The Amazingly Suck Theodore Leonsis Thread

[Wizardspride]

Absolutely right.

I bought a nice authentic Wall jersey and Draft hat last year and spent hundreds on tickets to about 10 home games.

All in all, that's almost $600 that I spent on the Wizards last year. This season, they aren't getting a penny. I know I'm not the only one out there, too.

Ted will feel this where it hurts the most - the pocketbook. Didn't he even say that's his "bottom line"?

And that's my biggest gripe with Ted.

When he bought the team I didn't expect him to be principally concerned with his "bottomline".

His "bottomline" got us Ariza/Okafor because he steadfastly refused to buyout/amnesty Rashard Lewis.


I've said it once and I'll say it again: "I'd rather have Dan Snyder as the owner".

Yeah, I said it. Dan Snyder....

[verbal8]

I've said it once and I'll say it again: "I'd rather have Dan Snyder as the owner".

Yeah, I said it. Dan Snyder....

Snyder seems to be finally letting a football guy(s) move the team in the right direction. The salary structure in football lets you recover from bad signings a little more quickly.

However I think he would be an unmitigated disaster. Think the Isaih Thomas Knicks. I could see him have a team(best case) with a guy who is good and overpaid like Joe Johnson or Amare Stoudamire and a couple guys who are highly paid but not good.

[willbcocks]

Every day another disappointment--EG hasn't been fired.

[Higga]

I only saw bits and pieces of one game this year, the OT loss in Boston. I refuse to watch. Boycotting until Grunfeld is fired and mass changes are made.

[WizarDynasty]

The most important job now is the sign livingston to a longterm contract as the backup point guard and allow Livingston to be a foundational player for years to come. if we can get livingston to sign a longterm backup contract it will encourage him to develop walls basketball iq and improve the basketball iq of our athletic low basketball iq players just as he didn't te last time he was here.
Leonsis has the realize that Grunfeld failed to sign lviningston longterm the last time he was here and Leonsis should gambe that Grunfeld will repeat the same mistake he made last time with livingston. Livingston's value is that he has genius Jason Kidd like point guard mind and has the aptitude, intelligence, and leadership to design plays in the film room against opposing defenses nightly. Livingston's instincts, diagnostics, skills and passing ability are almost Jason Kidd like rating 9.5 out of 10. Wall will never come to close to Livingston has far has basketball iq and is more a tony parker clone. Tony parker only became successful because Pop forced kept him on a tight leash and turned him into a system point guard. Parker still isn't a high BBIQ player he just knows POPs system very well and he doesn't have the leadership and play designing skills of Jason Kidd. Liviningston actually has the intangibles of Jason kidd at the point guard position mentally. Wall rates as 4 at best 5 in term of his mental aptitude for play designing and people that will never improve. Having Wall with outstanding physical gifts put poor to average mental play designing ability and pairing him with a genius mentally in livingston who doesn't have the physical attributes of wall is the most important move that Leonsis can make this year in terms of changing the wizards culture for years to come.
Having Liviningston and Wall develop a longterm point guard relationship which is invested in the wizards longterm is the only way to build a strong foundation that will allow the wizards to address on a nightly basis the intellectual demands of adjusting to opposing defenses and adapting offenses.
the wizards have a unique situation that is perfect for wall/livingston. there are less than 3 teams in the league who have dynamic point guard with great personality traits but who only lacks point guard basketball iq. Wall wants to be great but he will never be gifted mentally. Livingston may want to be a starter but he will never be a starter physically because one wrong move and his knee may go out. Both of these players if attached to each other longterm have a multiplier effect. Livingston is probably the highest basketball iq player of his generation and has already demonstrated his last stint hear of dramatically improving player values. The problem last time was that he wanted to be a starter, if Leonsis can use his business skills to commit livingston longterm, he instantly transforms wall into a hall of famer.

It's that simple people. Grunfeld can't be trusted to sign livingston longterm before Livingston's value skyrocketed with the wizards. Leonsis must do all in his power to sign livingston longterm before his value skyrockets. Livingston true value is the leadership and basketball iq he brings to the organization and livingston is the type of player you want retiring as wizard and becoming a coach one day.

Leonsis, you have the power now build a long term winner. Don't follow Grunfeld and let the market price dictate what you pay livingston. Pay him to keep him here as a wizard now becomes the quicker Livingston feels he is longterm piece the wizards, the quicker he grants the organization his genius point guard aptitude and the fans begin to enjoy high iq basketball once again. LEONSIS, its all up to you.


