Hilton Armstrong wants to start in Washington. That’s nice.

The weeks before training camp is the time for unbridled optimism. For belief in yourself and your team. Before the reality of practices and games start to weigh everybody down.

New Wizards center Hilton Armstrong is feeling especially optimistic, as he told the Washington Examiner (via SLAM).

“Every season I started, I was in New Orleans, and I had to play backup behind Tyson [Chandler] and whoever else was there,” said Armstrong. “But this year, I’m just coming in and playing hard, and right now, I feel like it’s an open spot for the starting spot. I’m just going to play as hard as I can to get the spot, but even I don’t, I’m still going to play as hard as I can to help the team out, get some wins and try to get to the playoffs.”

It’s the attitude you want from your guys. That they are going to bust it, that they can do it.

We won’t tell Hilton about how Andray Blatche ended last season and has even more potential than Armstrong. Or how JaVale McGee and new face-of-the-Wizards John Wall really seemed to connect during Summer League (and how McGee was a late cut from USA Basketball).

Now is the time for Hilton to believe that his NBA career is ready take off. Now is not the time for reality.