The Bearing Question: Which Way Will Grunfeld Go?

In Grunfeld's mind, the Wizards are good enough now to contend. He's not blind; he, like everybody in the NBA, knows they need a real inside presence and flammable scorer off the bench to be a 55-win team. Something has to be done at the center position. He knows the two-headed monster of Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood just doesn't scare anyone.

And for all the Phoenix and Golden State wannabes, the bottom line is that two defensive teams met for the NBA title. Again. The Wizards currently don't do defense.

But Grunfeld also remembers how good his team looked at 31-21 in January, with two all-stars, a coach who had them lighting up the league without an injured Darius Songailia and a couple of dominant performances against Detroit. If LeBron James and some defensive elbow grease could get the Cavaliers past the Pistons and into the finals, Grunfeld is thinking, why can't the Wizards do the same?

Jordan is at home, saying, "Get me the next Kenyon Martin." He wants a fearless 'baller, preferably with tats and 'tude. Anyone who can give his nicey-nice locker room some real edge. Grunfeld actually wouldn't mind that player, depending on what he had to give up. Shotgun marriage and all, the coach and the GM will be smiling together if they win a couple of playoff rounds next season. The next phase of their partnership starts tomorrow.

This draft is deep, full of nice perimeter players and athleticism. The Wizards could land a decent wing player at No. 16 to compensate for the minutes Jarvis Hayes gave them. He's almost certainly gone. They're also peddling a package featuring Thomas and Antonio Daniels harder than an infomercial, hoping for any takers.

It would be fortunate if Kansas's Julian Wright fell to No. 16. Long, athletic scorers and rebounders are what help teams win these days, and Wright is certainly that. Recent history has shown that general managers have a penchant for overpaying 6-foot-11 players with potential. If the free agent market becomes too rich for Andray Blatche to ignore, Wright could be insurance for that loss.

They should keep DeShawn Stevenson, if at all possible. He's the first player since Larry Hughes left with whom Arenas has been able to form a nice bond. Ironically, his flameout in the playoffs -- when he was asked to do a lot more than his original spot-up-and-shoot gig -- may help the Wizards keep him. He's not in that much demand, which may make him affordable.

But all of that is just detail parsing. The big issue is still: What does Grunfeld take from last year? Does he see a team with promise unfulfilled or a mirage that maximized everything the first half of season?

This isn't just another draft; this is the pivotal offseason for the Arenas era in Washington. The clock is ticking on much more than whom the Wizards choose at No. 16.