Grunfeld a Great GM. Proves Doubters Wrong

[dckingsfan]

Or as the saying goes:

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good...

[Dat2U]

But still, the question to me is how far does this team have to go before fans on here are willing to admit they were wrong? That Ernie (accidentally stumbled and) did a good job of building a contender. At what point do the wizsquad fans have to admit, hell, they have no idea what they were talking about? -- or leastways, that this FO changed their minds. At what point does this squad winning make you admit you're just determined to be a hater.

Me if we win the next round, against Indiana. Or play really well against them when Indy is playing at their best, and if our backcourt grows up a ton. At that point I say GMEG did a pretty good job of building a last-second contender. That we didn't just luck into it. That his maneuvers took advantage of the situation and deserve credit. At this point, if we are playing at out best, I like our chances against anybody. That's not something that has been easy to say about any Wiz squad I've watched since CWebb and them were here.

Beat Miami??? To be honest, most thought we'd be a playoff team. What we didn't know was how much smoke and mirrors Thibs was using to get the Bulls into the 4th seed. D.J. Augustin???? Really? That's who we had to stop??? LOL. I'm sorry, winning a series against this Chicago team makes us as much of a contender as the last time a Wizards team beat Chicago in the playoffs (and they were missing two starters the whole series then as well).

Also if Indy is really this bad, then would beating them be a big accomplishment considering Atlanta is pushing them to the brink? Atlanta is like those Dwight Howard teams in Orlando a few years back when they were well coached and had Howard in the middle surrounded by 4 guys to stretch the floor, only difference being, Atlanta has Pero Antic instead of Dwight Howard So I don't think beating them wouldn't being a great accomplishment either.

If anything, what this postseason tells me, especially about the East, Ted just happened to pick the right year to go all in for the playoffs because outside of Miami, it's so freaking wide open... especially on our side of the bracket. Potentially if we were the 6th or 7th seed, we could either be eliminated by Toronto or Miami by now so I have trouble changing my opinion off of 5 games against an untalented but incredibly well coached opponent when I have 10 years of history as evidence to what type of general manager Ernie Grunfeld is. There's really only one contender in the East, everyone else in a normal year would be a pretender but I don't think we can count on the East only having one legitimate contender going forward.

[tontoz]

Our preseason predictions were pretty accurate. We may have underestimated how bad the east is but i think we had a good handle on this team's abilities.

In the playoffs, with everyone healthy, the lack of depth on this team isn't as much of a problem as it is in the regular season. And we were only one game away from suffering the same fate as the Bobcats, who beat us twice in the last 10 games when we were fighting for playoff position.

What exactly have we been wrong about?

[DCZards]

I would take my medicine Doc and congratulate Ernie & Randy for this seasons success, I am enjoying it like everyone else. But, it would be fools-gold to trust Ernie to build on his very good fortune after he stumbled into Gortat & Miller. How many more years of Grunfeld draft picks and pick dumps would you be willing to endure?

I agree with and understand criticizing EG for the numerous personnel mistakes he's made, but I don't understand why it's so hard to give him props for the beneficial moves he's made that have helped the Zards. Instead, EG either "stumbled into" those moves or got lucky.

Well, you should probably add Ariza to the good moves that EG "stumbled into." Two years ago, this board was white hot with criticism of the Ariza-Okafor trade. EG was being blamed for burning assets and cap room that could have been used to sign a Ryan Anderson or trade for Ersan Ilyasova.

When Ariza scored 30 pts. in a must win last Sunday it wasn't simply because it was his night to be the team's leading scorer. TA knew Nene wasn't available and that the Zards needed him to step up. That's leadership rooted in playoff--make that championship--experience. I doubt that you'd get either that leadership or big game performance from either Anderson or Ilyasova.

[MDStar]

While I'm comfortably in the "we need a new GM" camp, I must say that it is very interesting to see that for some on here, there really is nothing that can happen this season to change anyone their minds. EG for all is faults and good fortune has built a team who many of us believe is capable of hanging with Miami in a seven game series. Which from my perspective is by definition a championship contender. You know, especially with Miami being the two time NBA champions and the odds on favorite to win the whole damn thing again this year.

So i guess here's my question to the board: If Miami is the favorite to win it all, and the Wizards as currently constructed are capable of playing with them in a seven game series, does that make them a Championship Contender? And if so, what else could we ask for as a fan of the team?

[queridiculo]

DCZards, have you forgotten that Grunfeld wanted to trade Ariza for Caron Butler just last year?

How about the fact that Grunfeld made it very clear to Trevor at the beginning of the season that his days were numbered when the Wizards resigned Webster and then spent a high lottery draft pick bringing a SF on board.

Then there's the concerns posters had regarding Okafor's ability to stay healthy. Okafor's injury ultimately cost the Wizards a first round draft pick, and while Gortat has exceeded expectations, we're left with having to pay him in free agency or lose that pick for nothing.

