A week ago, this Wizards team was toxic. The team had me-first guys who didn’t quite get the concept of team basketball or moving without the ball. I used to defend one of them (Nick Young), but eventually gave up. He made my life too hard. I defended the other (JaVale McGee) right up until his benching and eventual trade. With a point guard still learning the position, and no strong finishers around the rim, this particular iteration of the Wizards was not going to be able to develop players with seemingly non-physical related issues. Something had to change – either the culture or the players. You start to change the culture by changing leadership (already done), changing the rotation (already done), and then, as a last ditch effort, giving up on talent. Talent only takes you so far, anyway. This team is rife with talent. It has a dearth of basketball players.

The team full of knuckleheads had to change the culture. It’s unfortunate that the biggest drags on this team (Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis) are worthless. There’s no way a team would trade for a contract like Rashard Lewis or Andray Blatche, unless you were giving up a Gilbert Arenas. That’s the point we have reached with those guys. So someone had to go. There was only one player who the Wizards could actually trade that could plausibly procure some value, and that one player was JaVale McGee.

JaVale was traded for a vastly superior player in Nene. Nene can knock down a mid range jumper; he can set strong picks; he can be a great partner in the pick and roll; he can defend the pick and roll; and he can be a stabilizing force on a team full of destabilizing forces. JaVale is none of those things, and probably never would become one on this Wizards team. If Andray Blatche was unmovable – which he was, and still is – something else had to happen. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

I’m sad to see JaVale go, and I know that feeling puts me in the minority of Wizards fans. The Wiz will now be bad AND less entertaining. Before, they were bad but a comedy show. I always enjoyed watching the games if for no other reason than to see JaVale swat a goaltend into the third row and John Wall blitzkrieg down the court. That’s all us Wizards fans have this year. We’re being robbed, or are we being saved, of that.

You could always count on JaVale for something spectacular and something mind-numbing. He always seemed to provide both every time he took the court. You could also count on some dumb fouls and some awful pick and roll defense. Nene won’t provide either of those last two things, and I strongly believe this team will respond well.

Most Wizards fans are frightened of Nene and his fragile past. Fortunately, he really isn’t all that fragile. In his last three seasons he has played 77, 82, and 75 games. Only twelve centers have played more games than he has since 2009. Only seven have played more minutes. He has a surgically repaired knee, but that was almost seven years ago. He took a leave of absence in 2008 due to a cancer scare but the tumor was removed.  This season has been marred with a few nagging injuries, but nothing major. Nene relies on speedy drives and crafty moves, not on a raw athleticism that is unmatched by other NBA centers. He’s 29 years old; he’s not the injury-laden grandfather that many are making him out to be.

The only other concern with Nene is his newly minted contract. Nene was the hottest free agent on the market only three months ago in December. He is due a flat fee of $13 million each year through 2016 and the Nuggets already decided that was too expensive. JaVale will garner a hefty contract, but surely he will receive less than $13 million a year. Nene is undoubtedly more expensive than JaVale, but he is also undoubtedly more effective. Nene is being paid a market price for a player of his stature and skill. Might the contract blow up in Ernie Grunfeld’s face? Sure, but that’s the risk you have to take when obtaining strong play at the center position. The Wizards are betting on a good player, not on a project. I can get behind that.

There will be metaphorical tears on this coming Thursday when I sit in my seats in section 416 at the Verizon Center and don’t see a comically tall man wearing number 34 shooting stupid pull-up jumpers in warm-ups. I loved defending JaVale knowing full well that his globally visible blemishes made most of my argument wishful thinking. Being on JaVale’s side opened me up to a lot of criticism. I’m supposed to be a basketball writer, how could I possibly back a ne’er-do-well like McGee?

My backing of JaVale is not entirely basketball related. I see great potential in him, but I also see a human being. I see an individual who wants so strongly to be a good player that he honestly can’t believe his constant shortcomings. I can relate to that. Can’t you? None of us made it to the league, after all. None of us are perfect at our jobs, though we require perfection from NBA players. There is an unrealistic expectation from guys that have all the physical tools. In a world where blooper videos go viral in three seconds flat, JaVale is a clown. He’s a person like you and me before he’s a clown with an insanely high vertical. I’ll miss JaVale.

I strongly believe that in the right situation JaVale will be a great defensive player. I was hoping the Wizards could morph into that situation, but at the trade deadline it was clear that he was the only player on the team that could be moved for anything valuable. It isn’t farfetched to think that JaVale could someday be a better player than Nene. However, that is entirely an uncertainty that appears unlikely to most. Nene is a sure thing when healthy, and the Wizards needed a sure thing.

With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching teams are rushing to pursue players on the “trading block”.

One of the NBA’s most prominent big men and former 1st overall pick, Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, appears to have been put on the trading block. According to ESPN’s Mark Stein, the Washington Wizards are one of the teams which express the most interest in acquiring Bogut by Thursday’s deadline.

Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee has been caught in the middle of many trade rumors thus far, and swapping centers would make most sense for both teams.

Bogut brings a style of offense McGee has not yet established. A solid low post game and the ability to hit open mid range jump shots has put Andrew Bogut in the upper echelon of NBA centers.

