Washington Wizards 2015-2016 Season Thread - Let the firings begin!

[jking0821]

I thought last year we over achieved honestly. We were playing very very well last year. The drop off this year from our bigs has really hurt and our bench production.

Idk what you do though. Its scary because the other teams in the east look like they are getting better as we are getting worse

Hornets, Pacers, Bucks, Pistons all look like they are all building something. I know this is all bias since any wizards fan just assumes we will never be better then middle of the pack eastern conference first round bounce playoff team...but we seem to be trending down

 

[jsindaa]

I'm just gonna chalk this up to way too many injuries and moving parts.

 

[Methodical Management]

I know that it's probably in the organization's best interest to miss out on the playoffs, as that's the only way we'll have any chance at a draft pick and it's the only thing likely to spur a coaching and/or front office change....  but I can't root against this team.  I want them to pull this off and claw their way into the playoffs, improbable as it seemed. 

It's been quite a roller coaster season.  A very nauseating roller coaster, but one that I'd like to at least see end at a high point.  

 

[broncos19dm]

 
I know that it's probably in the organization's best interest to miss out on the playoffs, as that's the only way we'll have any chance at a draft pick and it's the only thing likely to spur a coaching and/or front office change....  but I can't root against this team.  I want them to pull this off and claw their way into the playoffs, improbable as it seemed. 

It's been quite a roller coaster season.  A very nauseating roller coaster, but one that I'd like to at least see end at a high point.  

Agree agree agree.

Last night's win was big. 

 

[broncos19dm]

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

Anybody else want to trade Beal for Oladipo

 

[jsindaa]

No. He's an AWFUL fit. D Book would be nice but don't see phx coming off him.

 

[jjs07]

Beal's not going anywhere...like it or not, he's going to get something close to a max deal from the team.

Gonna be real interesting to see who is eventually hired to replace both EG and Witt.

Ed Tapscott? jk...kinda.

 

[broncos19dm]

What do you guys think the Wizards should do this offseason? 

 

[trynafeelmink]

Wizards Kind of hurt themselves by looking extremely average this season. They will absolutely have to Pay Beal this year no matter what. Although he's been injured A lot he's still a good/elite shooter who is athletic and is only 22 years old.

Assuming beal gets 15-16 a year (At max 20million), the wiz will still have around 20 to work with. Imo finding a big who can run with them is extremely important.

 

[Methodical Management]

Welp, that should just about do it.  That was certainly a very Washington Wizards way to end a very traditional Washington Wizards season. 

We can only hope that this year's failure will be the catalyst for change that a playoff appearance would not.

So, who would you guys like to see coaching this team next year?  Any chance Ernie Grunfeld will finally be held accountable?

 

[jking0821]

Do we have any shot at Thibs?

Who else is a big coaching candidate? Eddie Jordan is available right

Luke Walton? I don't really want him :shrugs
Basically can we get some one in the Popavich coaching tree

 

[jjs07]

Welp, that should just about do it.  That was certainly a very Washington Wizards way to end a very traditional Washington Wizards season. 

We can only hope that this year's failure will be the catalyst for change that a playoff appearance would not.



So, who would you guys like to see coaching this team next year?  Any chance Ernie Grunfeld will finally be held accountable?

That's a great question. I think I have a longer list of guys who I don't want in here to coach

Obviously it would take the foresight from the GM and the rest of the front office, but with their jobs in supposed limbo, I'm not sure about my next statement....

Soooo, the Celtics were CLEARLY ahead of the game by hiring Brad Stevens. Stevens, IMO, is one of the best X's/O's coaches in the NBA. THAT'S the type of hire I want in here. Not some retread, but someone who is up on analytics, understands how the NBA is evolving, etc.

I don't know who that could be in the college ranks and that type of hire wouldn't be without risks, but we can't waste any more of John Wall's prime years. We have 5 good players on this roster going forward (Wall, Beal, Porter, Gortat, Morrs), but something needs to be done to bolster the team by spending smartly in FA (or by the Hail Mary and landing KD).

 

[extraordinary swag]

Welp, that should just about do it.  That was certainly a very Washington Wizards way to end a very traditional Washington Wizards season. 

We can only hope that this year's failure will be the catalyst for change that a playoff appearance would not.



So, who would you guys like to see coaching this team next year?  Any chance Ernie Grunfeld will finally be held accountable?

