Can Scott Brooks work miracles, and raise KD2DC from the dead?

Washington agreed to terms last week with Brooks to replace the fired Randy Wittman, at $7 million per year. The deal obviously rekindled the hopes of Wizards fans that hiring Brooks -- Kevin Durant's coach in Oklahoma City from 2008-15 before the Thunder fired him last summer -- would help the team's seemingly Quixotic pursuit of Durant (who hails from nearby Seat Pleasant, Md., and is unrestricted this summer).

The answer still seems, though, to be no. But that's not the only reason the Wizards hired Brooks, and it's insulting to him to think otherwise. He had his critics in Oklahoma City, mainly concerning a lack of offensive diversity outside of giving the ball to Durant and Russell Westbrook. (Mike Fratello, among others, point out here that Durant and Westbrook, being pretty damn good at putting the ball in the basket, are pretty good options.)

Barkley on Brooks Firing Charles, Kenny, Shaq and E.J. discuss the firing of Thunder head Coach Scott Brooks.

But overall, Brooks did a very, very good job in Oklahoma City, got the Thunder to play defense most every night, constantly rode Durant to cut down the turnovers, and has earned another opportunity in his own right.

The Wizards often refer to their Durant pursuit opaquely, calling it "the other thing" or something similarly non-specific, a mere trifle to be handled before lunch (I may pursue my high school sweetheart, or this other girl ... Kate Upton. No big whoop.). But they insist that Brooks is being brought in to help fix John Wall and Bradley Beal much more than because he was Durant's coach in OKC.

When the Thunder fired P.J. Carlesimo in 2008 and elevated Brooks to coach, Durant and Westbrook had both just turned 20. Wall is 25 and Beal is 22. But both are in need of repair -- physically and emotionally.

Wall played with a number of injuries during the season -- ankle, knee, rip, hip -- and, by his own admission, didn't come to training camp last fall in good enough shape to handle the pace-and-space game the Wizards wanted to play. Beal, of course, can't get right, seemingly always dealing with something -- this year's litany included a broken nose, a sprained pelvis and a recurrence of the stress reaction in his right leg that has plagued him throughout his stay in Washington.

Beal told me in January, after returning from another 16 games to calm the beginnings of another reaction, that he may have to play more limited minutes for the bulk of his career. This created great garment rending and tooth gnashing, as if this isn't the way the entire league is going with regard to monitoring the minutes of star players. (You do notice the Warriors don't play Stephen Curry in the fourth quarters of blowouts, yes?)

Top 10 Plays: Wizards In 2015-16 Check out the Washington Wizards top 10 plays of the 2015-16 regular season.

But any chance the Wizards have of getting back on their feet next season start and end with Wall and Beal consistently performing at the level that had them in the discussion of which backcourt in the league was second-best behind Curry and Klay Thompson. Brooks' primary task is to get them working together again, while paying more consistent attention to the defensive end of the floor.

He's in D.C. to hold Wall and Beal more accountable.

Amazing how circumstances can repeat themselves in the NBA. The Wizards are basically in the same position the Raptors were a year ago, after Washington swept Toronto in the first round. The Raptors were led by their backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan; Lowry was ripped for being out of shape the second half of the season, and DeRozan was a year away from free agency (though it is not an exact comparison; Beal will be restricted, not unrestricted).

But Lowry lost the equivalent of a toddler from his midsection, and DeRozan has had the best year of his career, leading Toronto to the best regular season record in franchise history. (Of course, the Raptors also kept their defense-first coach, Dwane Casey, while Washington fired Wittman.)

Player Profile: John Wall With an increased focus on providing leadership to his Wizard's teammates, Washington's John Wall has established himself as one of the league's best point guards.

Durant's not going to snub D.C. entirely. The Wizards will get to make their pitch to Durant, and I believe that, while his inclination is not to return, he will consider it.

It's not like Washington is Saigon circa 1975 ... people like to live there. And the Wizards aren't the Washington Generals. They have two very talented guards with their best basketball in front of them, and in Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat, they have a credible starting frontcourt.

It's the bench that needs an upgrade, after the Wizards lost gambles on veteran role players on one-year deals like Gary Neal and Alan Anderson. Jared Dudley, acquired from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal, started the season recuperating from offseason back surgery, and he wasn't himself the first half of the year, though he shot the ball extremely well from behind the arc and helped defensively. But Dudley said last week that he's looking for a three-year deal-- not in and of itself disqualifying, but something that makes re-signing him harder.

