By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

CONFUSED IN D.C.

By now, I thought I'd know what to expect from the Washington Wizards.

I figured Michael Jordan would have already emerged from a phone booth and turned into the MJ of old -- and that the Wizards wouldn't need to worry about making the playoffs.

Well, none of that has happened.

Don't get me wrong, Jordan HAS been very good. He'll never be the MJ of old, but he's still among the top 20 players in the game.

And the Wizards ARE in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, which I don't expect to end until the final week of the regular season.

But in response to your e-mails asking what I think of the Wizards ... the answer is, well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure anyone knows what to make of the Wizards, and that includes the Wizards.

This isn't intended to trash the Wizards. Just the opposite. I mean, Michael Jordan has done so much for the NBA and basketball in general, who wouldn't want to see his team do well in his final season? Without Michael, who would Kobe have imitated? Dennis Rodman?

Anyway, if you root for the Wizards like I do, then you're probably a little frustrated.

Granted, they do have plenty of new faces, from Jerry Stackhouse to Bryon Russell to Charles Oakley to Larry Hughes. So I knew it would take some time for the Wizards to mesh. I knew it would be a while before they went on a major winning streak.

I'm still waiting ...

The Wizards' biggest problem is that they just can't sustain any type of momentum. It sounds simple, but really, how do you fix it?

They built a 21-4 lead against Dallas, then lost in overtime. They led Indiana by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, then had to hold on for dear life before winning by five. Does anyone else see a pattern here?

Defense has also been a problem, as the Wizards just can't seem to stop anyone on a regular basis. It's like they just stand around and wait for the opponent to miss. Plus, is there a defender whom you fear on this team? I thought center Brendan Haywood would become that guy, but for whatever reason, Haywood seems to have gotten WORSE.

And the bad news for the Wizards is that they still have a massive West Coast swing at the end of March, a trip that includes stops in Phoenix, Portland, and Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

Meanwhile, teams like Orlando and New Orleans -- which are also fighting for their playoff lives -- have already completed their trips out West.

I know, I'm just rambling. But when it comes to the Wizards, it's hard to organize your thoughts.

When it comes to the Wizards, I'm sure I'm not sure. I have no idea to what to expect, and all I can do is hope that changes.

MORE WIZARD THOUGHTS

Here are some scribbles in my notebook after taking in a recent Wizards game:

-- I love Jerry Stackhouse, but his shot selection MUST improve. It seemed to get better last season in Detroit, but for whatever reason, Stackhouse occasionally reverts to his old ways by heaving up needless jumpers from the perimeter when there's still plenty of time on the shot clock. For gosh sakes, drive to the basket, Jerry!

-- Stackhouse defines the Wizards, as he's perhaps the most inconsistent scorer in the game. When he's hot, he reminds me of a shorter, quicker version of Bernard King. But when Stackhouse is off, the rim cringes with fear anytime he puts one up.

-- A final Stackhouse thought: Say what you will, but the guy is clutch. No matter what type of night he's having, he's always willing to step forward and take the most important shot. That could be evidenced by his game-winning dunk against the Lakers, and his game-tying 3-pointer against the Mavericks.

-- Coach Doug Collins can't seem to decide if he wants to give a lot of minutes to the young players (Kwame Brown, Juan Dixon, Haywood), or go with an older lineup that features guys like Jordan, Stackhouse, Russell, Oakley and Christian Laettner. It's almost as if Collins and the Wizards want to do both. But that only seems to be confusing everyone.

-- Along with defense, the Wizards' biggest struggles come in the low post on offense. They have nobody to turn to when the idea is pounding the ball underneath, and letting your big man take a hard foul and get to the line. Of course, the Wizards aren't the only team in today's NBA who have that problem, but they seem worse off than just about anyone.

-- You have to love Juan Dixon, the rookie guard out of Maryland. The Wizards drafted Dixon because he's a winner, and he's already much further along as a pro than Kwame Brown. In fact, when I see how little Courtney Alexander is contributing in New Orleans, it's easy to see that the Wizards got a steal by trading Alexander for the No. 17 pick -- which they then used to draft Dixon.

