Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski writes that Kobe, not Phil Jackson, will keep Artest in line: "The locker room is policed by the superstar, never the coach." (I don't agree. Although they are an increasingly endangered species, coaches like Avery Johnson with the Mavs and Larry Brown with the Sixers did lay down the law.)

The Wizards don't have to worry about a hothead like Artest, but the team has suffered at times from a lack of focus. Last season's young team would have really benefited from someone setting a more serious tone, but we saw that Caron and Antawn lack the authority or the temperament to do it.

With next season's veteran team, do the Wiz need someone to "police the locker room"? I've been a big defender of the young guys, but I think they probably would benefit from some tough love. Can Gil be a more vocal leader? If not him, what about Flip? Cassell? 

This past season, Caron played further from the basket and took on more ball handling responsibilities. The results weren't terrible, but his shooting percentage and rebounding were down, while his turnovers were up.

Some people have suggested Antawn should move to SF and Caron should move to SG if the Wiz get Blake Griffin. Would that be a good thing?

I suppose it could work if Gil embraces a more traditional point guard role. Needless to say, that's a big if. Historically, Gil has thrived alongside combo guards like Larry Hughes.

I'm hoping the team can make Antawn a sixth man, keep Caron at SF and upgrade at SG. Anyone think Nick Young can make the leap and be a starter at SG next season?

For each player in the NBA, ESPN's John Hollinger lists an older player who had similar stats when he was the age of the younger player. Who does he compare Nick Young to? Rip Hamilton.

And granted, this is a pretty weak draft, but it still seems a compliment that HoopsHype.com compares two of its projected lottery picks to young Wizards. The site likens Dermar DeRozen (the #8 pick in its mock draft) to Nick Young and compares Terrence Williams (#14) to Dominic McGuire. 

The draft and free agency will be huge for the Wiz, but player development can't be overlooked. Even if the young guys don't play tons of minutes next year, those minutes will be key to playoff seeding and to making sure our stars reach the playoffs with their health and something left in the tank.

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I thought Eddie Jordan was bad at player development. Then Ernie promoted Ed Tapscott.

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