And the Eastern Conference, while quite improved, is still not the minefield the West remains. Access to The Finals is just easier in the East, with one team -- Cleveland -- clearly head and shoulders above everyone else. Durant will heed that information. It will likely carry at least some weight.

Beal Dominates Suns Bradley Beal puts up 34 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wizards 109-106 over the Suns.

But the likelihood is that Durant does not come to D.C. And if that's the case, the Wizards need a Plan B, which will be completely dependent on whether they still want to be a pace-and-space team going forward. If so, there are some potential moves to make that would allow them to play that way more often, for longer stretches.

If the Wizards have $22 million to $24 million of the $30 million or so of cap room they'll have this summer tagged for Durant, they could (and should) be ready to utilize that space to add two or three players who could continue allowing them to play fast.

Brooks, I'm told, is a strong believer in Porter's potential. Porter averaged 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, and shot 36.7 percent on 3-pointers. And Porter does a lot of little things right, namely he's a solid defender both individually and in the team concept. But it's still not what the third pick in the 2013 Draft is expected to provide after three seasons. There's no reason Brooks can't take a good look at Porter while the team explores adding another player at that position. If the Wizards succeed, they can move Porter along.

Wall, Beal Sink Bucks John Wall scores 19 points and backcourt mate Bradley Beal has 11 in his return from injury to help the Wizards beat the Bucks 106-101 on Wednesday night.

The Wizards need to mimic what Charlotte did -- pay and trade for as much shooting and ballhandling as you can fit into your budget. In fact, the Wizards should start by trying to raid Charlotte, and go after unrestricted free agent forward Nicolas Batum.

Batum will be 27 at the start of next season -- right in what should be the Wizards' age wheelhouse, still young enough to develop a little more, but experienced enough to be able to help Wall and Beal in the heat of a playoff race.

Batum had a terrific season in Charlotte, and he did so because he's playing a bigger role there this season than he did as the fourth option in Portland behind LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews.

The Hornets use Batum as a major part of their offense, as a ballhandler who breaks down opposing defenses and makes plays. He was fourth in the league among forwards in assists per game this season (5.8), trailing only Draymond Green, LeBron James and Tyreke Evans. That's exactly what Washington needs -- someone to help Wall when the game slows to halfcourt speed.

John Wall Goes For 41 John Wall scores 41 points and adds 10 assists against the Warriors.

No one's better on earth with the ball in the open floor than Wall, but when teams defend the Wizards' screen and roll well, Wall often struggles to find quality shots. Having a player like Batum who can create -- or, if nothing else, to just get the defense moving, at which point Wall would be coming downhill on the weakside -- will be crucial going forward. (Beal got better at playmaking this season, but it's still not a strong suit for him.)

Batum won't be cheap. He's coming off a four-year deal worth almost $12 million per year. Starting threes of his vintage are going for $15 million to $16 million annually (DeMarre Carroll, four years, $60 million from Toronto last summer; Chandler Parsons, three years, $46 million from Dallas in 2014; Gordon Hayward, four years, $63 million from Utah, which matched Charlotte's offer sheet in 2014.) That's probably the floor for a guy like Golden State's Harrison Barnes, another potential free agent target for the Wizards. But Barnes will be restricted, meaning the Warriors could match any offer sheet another team gives him.

The number is probably around $16 million to 17 million per season. Pricey. But Batum would help, immediately.

Wall Notches 19 Assists John Wall's career-high 19 assists Monday night versus the Kings.

So would Omri Casspi. The Kings' veteran shot 41 percent on 3-pointers this season in 69 games.

The Wizards have been looking for a veteran stretch 3-4 for a while. They tried hard to get Ryan Anderson from New Orleans before the trade deadline, but didn't want to give up a first-round pick (they ultimately did, of course, sending their 2016 first to Phoenix for Morris -- though there's a miniscule chance Washington could keep it, depending on the Lottery results). That's no longer an issue for Anderson, a rising unrestricted free agent.

Anderson is still viable. He'll only be 28 on opening night. He did miss 60 games two years ago because of a neck injury. But in his other seven NBA seasons, he's averaged 66 games played. More critically, he's a career 38 percent 3-point shooter. If Washington wants to really go pace-and-space, it needs a stretch four who can spell Morris, or spot start if necessary, depending on matchups. It wouldn't be a mistake to pursue him.

Morris Heats Up Markieff Morris goes off for 29 points with 7 rebounds as the Wizards fall to the Pistons.

But Casspi is much cheaper.

