So apparently my comments about the future of sports in the DMV the other day weren't acting as any type of jinx on Tuesday night when the ping pong balls finally bounced the right way for the Washington Wizards. D.C.'s most maligned franchise over the last two years (and that's seriously saying something) got a major boost by raking in the top pick in the NBA's 2010 Entry draft.

What?!

Yep. The Wizards. The team that seems to have fallen in draft position just about every year in the last twenty. The team that was awarded the top pick in 2001 and managed to draft one of the biggest busts of all time in high school standout Kwame Brown. That team.

Why should we all be so excited? Drafting John Wall doesn't guarantee any sort of resurrection for the franchise. Heck, it doesn't even guarantee that they'll be a factor in the playoff picture anytime soon. What it does mean is that this team will be watchable again, which is something that certainly hasn't been the case for the last two seasons. John Wall is the kind of guy that should bring some buzz to Verizon Center on nights when the Caps are off. He's the kind of guy that attracts higher-quality free agents to the district. More than anything, he's the kind of guy who's mug you can plaster all over Chinatown and market on a large scale. This little lucky victory is symbolic of Ted Leonsis and his penchant for building success out of almost nothing. Hopefully Ted's influence can continue to bring the Wiz some good vibes over the next few decades.

Along with this, we should see some form of rebranding around the number one overall pick, hopefully involving a color change back to the red, white and blue. I can dream now can't I?

...at least we should now that we've seen the arrival of McNabb, Strasburg, now Wall (hopefully) and Bryce Harper (hopefully). Along with the long-term deals for Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, things are certainly looking up around here.

The Wizards executed the second step in their rebuilding process Wednesday night, sending Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers for seven-footer Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the Cavs' first-round draft pick. Washington also gets Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for newcomer Drew Gooden, and Cleveland gets Sebastion Telfair from the Clips to complete the three-team trade.

The departure of Jamison leaves one player from the 2006-2007 Wizards (last time DC made the playoffs) and that is Andray Blatche. Jamison was having a great season for Washington, averaging 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He will now be LeBron James' new sidekick in the Cavs' run towards an NBA Championship.

In what was the first of many projected moves for the Wizards, the team sent Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to the Dallas Mavericks for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross.

The departure of Butler, Haywood and Stevenson leaves just four players that were on the roster at the time of the last Wizards playoff game. Of those four, only Antawn Jamison remains in the starting lineup. However, that may not be true for long as rumors float that Jamison may be on his way out of Washington, as well.

Well, the NBA All-Star break is here and the Wizards sit at 17-33, seven games better than they were a year ago at this time. However, this team is no where near the caliber it should be playing at, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, I feel it's appropriate to give out some All-Star Break awards for a team that needs something to cheer about.

MVP: Antawn Jamison
After missing the first nine games of the season, Antawn Jamison has returned to the form of a couple years ago. He currently leads the team in scoring (20.6 points per game) and is second in rebounds (8.9 per game) and steals (1.05 per game). It'll be a sad day for Wizards fans when Jamison is traded away from DC. Hopefully rumors of a possible trade to Cleveland don't come true.

So, the Wizards went 2-1 this week, which is good for nearly any week right now. The only problem was that those two wins came against hapless New Jersey and New York. Washington could have gone 3-0, but they decided to not play the fourth quarter against Boston Monday. That being said, it's back to the lowly expectations that have surrounded the Wizards for nearly two years.

Today's Wizards Wednesday post comes from FFODC's new basketball consultant, Kevin Burke. Kevin is a sophomore communication major at Virginia Tech, and his ultimate goal is to become a sports writer or play-by-play announcer. Kevin comes to FFODC from his own blog, Upon Further Review, and will also be covering Hokie Hoops for us as well.

Are you telling me that the Wizards have won two in a row? Yes, the same Wizards that lost their leading scorer to gun charges and lost by nine points to a team that had lost 13 games in a row. Yes, it's those Wizards, and it's not like they're playing New Jersey and Minnesota. The last two wins over Western Conference foes Sacramento and Portland are almost shocking to believe. The defense has only given up an average of 89 points per game, and it doesn't seem as though they will be forgetting that aspect anytime soon. Sure, we'll find out more with the Mavs, Heat, Clippers and Lakers coming to town, but right now a two game win streak has moved the Wiz Kids to within four-and-a-half games of the eighth seed in the pathetic Eastern Conference.

Listen, I know that things are hard for the Washington Wizards right now. I understand that gun violence is not funny, but we all know that Gilbert Arenas is a prankster and a jokester. I really don't think this little episode before Tuesday night's game was meant to upset people. Just to help Gil out a bit, here are a few things he could have been saying at the time the picture was taken.

Today's been quite a day for D.C. sports, eh? Unfortunately not all of the news out of the DMV has been good news. Gilbert Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Stern had originally planned to wait until the criminal investigation had concluded before punishing Arenas, and also advised the Wizards to do the same.