Empty the Bench

Whether it simply unscrewed itself and scurried into a dark corner as a joke, or if a member of the Washington Wizards front office scurried into the locker room, took it down, then quickly hid in a dark corner office, we may never know. What we do know, however, is that according to the Washington Post, Haywood’s locker nameplate was missing by the time the media arrived following Monday night’s season-ending loss to the Cavs.

Wizards center Brendan Haywood, who did not record a point or a rebound in 10 minutes of action in Game 3, did not get off the bench last night as Coach Eddie Jordan instead turned to Calvin Booth as his first center off the bench. He left the bench area before the buzzer sounded and was the first Wizard out of the locker room. Oddly, the nameplate above Haywood’s locker stall already was missing when reporters filed in for postgame comments.

Perhaps it’s not so odd, though. Haywood has been a distraction for most of the season, including his near brawl with fellow mediocre center Etan Thomas at practice. If the 7-footer from North Carolina was an upper-level player at his position, his eccentricities would probably be more forgiveable. But given his paltry 6.6 points and 6.2 rebounds season averages, there’s a good chance the six-year veteran will not be suiting up for the Wizards next fall.

Unfortunately for Washington, they don’t own a lottery pick this year. With the 16th overall pick, assuming there’s a, say, Spencer Hawes or Marc Gasol still on the board, expect them to go with a center. The Wiz could also pursue a free-agent big man such as Anderson Varejao, Jamaal Magloire, or Marc Jackson. One way or the other, whether Haywood is brought back or not, this is a definite position of need for the Wizards moving forward.

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