-- For about the third time since I've been writing this newsletter, I'm going to tell a team what to do. Brace yourself.

-- The Wizards need to sign point guard John Crotty, and they need to do it now. I know, that sounds ridiculous. Crotty is something like 123-years old and has scrambled eggs for knees. Not good, when you consider he was never all that quick to begin with. But Crotty is a point guard in the truest sense, someone who will get Jordan and Stackhouse the ball before dribbling out the shot clock. Crotty can also hit the wide-open jumper and teach Tyronn Lue and Hughes (who's been injured), the true meaning of running the point. Crotty is out there waiting to be signed, and he's cheap.

-- Finally, young players throughout the NBA should be embarrassed with how Michael Jordan gets so many key rebounds, how he fakes them out so much on his way to scoring so many key baskets. It just goes to show, greatness NEVER gets old.

-- As I sit down to write this, the Wizards are coming off an impressive win in Indiana. I have a feeling it will give them the lift they need to play their best basketball and get into the playoffs. And who could possibly predict what will happen once they're there?

ALL-OLD TEAM

A couple of weeks ago, I asked for your thoughts on a team that featured a bunch of older players. My starting lineup consisted of David Robinson (37), Karl Malone (39), Scottie Pippen (37), Michael Jordan (40) and John Stockton (40). Off the bench were Charles Oakley (38), Reggie Miller (37) and Kevin Willis (40).

I asked how you thought the team would fare during an 82-game regular season, and here is what you had to say:

From Dave Kroupa

"The Utah Jazz are currently having some success with a pair of old guys, but you can bet that the All-Old Team would be even better. Robinson is significantly better than Greg Ostertag, and Pippen and Jordan would perform better than Calbert Cheaney and Matt Harpring.

"I'm not sure the bench would be better, as the Jazz have Andrei Kirilenko and Mark Jackson -- but the starting five would be significantly better. The All-Old guys would definitely be the smartest team in the history of the NBA, and it would be strong defensively. I'll go with a record of 63-19, and an NBA championship."

From Eddie Chen

"The All-Old Team is a dream team to me. I would love watching them play -- but I don't think it could win more than 40 games. The old guys would be a target for everyone else, as the younger guys would play particularly hard just to prove themselves. It would be sort of like what happened to Team USA last summer.

"The old guys would be especially tired in the second half of the season, and I think that would keep them from making the playoffs."

From Paul Force

"I think the All-Old Team would win a title, no question. Most teams have one or two clueless players on the roster, but these guys all know how to play the game. I think they would expose a lot of young players, who are great athletes but not always fundamentally-sound.

"Obviously, their toughest matchup would be the Lakers."

From Chris Hanson

"The All-Old Team would kick everyone's butts. All they would have to do is keep themselves from fooling around too much, getting too bored. If Jordan were the player/coach, though, they would stay focused enough to never lose.

"And why not throw in (Portland center) Arvydas Sabonis? He's probably the best old center around."

From Joe Beck

"As much as people talk about veteran experience and the thinking aspect, basketball is still a game of running and jumping, which has a lot of impact on the joints. Yes, there is a certain amount that veterans can contribute to any team, but you still need the young athletic guys to take it to the rack or block shots.

"The only guy on the All-Old Team with better than a 12-inch vertical is Jordan, and watching him this season has been like watching a Transformers cartoon for people who didn't see the original. I would be surprised if the old guys team finished better than .500."

MORE READER FEEDBACK

From Ted Hart

"You said that the switch to a best-of-7 format in the first round of the playoffs was a good idea. I disagree. All this does is reduce the chance of an upset. This is a bad thing, considering we usually sympathize with the underdogs. Basically, this is just making extra certain that the Cinderella teams have no chance of sneaking past midnight."

Dear Ted

You're right about that. I was simply excited because it means there will be more playoff games. But everyone from the coaches to the players to even fans seems to hate the idea. As you wrote, "While seeing more playoff games is good, it shouldn't be done at the expense of potential upsets."

From Keith Lipscomb

"In response to Warren McNeil's question of whether or not a team had gone an entire season with no more than a one-game winning streak ... the answer is yes, but it's only happened twice: The 1947-48 Providence Steamrollers, and the 1986-87 Los Angeles Clippers."