I wouldn't mind Thibs, it's clear defense took a massive drop off this season. This entire roster construction is just bad, filled with slow footed big men and wings that get exposed every night defensively. Boogie Cousins just ate Gortat for dinner last night :x. But I also agree with JJ's above thinking about the Celtics model, they were way ahead of the curve on Brad Stevens, he is excellent. But the college coach thing can always blow up in your face like it has with Fred Hoiberg so I'd be a little bit hesitant.

As far as Grunfeld there's not a soul in DC that wants him back. But I'm scared Leonsis is afraid that a complete staff rebuild will scare away free agents (KD isn't coming let's be real).

This entire season was just terrible in every sense of the word. I can't think of a single player on this team that I'm happy with their effort. Beal regressed tremendously and showed again he can't be relied upon, Otto it's clear will never be great at any one thing, Gortat looks like he's on the downswing and Wall while he improved his three point shot seems to be as careless with the ball as ever and lacking defensively. I can see it in Wall's eyes that carrying this team all year has killed him. Hope he gets some rest in the offseason

 

[broncos19dm]

 

[Methodical Management]

Do we have any shot at Thibs?

Who else is a big coaching candidate? Eddie Jordan is available right

Luke Walton? I don't really want him :shrugs
Basically can we get some one in the Popavich coaching tree

I'd like to think we have a shot.  If I had to wager a guess, I'd say Houston would be more likely to actually hire him at this point - but I personally think the Wizards have a better roster to work with.

The Wizards, as some here still begrudgingly recall, actually hired Thibs once before, only to see him spurn the team for Boston after their Big Three came together.  I think he was in camp for like a day.  

If he was willing to sign on as an assistant during the tail end of the Arenas era, I'd like to think that even with his elevated profile he'd be willing to consider the Wizards now.  Of all the open jobs, the Wizards have one of the better rosters and they play in a conference that's comparatively wide open.  The gap between a fringe playoff team and a team contending for the conference finals is nowhere near what it is out west.  That has to count for something.  

I'm hopeful... but doubtful. 

That's a great question. I think I have a longer list of guys who I don't want in here to coach

Obviously it would take the foresight from the GM and the rest of the front office, but with their jobs in supposed limbo, I'm not sure about my next statement....

Soooo, the Celtics were CLEARLY ahead of the game by hiring Brad Stevens. Stevens, IMO, is one of the best X's/O's coaches in the NBA. THAT'S the type of hire I want in here. Not some retread, but someone who is up on analytics, understands how the NBA is evolving, etc.

I don't know who that could be in the college ranks and that type of hire wouldn't be without risks, but we can't waste any more of John Wall's prime years. We have 5 good players on this roster going forward (Wall, Beal, Porter, Gortat, Morrs), but something needs to be done to bolster the team by spending smartly in FA (or by the Hail Mary and landing KD).

I agree.  Topping the list of guys I did NOT want anywhere near this team, I had George Karl and Larry Brown.  Thankfully, they're both out of consideration.  

In Stevens, the Celtics made an extraordinarily great hire.  I'm not enough of a college basketball fan to say I saw that one coming.  Most college coaches struggle, as they're more recruiters than coaches.  Just look at the guys who made the leap this year:  Hoiberg has been a disaster.  I don't think Donovan has solved any of OKC's problems.  

I actually think you need to replace the GM first, then the coach.  Otherwise, who's really leading your coaching search?  The failed GM or the hopeless owner?   

I wouldn't mind Thibs, it's clear defense took a massive drop off this season. This entire roster construction is just bad, filled with slow footed big men and wings that get exposed every night defensively. Boogie Cousins just ate Gortat for dinner last night

. But I also agree with JJ's above thinking about the Celtics model, they were way ahead of the curve on Brad Stevens, he is excellent. But the college coach thing can always blow up in your face like it has with Fred Hoiberg so I'd be a little bit hesitant.

As far as Grunfeld there's not a soul in DC that wants him back. But I'm scared Leonsis is afraid that a complete staff rebuild will scare away free agents (KD isn't coming let's be real).

This entire season was just terrible in every sense of the word. I can't think of a single player on this team that I'm happy with their effort. Beal regressed tremendously and showed again he can't be relied upon, Otto it's clear will never be great at any one thing, Gortat looks like he's on the downswing and Wall while he improved his three point shot seems to be as careless with the ball as ever and lacking defensively. I can see it in Wall's eyes that carrying this team all year has killed him. Hope he gets some rest in the offseason

I'm not a Gortat fan.  I thought that was a classic "Ernie keeps his job" trade last year, and they compounded that problem by extending him.  He's on the downside of his career.  You won't find a lot of takers for that contract.  And he's honestly not in the top 50% at his position.  

