(My Sportsbook) - The 2008-09 season for the Washington Wizards has been an ongoing comic strip that will not leave its fans, smirking or laughing after reading.

The Wizards have been the exact opposite and are the worst team in the Eastern Conference at 7-26. They own the second-worst record in pro basketball after the abysmal Oklahoma City Thunder and chances of capturing a fifth consecutive playoff berth have gone by the wayside.

Washington's future should start now since veterans Gilbert Arenas (knee) and Brandan Haywood (wrist) have yet to take the floor this season, while youngsters such as Nick Young, Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche should receive more playing time under interim head coach Ed Tapscott. In fact, Arenas and Haywood should just pack it in for the rest of the season and join Anthony Bourdain and his exquisite adventures on the Travel Channel.

Right now the Wizards are barely getting by with Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Give Butler credit for battling through injuries as he has managed to lead the team so far in points (20.8-career high), assists (4.5), three-point percentage (30.6) and steals (1.7). He just scored 29 points in a loss at Orlando on Tuesday, while Jamison ended with 13 points and nine boards.

Before the loss to Orlando, Jamison was averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in the previous five games. In three of those five contests, he posted three double-doubles to raise his total to 19 on the season. Jamison had a career-high 44 double-doubles last season.

Meanwhile, Blatche is averaging 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds through 11 starts this season. He did not start against Orlando and chipped in eight points and seven rebounds for the Wizards, who will play six of their next 10 games on the road where they sport a lowly 2-14 record.

HEAT HOPE TO MAKE STATEMENT ON ROAD

South Beach is heaven for those who enjoy the nightlife, beach, attractive people, shopping and overall beautiful weather. It has been somewhat of a safe haven for members of the Miami Heat, who will hit the road for a season-high seven-game swing Wednesday in chilly Denver.

The Heat (18-15) are eight games behind the Orlando Magic for the top spot in the Southeast Division and have dropped three of five since a four-game winning streak. They must finish with a record above .500 or even better on this current trek in order to keep pace in the Eastern Conference. Miami is currently sixth in the East, just a hair above New Jersey and Milwaukee.

Miami, which has played six or more consecutive games on the road 15 times, will also visit the Kings, Lakers, Timberwolves, Bucks, Rockets and Thunder on the current trip. It is 6-9 as the guest in 2008-09.

Heat rookie Mario Chalmers has certainly made a name for himself in the league, having scored in double figures in 11 of his last 18 games. The former Kansas star owns at least one steal in 10 straight games and in 17 of the past 18 contests. Chalmers leads all rookies with 63 swipes this season.

BOBCATS TRY TO SLAY ANOTHER BEAST

Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is always prepared heading into a contest. However, the same couldn't be said for his players until the Charlotte Bobcats overcame improbable odds by defeating the defending champion Boston Celtics Tuesday night in overtime.

Charlotte (13-22), which is 6-6 since acquiring Boris Diaw and Raja Bell from the Phoenix Suns, outscored the mighty Celtics by a 17-9 margin in the extra frame to post its second straight win since a three-game slide. Center Emeka Okafor recorded his 19th double-double of the season with 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Bobcats, who have reached the 100-point mark in six of the last 10 games after doing so only five times through the season's first 25.

Okafor has scored in double digits in 13 straight games, averaging 17.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocked shots and 1.1 assists over that span. Okafor has recorded double-doubles in 10 of the 13 games with three 20-10 games, including a season-high 29 points and 18 rebounds on December 23 against Washington.

Rookie D.J. Augustin continues to impress this year and recorded a franchise- best 11 overtime points against Boston. Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton both shared the previous record of 10 points in an extra session.

Now the Bobcats will try to hand Cleveland its first loss at home when they kick off a four-game road trip Wednesday against the Cavs, Sixers, Wizards and Pistons. The Cavaliers are the only unbeaten team at home this season at 17-0.

THE MAGIC ARE ONE OF THE BEST

If the NBA regular season ended today the Orlando Magic will be paired up with the rival Miami Heat and would most likely sweep the series. That's how good the Magic are playing right now under head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy's guys are just one of only four teams in the league with a winning percentage above the lofty .700 mark, good enough for the fourth-best record in the NBA behind Boston, Cleveland and the LA Lakers. The Southeast Division- leading Magic (27-8) have won three of four and 10 of their 12 games, including Tuesday's 89-80 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Orlando will play five of its next six games on the road and owns a solid 12-5 record away from Amway Arena in 2008-09. It is currently averaging 101.0 points per game on the road, while holding opponents to 96.3 ppg. The Magic will open a home-and-home series at Atlanta before closing out the set in Orlando two days later. They will then hit the road for four consecutive contests against the Spurs, Kings, Lakers and Broncos.

MR. SMITH KEEPS FIRING AWAY FOR HAWKS

It's obvious that Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith is completely healed from an ankle that sidelined him 12 games earlier this season. Smith has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games and is averaging 21.4 points per contest during that time.

The Hawks are one of the most talented young teams in the NBA, and Smith is arguably the best they have even though teammates Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson and Al Horford would most likely beg to differ. In Saturday's 103-100 win over the Houston Rockets at Philips Arena, Smith recorded a game and season-high 29 points on 13-for-16 shooting from the floor to extend Atlanta's current home winning streak to six games. Atlanta is 15-2 as the host.

Smith, who was kept in town after the Hawks decided to match Memphis' offer in August, has helped them to seven wins in the last eight tries and will get another crack at the Orlando Magic in the opener of a home-and-home series on Wednesday. In a 99-85 win over the Magic on October 29 this season Smith started the new season in fashion with 17 points and 10 boards.

In other team news for Atlanta, Williams has scored in double figures over 24 of the past 31 games. He is, however, listed as probable for Wednesday with an injured left shoulder. Williams did not play in the win over Houston. Forward/center Al Horford owns a .542 field-goal percentage in his last 23 games and has blocked a shot in a career-best 13 straight contests.