Enough With the Kvetching: Wiz Are Best 0-9 Team EVER!

[Nivek]

I have up what I believe to be the first ever power rating for 0-9 teams.

Wizards are at the top of the heap -- a good sight better than the 2nd best 0-9 team ever, the 72-73 Philadelphia 76ers.

[miller31time]

I knew Ted would take us to places no team has been before.

AND we have the best urinal cakes in the business?

Teddy Bear, you spoil us!

[nate33]

What's said is that there is a very real possibility that Leonsis cites this article as a reason for optimism.

[Nivek]

What's sad is that there is a very real possibility that Leonsis cites this article as a reason for optimism.

[GhostsOfGil]

What's sad is that there is a very real possibility that Leonsis cites this article as a reason for optimism.

QFT. Funny but I could really see this happening...

[queridiculo]

Nivek, based on your statistical analysis what are the chances that the Wizards will live up to the lofty revised season goal of not finishing with the 2nd or 3rd worst record?

As a non native english speaker I would also appreciate if you could decode Ted's following statement:

“We would all find it unacceptable if we finished with the second- or third-worst record in the NBA this year,” Leonsis said. “That would be a failure, and the failure would start with me. I think we’re much better positioned. I think we will get much better because our young players have now been seasoned.”

Is he implying that finishing with the worst record might be a moral victory of sorts?

[Nivek]

Nivek, based on your statistical analysis what are the chances that the Wizards will live up to the lofty revised season goal of not finishing with the 2nd or 3rd worst record?

Well, I projected them to win 37 games this season, and nearly everyone is under-performing what I expected them to do. My guess is that at some point they'll begin to get closer to what I projected and they'll start to win more games. That said, they're going to have to play better to avoid being in the bottom 3. Way I see it, there are 8 teams with a reasonable chance of being in the bottom 3 at the end of the year: Washington, Sacramento, Cleveland, Phoenix, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Charlotte. My guess is that at the end it'll be Sacramento, Detroit and Phoenix.

As a non native english speaker I would also appreciate if you could decode Ted's following statement:

I'll do my best. It's often hard to be sure Ted actually means what he appears to mean. He's not careful in his word choices.

“We would all find it unacceptable if we finished with the second- or third-worst record in the NBA this year,” Leonsis said. “That would be a failure, and the failure would start with me.

This is pretty straightforward: He believes having the 2nd or 3rd worst record would be a failure, and he's saying he would accept the blame for that. What he means by "unacceptable" is less clear. The important thing is what he would do if the team was that awful again. He's obviously not going to fire himself, but there's no implication that he'd fire anyone else either. His use of "we" is interesting -- it suggests that he views the front office as a team (one that he's part of).

I could envision a scenario where the team finishes with the league's worst record and Grunfeld returns for another year. It would seem an obvious move to bring in a new GM, but it seemed obvious to bring in a new front office when he took over the team and he didn't do it. If Wall and Nene miss a combined 60-80 games, I could see Leonsis accepting the argument that Grunfeld's "team" didn't have a chance to show what it could really do and Grunfeld could get another shot.

I think we’re much better positioned. I think we will get much better because our young players have now been seasoned.”

This is him expressing confidence in their offseason moves -- the OkaRiza trade. And he's expressing support for the young players who he thinks will get better because they have experience.

Essentially, this is Ted reiterating his faith in the formula he's been selling -- young players with potential + (veterans x n) = SUCCESS.

By the way, I like your username.

[hands11]

Nivek, based on your statistical analysis what are the chances that the Wizards will live up to the lofty revised season goal of not finishing with the 2nd or 3rd worst record?

Well, I projected them to win 37 games this season, and nearly everyone is under-performing what I expected them to do. My guess is that at some point they'll begin to get closer to what I projected and they'll start to win more games. That said, they're going to have to play better to avoid being in the bottom 3. Way I see it, there are 8 teams with a reasonable chance of being in the bottom 3 at the end of the year: Washington, Sacramento, Cleveland, Phoenix, Orlando, Detroit, Toronto and Charlotte. My guess is that at the end it'll be Sacramento, Detroit and Phoenix.

As a non native english speaker I would also appreciate if you could decode Ted's following statement:

I'll do my best. It's often hard to be sure Ted actually means what he appears to mean. He's not careful in his word choices.

“We would all find it unacceptable if we finished with the second- or third-worst record in the NBA this year,” Leonsis said. “That would be a failure, and the failure would start with me.

This is pretty straightforward: He believes having the 2nd or 3rd worst record would be a failure, and he's saying he would accept the blame for that. What he means by "unacceptable" is less clear. The important thing is what he would do if the team was that awful again. He's obviously not going to fire himself, but there's no implication that he'd fire anyone else either. His use of "we" is interesting -- it suggests that he views the front office as a team (one that he's part of).

I could envision a scenario where the team finishes with the league's worst record and Grunfeld returns for another year. It would seem an obvious move to bring in a new GM, but it seemed obvious to bring in a new front office when he took over the team and he didn't do it. If Wall and Nene miss a combined 60-80 games, I could see Leonsis accepting the argument that Grunfeld's "team" didn't have a chance to show what it could really do and Grunfeld could get another shot.