I don't mind committing to a guy like Beal, even though he's underachieving, when he's at least on the upswing and capable of bringing back value in a trade.  You would literally have to pay a team to take Gortat off your hands at this point.  He's not a bad player per se, but he's just not good enough.  He's disinterested unless you're constantly giving him offensive touches.  He's routinely out of position on defense.  People talk about how he can "run with John," but his lateral foot speed is pitiful.  And then he sulks when things aren't going his way.  I've had enough of him.  

Our defense is awful because our frontcourt is awful.  Our bigs can't switch.  It's not just that they can't be counted on to defend a smaller player for two dribbles until help arrives - it's that they can't be counted on to even be in position.  They can't play team defense.

Brooklyn did it right by replacing Billy King midseason.  Like you, I worry that Ted wants to keep Ernie to play out the KD fantasy to its inevitable conclusion.  The problem is that a legacy of failure is far less appealing to free agent than fresh start.  

Really, I wish we could vote out the owner.  I think he's content to just have a team and "try."  He's not willing to make the investments needed to have a world class front office.  He wants to run the organization like it's a used car dealership.  

I used to commiserate with Bay Area friends, since the Wizards and Warriors were always mired in hopeless mediocrity.  Their ownership changed and now look where we are.  And, yes, you can say that talent made the difference there - but we could've drafted Steph Curry.  We traded the pick for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.  We could've drafted Klay Thompson.  We took Jan Vesely.  We could've drafted Harrison Barnes.  We took Bradley Beal.  We could've drafted Draymond Green in the second round of that same draft.  Instead, we picked Jan Vesely's buddy Tomas Satoransky.  We could've hired Steve Kerr.  We chose to stick with the assistant coach left over from the failed Flip Saunders regime.  We had Livingston.  We let him go.  

We had better assets and opportunities than the Warriors.  They made the right moves with lower draft picks and less cap space.  

Ted may be willing to settle for mediocrity, but we deserve better.  

 

[jjs07]

*sigh*

Jorge Castillo ‏@jorgeccastillo 21m21 minutes ago

Some news: Ernie Grunfeld is under contract for next season, indicating he'll be back as #Wizards president: http://wpo.st/AdJS1

 

[5am6oody72]

*sigh*

[emoji]128530[/emoji][emoji]128530[/emoji]

Last year around this time things looked so bright, but once again it was fool's gold. It's frustrating because there are some really good pieces there but I can't see a clear road to getting over the hump and being actual contenders other than KD miraculously signing.

Wittman HAS to go, but I don't even know who I'd replace him with at this point, and I don't trust management to find that next Brad Stevens/Bud type hire. Frustrating to be wasting Wall's prime stuck in mediocrity when the east has so much parity right now (lots of solid teams but nobody unbeatably great like the Warriors or Spurs).

 

[extraordinary swag]

*sigh*

can't even be surprised at this point. This team will be mediocre as long as Ted is the owner

 

[Methodical Management]

 

*sigh*

can't even be surprised at this point. This team will be mediocre as long as Ted is the owner

No one who wants to achieve greatness would be satisfied with a GM whose teams have won a total of three playoff series in 13 years.  

Since '03-04, Grunfeld's Wizards have gone 440-605.

No team in recent history has been this bad, this long without making a change.  I don't want Ernie Grunfeld choosing our next coach. 

Read his team-prepared bio:  http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/bio_grunfeld.html

Here are some gems:  

"Grunfeld first triggered the Wizards’ ascent in the Eastern Conference with the acquisition of a trio of talented performers in Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, all of whom blossomed into multi-time All-Stars in Washington. Arenas was signed as a restricted free agent out of Golden State in 2003, and Jamison and Butler were acquired, respectively, via trades with Dallas in 2004 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005. Midway through the 2009-10 season Grunfeld put the Wizards’ rebuilding efforts into motion by accumulating draft picks and young talent while gaining flexibility that has yielded an up-and-coming team that is well-positioned for the future."

The Wizards' ascent?!  That team won ONE playoff series.  ONE.  Their BEST season was FOUR games over .500.  

To have that posited as the best Wizards team in my lifetime is disgusting.  

