Wizards' Antidote For Their Ills: a Win

To hear forward Antawn Jamison explain it, just about everything that has bothered the Washington Wizards recently can be solved with a win at Philadelphia tonight. Because of the all-star break, the Wizards won't play again until next Tuesday when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Verizon Center.

"If we can get a win, everyone goes into the break feeling better about everything," said Jamison, who will miss his sixth straight game with a sprained left knee. "Then guys can relax for a few days and come back next week and get ready for the rest of the season. Right now, we just really need a win. Winning solves everything."

The Wizards have lost four of their last five and dealt with several distractions in the process, including Jamison's injury, a two-game suspension of center Etan Thomas, who traded punches with Brendan Haywood in practice on Friday, and the exchange of critical comments between guard Gilbert Arenas and Coach Eddie Jordan.

Jamison, Arenas, Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels said a players-only meeting held before practice on Monday helped clear the air and get the team focused on basketball. Jordan and Arenas, who also met Monday, said they've put to rest any issues they had following Sunday's 21-point loss to Portland.

Following tonight's game, Arenas, Butler, Jordan and the coaching staff will head to Las Vegas for All-Star Weekend, while the rest of the team will split up for a few days away from basketball.

The break will be more enjoyable if the Wizards can snap out of their funk with a win over the 76ers (17-35), who have been respectable since the trade of Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets.

"We had a real good high about 10 days ago," Jordan said. "Guys were named to the all-star team, we're coaching and guys are in it and then Antawn's injury hit and some other things took place. We've lost four of five and it got to us a little bit. Now, we're back on the same page and moving in the right direction. We just need another win."

Getting a victory will require improvement in nearly every area. Other than making all 18 of their free throw attempts in Sunday's loss, the Wizards were awful at just about everything.

The spacing on offense was bad, ball movement was lacking, screens were late and the shooting was off. Players failed to box out and aggressively go for rebounds. They didn't get back on defense and, in terms of chemistry, the Wizards sometimes resembled a group of strangers getting together for the first time to play a recreational league game.

Jordan reviewed tape of Sunday's disaster with Arenas individually and the team as a whole. But he is not going to alter his lineup. After considering a change, such as going back to Jarvis Hayes or Calvin Booth as a starter, Jordan said Andray Blatche will make his second straight start.

The 6-foot-11, second-year forward made 4 of 9 shots and finished with eight points, six rebounds and four turnovers on Sunday. In the five games since Jamison was injured, Blatche has averaged 7.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 20.4 minutes per game.

"We think that if he gets some experience he can learn what the NBA game's about and use his skill level," Jordan said. "What he gives us right now is good size and activity."

Jordan isn't asking Blatche to make up for Jamison's absence but does want to see Blatche, Hayes, Darius Songaila and Michael Ruffin perform well within their designated roles and help the team get back to playing "the right way."

The Wizards snapped out of a similar rut earlier in the season after a 112-94 loss at Chicago on Dec. 2. That defeat dropped the team to 6-10 and caused Jordan to challenge Arenas, his star player, and team to play up to their potential. The Wizards responded by winning 11 of the next 13.

"The last time we had a big outburst was when we were in Chicago and we lost that game," Arenas said. "The players and coaches had a meeting and things turned around. We went on a tear and that's the same thing that's going on right now. We felt we needed a another tuneup and we're ready to go again."

Even accounting for all of their recent distractions, Antawn Jamison believes a win over the 76ers heading into the All-Star break will heal the Wizards.