The Washington Wizards are aware that the road to the NBA Finals goes through Cleveland. Right now the Wizards are one of several teams jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture knowing that a matchup with the Cavaliers will happen at some point. As a result, the team is still making roster tweaks to compete with LeBron James and company and Markieff Morris is looking like the final piece of the puzzle.
The Wizards made the move to acquire Markieff Morris who has been available in deals since the offseason. After a falling out with the Phoenix Suns, Morris was said to be on the move, but another team had yet to emerge as contenders for the forward. However, in a last-minute deal, the Wizards pulled off a trade and they believe it could pay off in the postseason. Morris got six points and two rebounds in 22 minutes of play in his first time on the court with Washington and head coach Randy Wittman believes more is to come.
"I thought he was really comfortable out there tonight, seriously," Wittman said, via CSNMidAtlantic.com. "He even called some plays, he's adjusting in. It's more terminology than actual understanding of what a set is or what we're trying to run. It's just being able to formulate what we call it compared to what other teams call it."
Morris might not be the only roster addition coming to Washington. The team was still keeping an eye on free agency as certain players emerged from buyouts. According to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, The Wizards are signing JJ Hickson after his buyout with the Denver Nuggets. The forward averaged 6.9 points on 50.5 percent shooting in 20 games this season. After losing Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair to the Phoenix Suns, they needed size. Hickson might not be an overly impressive signing, but he gives hustle and needed toughness on the court.
With John Wall bringing in triple-doubles and Bradley Beal thriving on the court, the Wizards look to be real contenders this season. The team was upset by the Hawks last year and do not want history repeating itself. ESPN Power Rankings have the Wizards as a top 20 team, but they must keep trying to figure it all out if they are really going to contend for the playoffs.