In order for the Wizards to pull of this trade more players will inevitably be included to accommodate the salary structure. Sending over Andray Blatche — who has expressed interest in a change of scenery — along with JaVale McGee would be a move the Wizards would probably make.

However, trading for Andrew Bogut doesn’t come without risk. Despite becoming a very good player in the league, Bogut has had problems staying healthy. So far this season  Andrew Bogut has only played in twelve games because of a fractured left ankle.

Trading away a talent like JaVale McGee would show that the Wizards have finally acknowledged the need to rid themselves of players who helped form the losing culture in Washington D.C.  Trading McGee to Milwaukee would also mean getting rid of a player who has had his best statistical season to date.

But will this trade happen? Probably not — especially from the Bucks’ point of view.

But dealing with the Washington Wizards almost always brings unexpected news.

On Wednesday the Wizards (8-29) welcome the league’s leading scorer Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (23-14) to the Verizon Center for the fourth game of their five game home stand. The Wizards haven’t notched a victory against the West Coast powerhouse since December 17, 2006. Even then, it took 60 points from Gilbert Arenas to get the job done. The two teams cross paths as their seasons head in opposite directions. The Lakers have found themselves winners of four of their last five games. The Wizards have only been victorious in one of their last five efforts.

The Wizards look to rebound from a dismal outing Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. John Wall has been the only consistent Wizards as of late and is averaging 20.7 points and 9.6 assists over his last ten games. For the Wizards to have a chance against the Lakers, some of their other players will need to chip in.

Los Angeles native Nick Young has enjoyed some success against the Lakers. In the last three games between the two teams, Young has averaged 24.3 points. After sitting out a game with a knee injury, Young came back and scored 25 points in 25 minutes against the Warriors Monday. He shot 64% from the field while connecting on four of his six three point attempts. Nick has never been the model of consistency, but don’t be surprised if we see another solid outing from him on Wednesday.

In the eyes of most, the Lakers have the three best players in this match-up in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Kobe is averaging 28.9 points per game this season at 33 years old and has shown no signs of slowing down after 15 years in the league. Bynum and Gasol are both averaging double-doubles in points and rebounds this season. Under new head coach Mike Brown, the Lakers have been winning games behind their defense. Their 91.4 points allowed per game is fifth best in the league and their opponents have the lowest field goal percentage in the league at 41%. Combine that with the fact that the Wizards are in the bottom third of the league in field goal percentage and we could be in for a bad night.

The Wizards’ best chance to steal a win could be in the transition game. Their youth and athleticism have helped them become second best in the league in fast break points. The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the opposite end of that spectrum. They are the second worst team in the league in fast break points scored and near the bottom in fast break points allowed as well. Much of this can be credited to the age of the Lakers premier players.

The Lakers’ starting line-up of Fisher, Bryant, World Peace, Gasol and Bynum features four players that are at least 31 years old. The oldest player in the Wizards’ starting line-up is Nick Young at 26 years old. However, with age comes experience and the Lakers’ skilled veterans control the pace of the game while doing most of their scoring out of their half-court sets, something the Wizards could use some help with.

Lakers’ center Andrew Bynum will likely be an issue for the Wizards down low. He boasts a 50-pound weight advantage over JaVale McGee and has length similar to JaVale. For JaVale to be effective against the Lakers, he will have to use his ability to run the court and try to score in transition before the Lakers’ defense can set-up.

The Lakers’ other 7-footer, Pau Gasol, is the skilled post-scorer the Wizards wish they had. Gasol has struggled in the past against tougher, more physical forwards, a mold that Wizards’ power forward Trevor Booker is cut from. If Booker can knock Gasol around and get him out of his game, the Wizards could take away one of the Lakers’ most efficient and versatile offensive weapons.

Match-ups to watch:

• The point guards:John Wall vs Derek Fisher – Can Wall use his speed and athleticism to outrun the wily old veteran? Many consider Fisher a liability on defense, but he uses his high basketball IQ and clutch shooting to find ways to contribute.
• The scorers: Nick Young and Jordan Crawford vs. Kobe Bryant - Don’t be surprised if these three players combine for 60 or more shots. The Lakers’ biggest weakness is their bench. Crawford will likely get the start Wednesday, but Young will likely see a lot of minutes off the bench and needs to come out shooting well.
• The fours: Trevor Booker vs Pau Gasol - Gasol has a five inch height advantage over Booker, but Booker outweighs Gasol by ten pounds. Booker is as tough as they come and has been effective at guarding bigger guys, while Pau has had his fair share of naysayers calling him “soft”.

Fun fact about Wednesday’s match-up: Wizards’ power forward Andray Blatche returned Monday after a 16 game absence due to a strained left calf. Blatche is 1-7 against the Lakers in his career. His only win came in a game where he played 2 minutes and did not attempt a shot.

My prediction: Lakers 94 Wizards 81. The Lakers’ tough defense forces the Wizards into a bad shooting night and the Wizards get lost trying to guard the Lakers’ arsenal of high screens and pick-and-rolls.

The game tips off at the Verizon Center Wednesday at 7pm. Follow along with me on Twitter @cooooooookiee.