is a great leader and commander of this football team, this game which is close to a must win, will prove this to everyone. This should be a great game for Sunday night. 

Green Bay-Minnesota: Green Bay- If it is not known by now...I Hate Brett Favre, any man that plays 16 years in one place and then goes to the arch enemy to end his career gets absolutely no respect or love from me. Aaron Rodgers will show the world (Yes the world, who will not be watching this game?) how good he really is, and I want nothing more then for A-Rod to tear up the Vikings D.

MH

Fantasy Week Four Studs and Duds

Last night as I watched the Miami-Oklahoma game only one thing came to my mind, Miami is BACK. After a shaky start Jacory Harris looked like an All-American quarterback, Javaris James whose career has had its ups and downs had a game that he will certainly never forget, rushing for 15o yards against the Oklahoma D that was suppose to carry the team with Bradford out. Then you have the stellar sophomores at widereciever, Aldarius Johnson (not Andre Johnson, yet), Travis Benjamin and LaRon Byrd. Those three wideouts are looking to follow in some great footsteps, and they look well on their way to do just that. After a loss to a very good underrated Virginia Tech team last weekend they had to come out and prove something to the world, and they did just that. It is great for College Football to have Miami back in the mix for BCS Bowl games. And now the moment you have all been waiting for... My Studs and Duds for Week 4!

Overall Record: 9-9

Week 3 Record: 3-3

Week 3 Studs:

Ben Rothlisbergr 22/31 276 yards 1 td 1 int 3 rush yards 1 td- Hit

Matt Schaub 26/35 300 yards 3 td 1 int- Hit

Darren McFadden 12/45 3 fumble 1 lost- Miss

Week 3 Duds:

Thomas Jones 14/20- Hit

Kurt Warner 30/52 332 1 td 2 int 1 fumble- Miss (Barely)

Brandon Marshall 5/67 1 td- Miss

Week 4 Studs:

Kevin Walter WR-HOU: Walter is going up against the Raiders, who other than Nnamdi pretty much have noone. So the Raiders will be left with the decision of either shut down Andre or shut down K-Walt, my guess they try and shut down Andre which will make Kevin the main go to WR for Stumb the Schaub.

Matt Forte RB-CHI: Forte has had a very disappointing season for fantasy owners so far this year, he was top 5 in almost every draft. Today is where the owners who took him are finally left happy with their choice. The Lions run D is nothing special, Clinton Portis just sucks.

Aaron Rodgers QB-GB: I do not think that anyone could possibly be more motivated for a game then A-Rod will be Monday night. This guy has handled every situation that Old Man Brett has put him through with such class, that it is impossible to not rout for this kid in the game Monday. I know his teammates want nothing more then to get a W for Aaron.

Week 4 Duds:

Maurice Jones-Drew RB-JAC: Dear Keith Bullock, DO NOT LET ME DOWN!

Brett Favre QB-MIN: The Packers Defense will be doing all the can to shut down Brett, and try to make him retire before the games end (Very Possible). I think that if the Vikings want to win this game they are going to have to do it through All Day Adrian PETERSONNN.

John Carlson TE-SEA: Congrats to John Carlson for being the first TE ever on Studs and Duds, unfortunately for him it is as a Dud. Carlson has been raking up stats all year long, but this weekend he faces a very tough Indy Pass Defense. With Seneca still most likely at the helm for the Hawks I cant "sea" Carlson doing too much this game.

MH