Arenas makes an early exit; Wizards will do same in playoffs

The No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference might be toothless, because someone in D.C. must have broken one too many mirrors.

Gerald Wallace fell into the left knee of Gilbert Arenas in the first quarter of the Wizards' 108-100 home loss to Charlotte. The All-Star guard failed to return and the injury was tentatively diagnosed as a sprain -- but Wizards officials feared the worst.

Gilbert Arenas was averaging 28.4 points per game, fourth-best in the NBA. (AP)

The worst came Wednesday.

Arenas will need surgery for a lateral meniscus tear and will be out for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, crippling the team. Already without Caron Butler because of a broken right hand, the Wizards must now make due without both of their All-Stars.

Although it is still possible that Washington loses the remainder of its games, that's not going to happen. The Wizards will make the playoffs. There are too many big hearts on that team, and Eddie Jordan is too good a coach not to find a way to win at least two of their last eight, which should be good enough to guarantee themselves the No. 6 seed.

That's when the shadows will seep in, and their hopes will go dim. Without Arenas and Butler, Washington can't hope to compete against whichever team claims the No. 3 seed, be it Miami or Toronto.

This is a shocking reminder of how cruel this game can be, especially when a team is as reliant on its superstars as Washington has been. The Wizards came out of the All-Star break with consecutive wins to move 10 games over .500. They were in control of the Southeast Division, still alive in the race for a No. 1 seed and dreaming about a potential playoff breakthrough.

Those dreams have now turned into a nightmare, and a beleaguered Jordan must keep on his brave face and make something productive out of his remaining pieces.