*By Ben Freeman*

The Wizards are finally healthy, and if they can stay that way, they have

a chance at entering the playoffs with a high enough seed to avoid losing to Cleveland, Boston or Orlando until at least the second round. The Wizards are going to need all-star production from the once formidable Gilbert Arenas (who has played in 15 games in the past two seasons due to injury), and a solid post presence from Brendan Haywood, who played in only six games in 2008.

Last year, the Wizards put together a disappointing season, registering only 19 wins during an injury-ridden season. Following a 1-10 start, Owner Abe Polin fired head coach Eddie Jordan and replaced him with interim coach Ed Tapscott, who fared only slightly better. The Wizards ended the season in the cellar of the East with a 19–63 record, 13 games behind the closest Eastern Conference competitor.

The off-season brought plenty of new role players to the team without sacrificing last year’s core players. The Wizards traded their first-round draft pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia and Olesiky Pecherov to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, a move that replaces three benchwarmers with a combo guard in Foye and a sharpshooter in Miller. The team then signed center Fabricio Oberto to supplement a depleted backcourt.

There is currently a competition for the shooting guard position alongside Gilbert Arenas between Foye, Miller, Nick Young, and incumbent Deshawn Stevenson. Foye is the most talented of the candidates, but he plays with an identical combo-guard style as Arenas. Miller brings size, rebounding and three-point shooting to the line-up. Young is the dark-horse, a developing player who, despite an impressive preseason and summer league, did not show enough reliability last season to win the starting job. Stevenson is a lackluster offensive player, but his defensive prowess will support Arenas’ poor defense.

The Wizards are currently a second-tier team in the East, miles behind Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando, but competing with Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto and Atlanta. This likely leaves the Wizards finishing the season anywhere between the 4^th seed and the 9^th seed, a range of possibilities varying from home court advantage in the first-round down to missing the playoffs entirely. This is dependent on how well Arenas and Haywood bounce back from injuries and whether the players buy into new head coach Flip Saunders’ philosophy. Arenas needs to return as Washington’s explosive superstar and Haywood needs to fortify the middle. Saunders, who preaches teamwork and selflessness, coached a similarly built Detroit team to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, and hopefully do the same with the Wizards.