In 2010, Grunfeld ushered in the John Wall era in Washington on draft night in by tabbing the electric point guard with the first overall selection in the draft. He later added Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin that night, who teamed with Wall and Jordan Crawford – acquired along with an additional first round pick in a midseason deal with the Hawks – to give the Wizards the league’s best rookie crop in 2010-11. Wall garnered First Team All-Rookie Team honors, and led all members of the 2010 draft class in points, assists and steals. Crawford, meanwhile, joined Wall and Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin as the only three rookies in the NBA to record a triple-double and was one of only four rookies to average double figures in scoring in 2010-11. The Crawford trade continued to pay dividends during the 2011 NBA Draft as well, as after selecting Jan Vesely sixth overall, Washington used Atlanta’s pick to make Chris Singleton a Wizard. With Wall, Seraphin, Booker, Crawford, Vesely, Singleton and 2011 second-rounder Shelvin Mack, Grunfeld crafted a new core in the span of two drafts with seven players selected among the top 34 picks. On draft night in 2012, Grunfeld added another building block to the team’s young core in University of Florida standout guard Bradley Beal with the third overall pick.

"the [Jordan] Crawford trade continued to pay dividends"  Seriously?

The "new core" of Wall, Seraphin, Booker, Crawford, Vesely, Singelton, and Mack is now down to just John Wall - and every single GM in the league would've taken Wall #1 that year.  

Grunfeld solidified his reputation as a top talent evaluator with a series of second round picks that helped build the Bucks’ roster. Grunfeld’s eye for finding talent in the second round began when he selected Michael Redd with the 43rd overall pick in 2000, as Redd blossomed into an All-Star performer. Grunfeld also tabbed Blatche (2005) and Mack (2011) in the second round of the NBA Draft to stake his claim as a premier draft day executive.

So... drafting Andray Blatche and Shelvin Mack qualifies you as a "premier draft day executive?" 

Grunfeld's bio represents everything wrong with the Wizards.  This is a franchise that not only tolerates mediocrity, it celebrates mediocrity.

If John Wall leaves in three years, nobody will burn his jersey - not because he won't be missed, but because we'll all understand.

 

[jjs07]

Despite being under contract for next season, according to the Washington Post, league sources told SheridanHoops that team president Grunfeld is not a lock to return.

With that in mind, there have been rumblings around the league for months that former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry could be in the mix as a possible replacement. Ferry was also under consideration most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Also, Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Link

 

[Methodical Management]

 

Despite being under contract for next season, according to the Washington Post, league sources told SheridanHoops that team president Grunfeld is not a lock to return.

With that in mind, there have been rumblings around the league for months that former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry could be in the mix as a possible replacement. Ferry was also under consideration most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Also, Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Link

I saw that.  I'll celebrate when he's actually replaced.  

Ferry did a decent job with Atlanta, but he's got a little racist in him.  Not interested.  

I also read that Scott Brooks is being suggested as the next Wizards coach.  No thanks.  

 

[jjs07]

 

Despite being under contract for next season, according to the Washington Post, league sources told SheridanHoops that team president Grunfeld is not a lock to return.

With that in mind, there have been rumblings around the league for months that former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry could be in the mix as a possible replacement. Ferry was also under consideration most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Also, Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Link

I saw that.  I'll celebrate when he's actually replaced.  

Ferry did a decent job with Atlanta, but he's got a little racist in him.  Not interested.  


I also read that Scott Brooks is being suggested as the next Wizards coach.  No thanks.  

I could see Ferry being considered due to the local connection and the possible "redemption" story.

I want absolutely NOTHING to do with Brooks. And to think folks got mad at Witt's lack of creativity with his offensive sets??? Brooks ain't all that much better. He just had the benefit of coaching two transcendent talents and let them do their thing.

 

[extraordinary swag]

Welp, it's official now. Joke of a season from start to finish

Dudes worried about endorsements, starting in all star games, and backcourt rankings instead of what's important. Playing hard and showing up every night.

No playoffs and no draft picks. Fire everyone please, this gonna be a long summer

 

[Methodical Management]

I could see Ferry being considered due to the local connection and the possible "redemption" story.

I want absolutely NOTHING to do with Brooks. And to think folks got mad at Witt's lack of creativity with his offensive sets???

Brooks ain't all that much better. He just had the benefit of coaching two transcendent talents and let them do their thing.

Once you commit to Duke, you forfeit any and all ties to the DMV.  

With only six players under contract for next season, it's imperative that a new GM come in ASAP.  If Ernie's allowed to stay, it isn't just next season that gets thrown away.  We don't need another Marcin Gortat on the books.  

Billy Donovan is proving that anybody could win 50 games with OKC's roster.  (Well, anybody but Derek Fisher.)  The Wizards will get nowhere by playing iso ball.  

This season was a total failure.  They may as well shut down Wall for the rest of the year, then start cleaning house as soon as the final horn sounds on Wednesday.