Empty the Bench

Can the Wizards survive without Caron Butler AND Gilbert Arenas? No, no they can’t. Just a few days after Caron Butler went down with a broken right wrist, the Washington Wizards saw their other All Star, Gilbert Arenas, suffer a sprained left knee during their second consecutive loss to the mighty Charlotte Bobcats. Butler will be out of action for at least six weeks, and after undergoing an MRI, Arenas was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus tear and faces arthroscopic surgery. This will sideline him for 2-3 months, which means the Wizards’ season is over right about… now.

There’s no question that the Miami Heat will now win the Southeast Division and lock up a top four seed. The Wizards will need to seriously man up to prevent themselves from free-falling past the six seed. Sure, they’d probably have to lose at least six of their last eight games for the New Jersey Nets—who play the Wiz twice–to catch up, but how high do you think morale is in that locker room right about now? After losing two all-stars in four days, there’s a good chance this team may not win another game, period. Seven of those eight matches are against teams who could be heading to the postseason. Ouch.

What a tough break for a team that finally looked like they were ready to compete beyond the first round of the playoffs. It’ll take nothing short of a miracle for them to advance now.