Everybody in the league knows it except the wizards. I compare it to Perry Jones III the entire league passed on him knowing that the best situation for him would be with his idol Kevin Durant who has the exact same body type and playing style. The highest change of transforming Perry Jones into a valuable asset would be pairing him in the right situation longterm. Drafting Perry Jones without a model is basically throwing money into the fire instead of a upgraded screen for an arena.
same situation with wall, wall will be heavily devalued over payed assets without the right longterm conditions. He needs a jason kidd like longterm backup and that backup needs to invested for multiple season in order to be motivated to invest in wall mentally. Leonsis, invest in Singleton and make him a pillar. If you want wall to continue to be a shooting guard playing point guard and continue for the team to now evolve from season to season in terms of overall basketball iq, don't sign livingston and wait for him to bolt at the end of season instead of him spending the offseason with wall working on diagnosing defenses and designing plays for the upcoming season.
Grunfeld has not shown this insight in terms of basketball making decisions which is why we need Leonsis to swoop in now and be the savior. Otherwise, expect decades of continued mediocrity.

[Nivek]

The most important job now is the sign livingston to a longterm contract as the backup point guard and allow Livingston to be a foundational player for years to come. if we can get livingston to sign a longterm backup contract it will encourage him to develop walls basketball iq and improve the basketball iq of our athletic low basketball iq players just as he didn't te last time he was here.

Leonsis has the realize that Grunfeld failed to sign lviningston longterm the last time he was here and Leonsis should gambe that Grunfeld will repeat the same mistake he made last time with livingston. Livingston's value is that he has genius Jason Kidd like point guard mind and has the aptitude, intelligence, and leadership to design plays in the film room against opposing defenses nightly. Livingston's instincts, diagnostics, skills and passing ability are almost Jason Kidd like rating 9.5 out of 10. Wall will never come to close to Livingston has far has basketball iq and is more a tony parker clone. Tony parker only became successful because Pop forced kept him on a tight leash and turned him into a system point guard. Parker still isn't a high BBIQ player he just knows POPs system very well and he doesn't have the leadership and play designing skills of Jason Kidd. Liviningston actually has the intangibles of Jason kidd at the point guard position mentally. Wall rates as 4 at best 5 in term of his mental aptitude for play designing and people that will never improve. Having Wall with outstanding physical gifts put poor to average mental play designing ability and pairing him with a genius mentally in livingston who doesn't have the physical attributes of wall is the most important move that Leonsis can make this year in terms of changing the wizards culture for years to come.

Having Liviningston and Wall develop a longterm point guard relationship which is invested in the wizards longterm is the only way to build a strong foundation that will allow the wizards to address on a nightly basis the intellectual demands of adjusting to opposing defenses and adapting offenses.

the wizards have a unique situation that is perfect for wall/livingston. there are less than 3 teams in the league who have dynamic point guard with great personality traits but who only lacks point guard basketball iq. Wall wants to be great but he will never be gifted mentally. Livingston may want to be a starter but he will never be a starter physically because one wrong move and his knee may go out. Both of these players if attached to each other longterm have a multiplier effect. Livingston is probably the highest basketball iq player of his generation and has already demonstrated his last stint hear of dramatically improving player values. The problem last time was that he wanted to be a starter, if Leonsis can use his business skills to commit livingston longterm, he instantly transforms wall into a hall of famer.

It's that simple people. Grunfeld can't be trusted to sign livingston longterm before Livingston's value skyrocketed with the wizards. Leonsis must do all in his power to sign livingston longterm before his value skyrockets. Livingston true value is the leadership and basketball iq he brings to the organization and livingston is the type of player you want retiring as wizard and becoming a coach one day.

Leonsis, you have the power now build a long term winner. Don't follow Grunfeld and let the market price dictate what you pay livingston. Pay him to keep him here as a wizard now becomes the quicker Livingston feels he is longterm piece the wizards, the quicker he grants the organization his genius point guard aptitude and the fans begin to enjoy high iq basketball once again. LEONSIS, its all up to you.

Everybody in the league knows it except the wizards. I compare it to Perry Jones III the entire league passed on him knowing that the best situation for him would be with his idol Kevin Durant who has the exact same body type and playing style. The highest change of transforming Perry Jones into a valuable asset would be pairing him in the right situation longterm. Drafting Perry Jones without a model is basically throwing money into the fire instead of a upgraded screen for an arena.

same situation with wall, wall will be heavily devalued over payed assets without the right longterm conditions. He needs a jason kidd like longterm backup and that backup needs to invested for multiple season in order to be motivated to invest in wall mentally. Leonsis, invest in Singleton and make him a pillar. If you want wall to continue to be a shooting guard playing point guard and continue for the team to now evolve from season to season in terms of overall basketball iq, don't sign livingston and wait for him to bolt at the end of season instead of him spending the offseason with wall working on diagnosing defenses and designing plays for the upcoming season.