I think we’re much better positioned. I think we will get much better because our young players have now been seasoned.”

This is him expressing confidence in their offseason moves -- the OkaRiza trade. And he's expressing support for the young players who he thinks will get better because they have experience.

Essentially, this is Ted reiterating his faith in the formula he's been selling -- young players with potential + (veterans x n) = SUCCESS.

By the way, I like your username.

You've broken the code NIv

[pineappleheadindc]

.

Look what @CSNWashington tweeted:

#Wizards average margin of defeat is 7.0 PPG. That is easily the best of the 13 teams all-time to start 0-10. 2nd best is 8.8 #WizardsTalk

They didn't have the decency to give Kevin a h/t. That's just wrong.

[Halcyon]

.

Look what @CSNWashington tweeted:

#Wizards average margin of defeat is 7.0 PPG. That is easily the best of the 13 teams all-time to start 0-10. 2nd best is 8.8 #WizardsTalk

They didn't have the decency to give Kevin a h/t. That's just wrong.

That's messed up. But then again I wouldn't count on CSN to give us anything insightful themselves so..

[pineappleheadindc]

.
Here's what I just tweeted back to them.

@csnwashington - If you're noting margins of teams starting 0-10, at least give @Broom_Kevin the hat dip he deserves. http://is.gd/kp5UNU

[pancakes3]

I remain cautiously optimistic until we see Wall in action.

Our team right now downright stinks. Our 3 leading shot-takers are shooting sub 40%. There are a total of 6 guys sub 40 and Pargo's at a laughable 25%. In fact, Beal is shooting better from behind the arc than inside the arc. However, peep the FT%'s. I personally believe that FT% is a great indicator of how good a pure shooter a guy is. They're stellar. Beal, Price, and Webster are 90% guys.

I think we have a bunch of guys that would fit very well with Wall. This team with Wall + Beal, Webster/Singleton, Nene/Seraphin is a wrecking ball of a team. The problem is that we don't have any penetration so our jumpshooting team is now a jumpshooting-with-hands-in-their-faces team and that's a recipe for disaster.

Now this is not an endorsement for EG. I did not include Okariza in that wrecking ball lineup, and Vesely is as confusing to use as ever. If we didn't have those 3 guys and had say... Leonard, Asik, and Steph Curry we would be competing for a top 4 seed in the East. I just don't think we're as comically and woefully bad as our record reflects... which I think is what Kev is tongue-in-cheek implying.

[payitforward]

What's said is that there is a very real possibility that Leonsis cites this article as a reason for optimism.

Oh, no doubt -- the TV guys are already vaunting our being the best 0fer team ever.

[Nivek]

Thanks for the mention, pine. I had recorded the game for later viewing -- fishercob texted me to let me know that Buckhantz had dropped the scoring differential stat.

I find this hilarious.

What I'd used to mock, they're using as silver lining/moral victory.

Wow.

[Nivek]

Just to highlight how inane this "feel better about the Wizards because their scoring differential is better than other 0-X teams" meme is -- their scoring differential is that of a 21-win team.

Being the best 0-10 team in history means they're an awful team.

[WizarDynasty]

looks like mullen(s) and aminu are alot better than Crowder and Mo Almond. Wish we had traded for one of those two players.

[montestewart]

looks like mullen(s) and aminu are alot better than Crowder and Mo Almond. Wish we had traded for one of those two players.

4-year vet Mullens and year 3-vet Aminu are both getting minutes and looking better than in the past, but Crowder's a rookie, yet he has a better WS/48 than the other two. Almond, well, that's another story.

[pineappleheadindc]

.
Okay, the Wizards Moral Victory Tour (© Kevin Broom) rolls along at 0-11. The record for starting the season in total futility are the NJ Nets (0-18). Can the Wizards be all they can be and break the record. Here are the games we'd have to lose in order to break the record.

Wizards schedule after 11/24 loss to Charlotte

Monday, Nov 26 -- vs San Antonio
Wednesday, Nov 28 -- vs Portland
Friday, Nov 30 -- at New York
Tuesday, Dec 4 -- vs Miami
Friday, Dec 7 -- at Atlanta
Saturday, Dec 8 -- vs Golden State
Tuesday, Dec 11 -- at New Orleans (this loss would tie us at 0-18)
Wednesday, Dec 12 -- at Houston

We might have to worry about Portland (6-6) and Golden State (7-6) at home, and we played Atlanta at their place close. But the real test may not come until December 11th at the (currently) 3-8 New Orleans Hornets.

What say you all? Can we achieve the record?

[MJG]

I fully expect us to fail at failing; we will go 0-17, then win game 18

[WizKid25]

I suspect we’ll get one that we don’t think we should. There always seems to be one win we get every year that we have no business getting. Last year it was the Thunder when we were 1-12. Two years ago it was Utah when, with only four away games remaining, we got our second road win and avoided a record-tying 1-40 road record. In 2009-10, it was an early win against LeBron and the Cavs when we came in 2-7 and on a six-game skid. If recent history holds, we could knock off San Antonio or Miami. Sounds impossible right now, I know. But that’s the point.