Anderson made about $8.5 million annually on his last deal and he'll be looking for a raise.

Meanwhile, Casspi -- also 27, like Anderson, also a three-point shooter, like Anderson (41 percent behind the arc this year for the Kings in 69 games), is -- unlike Anderson -- under contract for 2016-17, at a very reasonable $2.9 million. With the Wizards' cap space, they wouldn't have to give up a player for Casspi, who also would bring some grit off of Washington's bench if the Kings were interested in making a deal.

Then, make a play for Warriors guard Ian Clark. The Wizards may not be able to afford Barnes. But they could look into another young Warrior, Clark, to further bolster their bench.

The 25-year-old Clark worked his way into Golden State's rotation this season, appearing in 66 games off the bench. He shot almost 36 percent on 3-pointers. The former Belmont star is ready to handle more minutes in a more meaningful role than fourth guard and he has major sixth man offensive potential. The Warriors will surely try to keep him, but they'll have limits, given that they'll either be re-signing Barnes to a long-term deal this summer or, perhaps, making their own run at Durant.

Nene, Porter Sink Pistons Nene Hilario scores 18 points, grabs 7 rebounds and Otto Porter Jr. adds 17 to beat the Pistons 97-95.

Either way, the Wizards are in position to substantially increase Clark's $947,000 salary this season. He's not yet a full mid-level player, but, well, the Hawks are getting Kyle Korver for $6 million a year. Is Clark's potential worth, say, $5 million annually -- or a half-million more per year than what Washington was willing to pay Martell Webster to shoot off the bench just a couple of years ago? Here, in this column, it says yes.

That's three guys, who can all shoot and space the floor, all in their mid- to late 20s, totaling $24 million, give or take a dollar (if the Wizards got Batum, Casspi and Clark at the above prices), and significantly improving the potential firepower of the Wizards' bench.

Washington has around $44.3 million committed to Wall, Gortat, Morris, Porter and Oubre next season, and has to keep just under $22 million available to start a potential max deal next year for Beal, a restricted free agent. (Both sides are hopeful to work out a new deal in July.) That works out to around $90 million for nine players. The salary cap is currently projected at around $92 million.

Assuming Washington waived the non-guaranteed deals of Drew Gooden and Jarell Eddie, the Wizards would need to add three additional cap holds on their roster to get to the minimum 12 players required. At $543,471 per hold for a minimum salaried player next season (according to cap guru Larry Coon), Washington would have to commit another $1.63 million in salary.

That would leave the Wizards at $91.6 million or so -- just under the projected cap, and well under the projected luxury tax threshold of $111 million. So they could potentially add a veteran big or two at a minimum to help replace Nene, almost certain to leave via free agency, without getting anywhere near the tax.

There's a dozen different ways the Wizards could go. This is just one scenario. But Washington has to be ready with a Plan B (and C, and D) if Brooks' presence in D.C. doesn't change the tide, or change Durant's tune.

... AND NOBODY ASKED YOU, EITHER

The fans respond to my award picks, Part I. From Jacob Hamilton:

I enjoyed your end of the year predictions article, especially the piece on Curry. I was confused on your NBA All Team selections. Where is Paul George? Where is DeMarcus Cousins? Tim Duncan, at this age, on an NBA All Team? I was wondering if you forgot those guys, or left them out on purpose.

Player Profile: Paul George For the Indiana Pacers Paul George, this season marks his full triumphant return to the NBA court after a devastating leg injury in 2014 nearly derailed his career.

I ask you what I ask anyone who asks me these questions after turning in my ballot, Jacob: who do you take off to put your guys on? Take Paul George. He had an unbelievable season, an incredible one after missing all but six games last year rehabbing his broken leg. He is to be commended. If the NBA still had Comeback Player of the Year, PG-13 would win in a walk. But ... who do you take off? My first team forwards were LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Who do you take off? My second team forwards were Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Who do you take off? My third team forwards were Paul Millsap and Anthony Davis. Who do you take off? You can at least make an argument for George over Davis -- that's fair. George's team made the playoffs -- Davis' didn't. That matters. I just thought Davis earned a third-team berth, given that he was the Pelicans' first, second and third offensive options most of the season. And, he averaged more points (24.3) and rebounds (10.3) than George. Doesn't mean I'm right or that you'd be wrong to put George on ahead of AD. Which is why I say, every year, that my choices only have to make sense to me -- because it's my ballot. I don't say that to be a jerk. It's just a fact. If you were voting, you'd have every right to put George (or Cousins) on ahead of Duncan or anyone else, as long as it makes sense to you.

