2009 Washington Wizards

Sadly, the Washington Wizards were plagued by injuries throughout the 2008-09 season and finished in last place in the Southeast Division, but a healthy squad could really turn things around for the 2009-10 season. Gilbert Arenas is fully healed, and that alone is enough to make this season a significant improvement, but the Wizards have made some other changes too. Mike Miller and Randy Foye were brought in and should provide some much needed offensive depth, but perhaps the biggest offseason move was the hiring of Flip Saunders as the new head coach. He’s expected to greatly enhance the defense, which is important for a team that placed 29th in defensive efficiency last season. If Arenas can stay healthy, the Wizards are predicted to reach the playoffs, but they’ll need fan support to make that happen. Get your Verizon Center tickets and help make the 2009-10 season a winning one for the Washington Wizards!

The city of Washington D.C. and its surrounding areas has had a franchise in the National Basketball Association since 1974. The Washington Wizards began as the Chicago Packers in 1961, spent several seasons in Baltimore, and finally landed in Washington, as the Washington Bullets, in 1974.

After achieving only moderate success for a decade, the Bullets developed into a solid unit in the 1970s, built around rugged center Wes Unseld and talented scorer and rebounder from the University of Houston, Elvin Hayes. Washington made it to the NBA Finals four times during the 1970s and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics for the NBA championship in 1977-78. The Bullets were a model of consistency through the '80s, establishing an NBA record by winning at least 35 games in each of 22 consecutive years, from 1967-68 through 1988-89. The team, though, fell on hard times through the 1990s and the early 21st century. In 1997 the team changed its name from the Bullets to the Wizards as part of its anti-violence campaign. The team plays in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division against the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.

The team had been playing its games outside of D.C., in Landover Maryland, until 1997 when they moved into the MCI Center (now called the Verizon Center) located in downtown Washington D.C. This move coincided with the team's name change from the Bullets to the Wizards. Located at 7th and F Streets NW, the Verizon Center is the state-of-the-art home of the not just the Wizards, but also the NHL's Capitals, WNBA's Mystics, and the NCAA’s Georgetown Hoyas plus big-time concerts, family shows and sporting events. Along with the aforementioned teams, D.C. ticket holders also attend NFL football games. The Washington Redskins of the NFL play their home games at FedEx Field. The Redskins are probably the most storied franchise of the Washington teams. They won two world championships under former head coach Joe Gibbs. The Washington D.C. area also boasts a major league baseball team, the Washington Nationals, with their very own ballpark, Nationals Park.