Dear Keith

Thanks for the help. You also pointed out that I incorrectly predicted one of those teams was the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who won just nine games that season. I looked it up, and yes, those Sixers won back-to-back games on one occasion.

IMPROVING THE NBA

Your latest thought on how to improve the game. (Don't forget, I run one idea per week, so keep 'em coming).

From Steve Crock

"I think the regular-season schedule should be cut back to 50-60 games and no team should have to play with less than two days of rest. With our current 82-game season, and some teams playing three games in four nights, you don't always see a lot of enthusiasm or good basketball by that team. Usually, a bad team that's well-rested can beat a good team that's playing at the end of a long trip.

"Under the 50-60 game plan, each game would have more meaning, players would play harder and suffer less injuries, and it would be better basketball for everyone involved. As for the playoffs, the first round should remain a best-of-5 format. Fatigue and injuries are huge -- although usually unnoticed -- factors in these series. Besides, the draw itself (No. 1 seed vs. No. 8) should be a sufficient advantage for the top-seeded teams."

FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- What would a newsletter about pro basketball be without mention of LeBron James? Seriously. Anyway, I recently spoke with a high school coach whose team played James' Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary squad. The coach told me that on the way to the game, he made the mistake of showing his players a tape of James missing outside shots. "Then all James did all night was kill us from the perimeter,'' the coach said. James' team begins play in the Ohio state tournament this week, and I predict St. Vincent-St. Mary will win the championship. Hey, who ever said I won't go out on a limb?

-- Well, my 35th birthday came and went last weekend, and I'm happy to announce that, among other gifts, my wife Carley bought me a Denver Nuggets throwback t-shirt, an Atlanta Hawks throwback t-shirt, and an Indiana Pacers retro ballcap. By the way, did you know a Pacers retro cap looks just like a current Pacers cap, as their logo and team colors haven't changed? Good for them.

-- Am I too old to be wearing throwback stuff? After all, I've been alive long enough to have seen all these uniforms the first time around.

-- After I mentioned how TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith criticized Kobe Bryant for shooting too much, reader Craig Rudnick felt obligated to pass this along: "Sometimes Barkley and Smith remind me of those two old guys who sit on the balcony on The Muppet Show. All they do is complain." What a great line.

-- I really like what James Posey is doing in Houston, and what Kenny Thomas is doing in Philadelphia. Both were part of a trade that involved Denver -- although don't ask me what the Nuggets got out of the deal. I honestly can't remember. Anyway, Thomas and Posey are similar players, as nobody is going to run a play for them, but they still manage to score and hustle. This is a trade that's quietly helping both teams.

-- What on earth has happened to the New Jersey Nets? How about the Indiana Pacers? The Detroit Pistons haven't exactly been knocking 'em dead either, but at least they have the excuse that they're on the West Coast. The struggles by the Nets and Pacers lead me to believe the door is wide open for Detroit, but I'm still not a believer that the Pistons can reach the Finals. You need someone to turn to in crunch time, and as much as I love Richard Hamilton, I'm not sure the Pistons have that guy.

-- I've received a lot of grief from Pistons fans since the start of the season, when I picked them to finish SIXTH in the Central Division. But know what? I can take it. I can also admit that I'm wrong, and I was way off base with the Pistons. At the same time, if you don't like what I write, just hit the delete key and hold the threats. Either that, or start your own newsletter.

-- Having said that, I don't care if Detroit fails to win another game; Rick Carlisle is the NBA's coach of the year. (Minnesota's Flip Saunders has to be considered second, thanks mostly to Kevin Garnett).

-- Finally, don't you just love watching the Toronto Raptors since Vince Carter has returned? I never thought I'd ask that, but like so many Carter fans predicted, the man is on a mission. It's a shame the Raptors got themselves in such a big hole early. But with a solid lottery pick, I think they'll be back in contention as soon as next season.

-- I promise to provide updates on the CBA, NBDL, and a new outfit, the United Pro Basketball League, in the near future. The UPBL is run by former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, and has already announced that it will expand next season. If you have any minor league news you want to share, e-mail it to the address below.


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