Grunfeld has not shown this insight in terms of basketball making decisions which is why we need Leonsis to swoop in now and be the savior. Otherwise, expect decades of continued mediocrity.

The Wizards aspire to mediocrity. They haven't climbed even that high.

Your plan is no worse than the one they're currently using.

[cdouglas]

I wonder if Phil Jackson is interested in a GM position. At least he knows what it takes to build a winning team.

[payitforward]

The most important job now is the sign livingston to a longterm contract as the backup point guard and allow Livingston to be a foundational player for years to come.

On the assumption that this is humor not a bad reaction to medication, I'd like to mention that we could also try using Pin the Tail on the Donkey to pick players. It works equally well for the draft, trades and Free Agency. I'm not sure it's the optimal strategy -- only that it's better than our current one.

Don't even have to fire Grunfield -- use him as the donkey....

[Higga]

I wonder if Phil Jackson is interested in a GM position. At least he knows what it takes to build a winning team.

He hasn't built ****. He just hops onto teams already loaded w/ talent.

Hire a young up and comer from the Spurs organization.

[dobrojim]

my email to Ted

Hi Mr Leonsis,

FYI - my birthday is Jan 10. Just wondering if we'll have a home
win (The Wizards) by then.

At what point will the architect of this disaster, Ernie Grunfeld,
be held accountable?

Had to wear a paper bag on my head last night at the game.
Sorry, but that's what it's come to, and I've been a Bullets-Wizards
fan for 45 years (since I was 10 years old). I expect I won't be the
only one at the next game. Someone needs to know that WE (fans)
know what we are watching is not acceptable. As a fan behind
was shouting Sat night, we deserve better than this.

You're the one in position to take the first step.

We're waiting.

sincerely yours

edit to add - NOW I learn he turned off his TheWashWiz email account. Oh well.

[closg00]

Can Ted make money with near-empty arenas, but sell-out games for the Lakers/Heat etc?

[AFM]

Ted has 100 billion dollars.

[dobrojim]

I don't believe that's right...according to at least one source I found,
his net worth is like 1 billion

Not sure anyone on the planet has a net worth of $100 B.

I think the Koch bros combined had a net worth a year or 2 ago of around 45B

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/

No one has 100 Billion

[Nivek]

The CBA virtually guarantees that any team can make money -- even if attendance sucks.

[dobrojim]

players with guaranteed contracts don't do too badly either

compared to most people...

[AFM]

My point is I think for a lot of these billionaires, they don't buy these teams solely as an investment. It's more of the idea of owning a basketball team. Then again I'm broke so what do I know

[dobrojim]

I won't argue that they buy teams as serious investments. That said
the whole nets ownership Barclays center thing worked well for
those involved, besides the residents who lost their homes.
Other than that...

but owners could probably find better investments than pro sports teams,
it just wouldn't be as much fun.

[Nivek]

I think owning pro sports teams is a really good business in general -- both in terms of annual profits and long-term appreciation.

NFL teams make money just from the national TV deal.

NBA teams make money if they exercise any restraint on their operations expenses. Player salaries and benefits are a fixed cost.

I don't know baseball's business model as well, but players and owners seem pretty happy.

My understanding of hockey is that they were losing money, but that the last CBA fixed that for most teams. The current lockout is more about the owners trying to be even more profitable.

Most owners make a ton of money when they sell their teams.

And none of this takes into account the ancillary benefits of team ownership -- the deals that come their way because they own the team, the contacts they get to make, etc.

None of this is criticism. I think team owners should be profitable, and that making money should be one of their goals. But I am tired of hearing owners whine about losing money when they're actually profitable.

[verbal8]

Seeing some of the comments on the last couple Wizards posts on Ted's blog, I am surprised that people had their comments removed. There isn't anything out of line, but they definitely are very negative.

[Induveca]

my email to Ted

Hi Mr Leonsis,

FYI - my birthday is Jan 10. Just wondering if we'll have a home
win (The Wizards) by then.

At what point will the architect of this disaster, Ernie Grunfeld,
be held accountable?

Had to wear a paper bag on my head last night at the game.
Sorry, but that's what it's come to, and I've been a Bullets-Wizards
fan for 45 years (since I was 10 years old). I expect I won't be the
only one at the next game. Someone needs to know that WE (fans)
know what we are watching is not acceptable. As a fan behind
was shouting Sat night, we deserve better than this.

You're the one in position to take the first step.

We're waiting.

sincerely yours

edit to add - NOW I learn he turned off his TheWashWiz email account. Oh well.

Send it to him on Facebook....he routinely answers there (at least last year)