=== Washington Wizards 2003-04 Season Preview ===

By Mark Bodenrader, NBA Editor

2002-03 FINISH: 37-45

OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: G Gilbert Arenas, G Chris Whitney, F Jarvis Hayes, G Steve Blake, G Adam Harrington

OFFSEASON LOSSES: G Michael Jordan, G Tyronn Lue, F Charles Oakley, F Bryon Russell, G Bobby Simmons

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: PG Gilbert Arenas, SG Larry Hughes, SF Jerry Stackhouse, PF Kwame Brown, C Brendan Haywood

COACH: Eddie Jordan

(My Sportsbook) - The two-year Michael Jordan experiment was threatening to leave the Washington Wizards in shambles. While the NBA legend had packed fans into the MCI Center and generated interest in the franchise, the team was constructed to help Jordan succeed and came out with no playoff appearances to show for it.

After Jordan retired as a player, owner Abe Polin then relieved him of his duties as team president and although he drew criticism for dismissing such a highly-regarded icon, probably saved a franchise on life support.

The Wizards followed by naming Ernie Grunfeld as the new president, bringing in another Jordan (Eddie) as coach and landing one of the prize free agents of the offseason in Gilbert Arenas.

All in all, not a bad summer.

Eddie Jordan, revered as the genius behind the New Jersey Nets' offense, had many suitors during the offseason and ultimately chose to guide the Wizards, probably because the team has nowhere to go but up.

Jordan inherits a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1997 and hasn't won a postseason series since 1982. Making the job even tougher is a roster full of me-first talents that tested the patience of former coach Doug Collins for the last two seasons.

While Jordan enjoyed success as an assistant with the Nets for the last four years, he's still unproven as a capable head coach. His only other experience at the position came with Sacramento from 1997-98, when he guided a brutal Kings team to a 33-64 record over one-plus seasons.

BACKCOURT

Arenas broke out in a big way for the Golden State Warriors last season and as a result was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. He averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 82 games during his sophomore season and nearly carried the Warriors into the postseason.

But the former second-round pick was eligible to command more money by signing with a new team over the offseason and the eccentric point guard decided on Washington over the Clippers with the aid of a coin flip.

Arenas, 21, has since guaranteed that the Wizards will make the playoffs this season. While that prediction may not stand up, the versatile Arenas finally gives the Wizards something to build around and should have the team competing for that elusive postseason spot in the not-too-distant future.

The Wizards are faced with a few options at the starting shooting guard position, but will likely open the year with Larry Hughes holding it down. The 6-5 Hughes has a versatile game similar to that of Arenas, which has caused teams, including the Wizards, to use him at point guard. But it appears Hughes is more effective when he's asked to score (12.8 ppg in 2002-03) and not distribute (3.1 apg).

Hughes emerged as a three-point threat last season, as evidenced by his team- best and career-high clip of 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. If he can continue that perimeter shooting this season it would open up things a lot for the Wizards.

The return of Chris Whitney relieves Hughes of any point guard duties. Whitney played for Washington from 1995-2002 and actually started 81 games in his last season with the Wizards. He should be a more than adequate backup to Arenas.

Steve Blake was drafted by Washington in June, reuniting him with former Maryland backcourt mate Juan Dixon. While Dixon was the star of the Terrapins' 2002 championship season, Blake appears to have more potential at the NBA level as a point guard. The 6-3 Dixon, a more natural shooting guard, is yet another victim of the dreaded 'tweener status.

FRONTCOURT

The notion of the offense running through Arenas likely won't sit well with Jerry Stackhouse, who expects to be the go-to guy with Jordan now out of the picture. The Wizards will still need him to score a lot of points (he averaged 21.5 in 2002-03), but would prefer to have it occur in the flow of Jordan's motion offense rather than on isolation plays. They had that in Richard Hamilton before they traded him for some guy named Stackhouse.

Stackhouse was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, which is expected to keep him out for the start of the season. That means either Jared Jefferies or rookie Jarvis Hayes will get a chance to start at the small forward position at the beginning of the year.

Jefferies, who can play both small and power forward, saw action in just 20 games during his rookie season before tearing his right ACL. It remains to be seen how well a young player can respond from such a severe injury.

Hayes, who was selected by Washington with the 10th pick in June's draft, might be more apt to fill in for Stackhouse because he too is a prolific scorer that can create his own shot. It's still risky to start a rookie, though.

Kwame Brown, who became the first-ever high school player to be taken No. 1 overall at the 2001 draft, appeared to be on the brink of a breakout season last year before his sour attitude got in the way of his talent. Despite his superior athleticism, he averaged just 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 80 games -- 20 starts -- for the Wizards.

Brown allegedly didn't see eye-to-eye with Collins, so maybe a coaching change will light a fire under the Snoop Dog look-a-like. If it doesn't, Washington will have a real disappointment on its hands.

The Wizards will likely begin the season with Brown as their starting power forward, but if he slips early on, don't be surprised to see Christian Laettner take over his spot. Laettner is far removed from his All-Star days, but his veteran presence could be valuable up front for a Washington team aiming for the playoffs.

Washington actually comes into this season with some decent depth at the center spot with the trio of Brendan Haywood, Jahidi White and Etan Thomas.

With so many scoring options at the guard and forward spots, the Wizards aren't looking for offensive production out of their big men, which is a good thing because all three will provide little help in that area. However, Haywood (7-0, 268) and White (6-9, 290) are both monsters down low and at the same time, quick for their size, so that should keep the team's rebounding and interior defense sound.

CRYSTAL BALL

Snagging Arenas is definitely a huge lift for the Wizards, but don't expect them to live up to his playoff prophecy. This team is very talented, but also very young and segmented, so it should take a couple of years for Jordan to implement his offense and get everyone on the same page. Expect Washington's win total to improve from last season's 37, but not enough to push them into the playoffs.