The fans respond, Part II. From Nicolai Mantzius:

I was just wondering how come, you don't have Andre Drummond on your All-NBA selections? I would argue, that he's the best center in the league...

See above, Nicolai. Center is always tough, because there's only three spots, not six. And, again: you certainly could make a great case for Drummond. He was sensational this season. But I couldn't pick him over DeAndre Jordan (first team), given Jordan's incredible shooting percentage this season and the Clippers' success winning without Blake Griffin for large chunks of the year -- something with which Jordan had a lot to do. I picked Al Horford as my second team center because he's been so efficient at both ends of the floor and is the key guy on the Hawks, who were again one of the league's best teams. I put Duncan on as my third-team center. Obviously, it's not because of his scoring at this stage of his career. You could pick Drummond over him, and I'm sure many voters did. But I believed Duncan deserved the spot because he's still the emotional and defensive leader not only of the Spurs on the floor, but the entire organization. And that team won 67 games this season. They would not have if he wasn't there, every day, on the floor, in the locker room, at practice, setting the standard.

He was Happy with Hinkie's Hijinks. From John Looney:

I disagree with your assertion that (former 76ers general manager Sam) Hinkie creating animus with other teams and agents hurt the Sixers in trades and with free agents.

At the very least, there is little evidence of the former, since the Sixers have made a lot of trades, if not the most, then among the most in the league during the tenure.

Yes, maybe teams wouldn't deal with the Sixers in the future because of that (which is another reason to have an "idiot" playing the role of decision maker in any tanking process). Maybe not.

In the latter, agents have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients to do what is best for the client. If the Sixers are offering so much more money than other teams, then despite the hard feelings of the agent, the agent cannot avoid taking their offer. Let's be realistic, there are much more attractive destinations than Philly as a city (Miami, the Bay, Los Angeles [2 teams], New York [2 teams], Chicago, Atlanta, D.C., some if not all of the Texas teams, Phoenix, and maybe a few others before even getting to the Philly tier). No marquee free agent (read: max-level player) is going there; i.e., the Sixers will be required to overpay any free agent. Hence, the notion that agents keeping their clients away from the Sixers purely off of retribution for former slights or not being ingratiated is, in my opinion, specious. Free agents follow the money. Agents deliver the money. And hurt feelings go away with fat commission checks.

Before you point out that Andy Miller kept Porzingis from interviewing with the Sixers, remember that he's also Nerlens' agent and those 2 fine young players play the same position.

I don't think the conventions hold up. The reality is the supposed animus with other teams hurting the Sixers in trades has limited evidence, at best. And with agents: Nice bluff from the agents, but again, no.

The Starters: The Hinkie Era Are the Sixers closer to a title since Hinkie took over? Should he have been fired? What will Colangelo do?

You can believe what you want, John. Unless you're talking to people around the league, as I and other reporters do, you're not dealing from a position of knowledge. Agents and teams have a symbiotic relationship. At some point, they need each other. Teams need talent and agents need to put their clients in the best possible position. When they have trouble doing so because a team is slow to react to potential opportunities, whether trades or free agent signings, that has repercussions. If Andy Miller thought Porzingis would be better off in Philly, he would have had him interview there, as having the third overall pick is better than the fourth. It wasn't just "retribution," as you put it; no one wanted to play there because the 76ers were beyond terrible and didn't seem especially interested in doing anything that would dramatically improve the on-court product. If those issues weren't real, Josh Harris wouldn't have brought Jerry Colangelo in.

Send your questions, comments, criticisms and better things to do while cleaning up from massive flooding than this to daldridgetnt@gmail.com. If your e-mail is sufficiently funny, thought-provoking, well-written or snarky, we just might publish it!

MVP WATCH

(last week's averages in parentheses)

1) Stephen Curry (6 ppg, 0 rpg, 5 apg, .222 FG, 1.000 FT): Dub Nation's heart in its throat. Only everything that the Warriors have worked for during this historic season is on the line and awaiting the results of the MRI Monday on Curry's right knee.

2) Kawhi Leonard (22 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2 apg, .500 FG, .941 FT): First small forward to ever receive Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors in consecutive seasons and the third Spur (Alvin Robertson, David Robinson) to win the award.

3) Russell Westbrook (23.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 12 apg, .421 FG, .640 FT): Never has dancing at an NBA arena produced so much comment -- well, maybe with one exception //www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiWvSQzCo0A.

