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After the Washington Wizards victory Saturday night over the Phoenix Suns, a rather large and dark question mark hung over two of the NBA's more successful franchises.

The Nash-less Suns dropped their third straight, which under normal circumstances should have bode well for the rejuvenated Wizards -- a team that had convincingly beat the unquestioned top NBA team.

But these are the Wizards-- lords of uncertainty and injury, prone to magical collapses that would befuddle even the most wizardly.

The truth is, with the swipe of a hand, Quentin Richardson had actually fractured two bones: Larry Hughes' right thumb, and the backbone of the Wizards' prolific scoring attack. Hughes, the second-leading scorer on the team, is regarded by many as the workhorse of the Wizards' "Big Three"-- Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Hughes--leading the league in steals and posting career averages of 6.1 boards and 5.3 dimes. Hughes is expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action.

How would the Wiz react in their next game? Gilbert Arenas, Washington's high scorer at 23.2 points per game, missed all 12 of his shots. Jamison, a consistent 20/9 threat, hit two buckets and finished with 8 points. Granted, their opponent happened to be the San Antonio Spurs, a team that relies on solid defense and a certain someone in the middle named Tim Duncan. But these aren't the same Wizards.

Hughes' departure, though, creates a void that will invariably give other players an opportunity to fill in the gap.

One of these players, sophomore sleeper Jarvis Hayes, is primed to make his debut. Hayes has been a role player for most of the season, averaging a steady 9.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and shooting about 86 percent from the foul line. This gives him an average of roughly 17 points per 48 minutes-- not epic, but anything helps.

Another player who's been lost in the mix up to this point is Juan Dixon. Despite playing seven minutes less per game this year, Dixon has upped his scoring per 48 minutes 17.79 percent, largely due to his improved shooting percentage. Dixon should provide most of the scoring punch the Wiz will lose in Hughes.

Another guard who should be mentioned is Laron Profit, who has showed "flashes of brilliance," as the old sports cliche goes.

All is not lost for Wizards fans seeking a return to the playoffs this year for the consistently-inept franchise. Washington has enough guards to compensate for Hughes absence, but a player that averages 2.8 steals a game is certainly tough to replace.

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