What Remains of the NBA Playoffs: A Wizards Fan's Remarks

In any sport, when your team is knocked out of the playoffs, it's the opposite of an "Aha!" moment. You had so much hope and optimism, emotions weren't really planned for this.

You try to look forward... who is your favorite to win the title now?

It's akin to your little sister growing up, and there are all these guys interested in her. Your favorite just got mono or moved out of town indefinitely, so you're left with the remainders.

Ideally, you don't want anyone to date her. But you an't just take away the title; that wouldn't be fair to the NBA -- err, the high school.

Inevitably, you move on. What could have been. What should have been.

What will be.

That's the most important part of this post-Game 6 loss.

What will be.

John Wall and Bradley Beal got the national attention they needed and deserved.

Nene even got suspended for almost crushing the skull of modest Jimmy Butler of the Bulls, possibly one of the best success stories in the NBA, currently.

The Wizards made headlines. They'll most likely resign Gortat and let Ariza fall to free agency, with eyes peeled for a scorer to insert alongside the remaining starters.

Notable free agents include...

1. LeBron
2. Dirk
3. Bosh
4. Eric Bledsoe
5. Rudy Gay
6. Zach Randolph
7. Lance Stephenson
8. Carmelo
9. Gordon Hayward
10. Luol Deng

Clearly, some are more ambitious and costly acquisitions than others. Realistically, I'd love to see Bledsoe or Hayward to join the starting 5, but free agency is already usually unpredictable without 5 Hall-of-Famers being involved.

In the end, it's all about who will treat your younger sibling the right way.

Good thing we have the offseason for workouts, interviews, and tests to scrutinize the worthiness of the prospects.