4) LeBron James (23 ppg, 10 rpg, 5.3 apg, .639 FG, .636 FT): That was big, finishing off the Pistons on Sunday. A week off does wonders for a bad back.

5) Kevin Durant (24.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3 apg, .321 FG, .750 FT): 67-game streak of scoring 20 or more points ended when Durant scored just 19 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 119-108 win in Dallas Saturday.

I'M FEELIN' ...

1) Minnesota didn't need a search firm to pick Tom Thibodeau as its new coach and team president. He was probably the best of the available coaches, having made the playoffs in each of his five seasons in Chicago, and he'll certainly continue the development of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins that Sam Mitchell began. We'll see if giving Thibs the team president role works (the Wolves will bring in Spurs exec and former Jazz and Knicks general manager Scott Layden to the GM role in Minnesota, but Thibodeau will have the final say). But there's no doubt the Wolves will be better, and soon.

GameTime: Why Wolves Picked Thibodeau Steve Aschburner joins the GameTime crew to discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves hiring of Tom Thibodeau as their head coach.

2) If you didn't get the genuine emotion Dave Joerger showed after his Grizzlies got swept by the Spurs Sunday, there's something wrong with you. (I loved a towel I saw at FedEx Forum Sunday -- I don't know if it was handmade or mass produced: "I Love My Team ... All 28 of You.")

3) Having said the above, there's still nothing funnier than the start of Gone Fishin'.

4) I get the Suns keeping Earl Watson, if for no other reason than they're not in any position to spend big bucks on a coach right now. But if they're definitely going the slow, steady, player development route, I hope they can find a home for Tyson Chandler this summer, on a contending team that could still use a smart, veteran guy who can defend the paint. Just wondering: couldn't Charlotte use such a guy, if Al Jefferson moves on in free agency?

NOT FEELIN' ...

1) Byron Scott had a completely thankless, hopeless job the last two years in Los Angeles: get Kobe Bryant across the finish line of his career with as much dignity as possible. That he was fired after doing so Sunday night was no surprise -- you can't go 38-126 in two years and expect to be retained. But Lakers fans celebrating Scott's ouster today should give him just a little bit of thanks as well. That last, lasting memory you'll have of Bryant scoring 60 in his final game is in no small measure due to how Scott managed both the on- and off-court issues that surrounded the franchise's surrender to Bryant's final season.

2) Hard to see how Zach Randolph got suspended for Game 7 of the Grizzlies' playoff series with the Thunder two years ago for this hit on Steven Adams, while Kevin Durant only was fined $15,000 for hitting the Mavs' Justin Anderson in the face on Saturday but got no suspension. Ditto for Boston's Isaiah Thomas, who was not suspended for this hit on Atlanta's Dennis Schroder in Game 3 of the Celtics-Hawks series Friday.

GameTime: Stu Jackson On Schroder-Thomas Stu Jackson, VP of NBA Basketball Operations, joins the GameTime crew to discuss the ramifications of Isaiah Thomas open-handed strike to the face of Dennis Schroder.

3) So, when my man got carded at local grocery stores, did the clerks notice his ID was drawn in pencil?

4) For a guy who's already got a compilation tape of insane flops less than two full seasons into his NBA career, Marcus Smart outdid himself Friday against Atlanta. He's too good a player to keep doing this.

BY THE NUMBERS

301 -- Games lost to injury this season by the Grizzlies, who had an NBA-record 28 different players appear in games for them this season. Amazingly, Memphis was second in the league in games lost to New Orleans, which somehow lost 351 games this season to injury this year.

21 -- Three-pointers by the Warriors in Sunday's Game 4 rout of the Rockets, setting an NBA record for 3-pointers by one team in a playoff game. Golden State broke the mark just days after Cleveland tied it, becoming the third team in league history to make 20 threes in a postseason game (2011 Mavericks, versus the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, and the 1996 Seattle SuperSonics, versus the Rockets in the Western semis).

Warriors with 21 3-Pointers vs. Rockets Golden State knocks down 21 3-pointers during Game 4.

14 -- Years since Charlotte's NBA franchise had won a playoff game, before the Hornets' victory Saturday over Miami in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first round series. The franchise's last postseason win came on May 9, 2002, when it was on its first iteration of the Hornets -- before that team moved to New Orleans, and ultimately became the Pelicans.

MORE MORNING TIP: Spurs quietly round into form | Q&A with Minnesota Lynx guard Renee Montgomery

Longtime NBA reporter and columnist David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.