The life of a Wizards/Bullets fan has often been predicated on the NBA Draft Lottery. Being a fan of the team since moving to D.C. in 1990, it has generally been ‘the’ highlight of the season… More than the draft itself, more than peddled hope before a season. A simple flip of a card, the bounce of a ping-pong ball and/or the chance of mathematical equation can change the fate of a franchise for years… in just a brief moment. How exciting, right?
In 1992, with the fifth worst record in the NBA, second worst in the Eastern Conference, Washington fans hoped for Shaquille O’Neal, or even Alonzo Mourning. Instead, the Bullets were jumped by the Charlotte Hornets (who chose Mourning with the second pick), and ended up with the sixth pick and Tom Gugliotta.
With the fifth worst record again in 1994, did the Wizards succeed in landing one of three draft prizes in Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd or Grant Hill? Nope. Fifth is where they stayed… begin memories of the Juwan Howard saga.
What about the finishing with the third worst record in 2004? Either Emeka Okafor or Dwight Howard could’ve been the lottery winning targets. Instead, the Wizards dropped two spots to fifth (thanks to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats) and wound up trading the selection, Devin Harris, to the Mavericks for Antawn Jamison.
I’m on vacation and didn’t watch last night’s 112-89 loss to the Jazz. Judging from the results, it doesn’t look like I will … which will make the first time this season that I have not watched a Wizards game. I know, kinda sad … in so many ways. And I’ll likely have to miss tonight’s game against the Nuggets in Denver too.
But now that the Wizards have lost a season-high eight in a row with more notches in the L column in sight, have they hit “rock bottom”?
Nah. That already happened.
Nevertheless, someone from the Washington Times, you know, the paper that cut its sports section, is writing about sports … and the Wizards.
“Wizards fans knew, when the team was blown up in mid-February, that things were going to get bad. Welcome to bad. Get ready for worse,” writes David Eldridge in his piece, ‘Rock-bottom for the Wizards? Buckle up.’
The Wizards lost to the Bulls last night while giving the kiddies floor burn much to the delight of Wizards malcontents who would find negativity in just about anything (and no, despite popular belief, I am not one of those people).