It's nice to see the Wizards in the playoffs, and damn, that series win against the Bulls was special.

Unfortunately that doesn't change anything about the fact that the makeup of this roster is fundamentally flawed, and that longterm success isn't going to be sustainable given the salary structure and the holes that are left to fill as a result of Ernie's inability to identify and draft talented players.

[Kanyewest]

Our preseason predictions were pretty accurate. We may have underestimated how bad the east is but i think we had a good handle on this team's abilities.

In the playoffs, with everyone healthy, the lack of depth on this team isn't as much of a problem as it is in the regular season. And we were only one game away from suffering the same fate as the Bobcats, who beat us twice in the last 10 games when we were fighting for playoff position.

What exactly have we been wrong about?

The Bobcats probably would have taken Miami to 6 games if Al Jefferson didn't get injured. I would say the Bobcats had a successful season. They outperformed my expectations especially on the defensive end.

[DCZards]

queridiculo, with all due respect, I don't think that you or any of us on this board know for sure whether or not this team is capable of sustainable, long-term success. We don't have a crystal ball...we don't know what moves will be made this offseason or next to build on what the Zards have now.

[dckingsfan]

DCZards, have you forgotten that Grunfeld wanted to trade Ariza for Caron Butler just last year?

I forgot about that - what a knucklehead... sigh

[dobrojim]

I think some underestimated the value of making the playoffs their rationale being
that we would be at a severe competitive mismatch when/if that happened and
be summarily dismissed from the postseason rendering it of minimal value.
Their assumption was that we would play IND (the early version) or MIA.
If that had happened, I think they would have had been validated.

Having worked hard and taken advantage of circumstances,
such as they were, to get what ended up being a favorable 1st matchup, was huge
if not an obviously predictable outcome. The way it worked out was nearly ideal.
But I'd agree that it was fortunate/lucky to have things work out that way.

Right now, I'm just enjoying the ride while it lasts.

I'm actually still kind of numb about the whole 2nd round thing. Maybe I'm
too anxious/distracted by the prospect of this surgery monday.

[Nivek]

Just to be clear, the "luck" to which I'm referring isn't on the player acquisition side, but on the opposition side. I disagreed with most of the personnel moves because I didn't like how they were spending their resources, but when they got Okafor, Ariza, Gortat and Miller, I readily acknowledged they were getting good/solid players. (Not so on the Maynor signing, of course. Or Al Harrington.)

Based on the moves they'd made, it was clear they'd have an average team this year. That was good enough for 5th in the East, where the Wizards had the good fortune to play. Same record out West would've had them in 10th. And, they may benefit from Indy's post All-Star break implosion, either by getting a below-average Hawks team in the 2nd round, or by getting Indy itself, which has played badly the past couple months.

[dckingsfan]

Our preseason predictions were pretty accurate. We may have underestimated how bad the east is but i think we had a good handle on this team's abilities.

In the playoffs, with everyone healthy, the lack of depth on this team isn't as much of a problem as it is in the regular season. And we were only one game away from suffering the same fate as the Bobcats, who beat us twice in the last 10 games when we were fighting for playoff position.

What exactly have we been wrong about?

Bingo... the board has been (as a whole) spot-on... and the opinions are a pretty good predictor moving forward.

Doesn't mean we can't enjoy some luck though. Kind of like winning at Black Jack in Vegas though... just a matter of time to revert to the mean.

[montestewart]

Neither faith nor doubt are to be judged by outcomes. The doubting may be too slow in recognizing outcomes, the faithful too hasty in believing an outcome reached. Judge faith and doubt on the foundations upon which they are built. In the eternal battlefield of faith and doubt lies the desired outcome of spiritual renewal.

Put another way, if your son is going into rehab for the fifth time after stealing your wallet (wrecking your car, maxing out your credit card, etc), are you the parent who approaches this latest turn with a little skepticism, or the parent who readily embraces the possibility of true change? Is either parent necessarily right or wrong? Son, I want you to change, and I truly believe you can, but you have to be patient as I adjust to the new you, and for the time being, you're not borrowing the car.

[DCZards]

DCZards, have you forgotten that Grunfeld wanted to trade Ariza for Caron Butler just last year?

I forgot about that - what a knucklehead... sigh

I understand it was EG who turned down the proposed trade. You got proof to the contrary?

[tontoz]

Our preseason predictions were pretty accurate. We may have underestimated how bad the east is but i think we had a good handle on this team's abilities.

In the playoffs, with everyone healthy, the lack of depth on this team isn't as much of a problem as it is in the regular season. And we were only one game away from suffering the same fate as the Bobcats, who beat us twice in the last 10 games when we were fighting for playoff position.

What exactly have we been wrong about?

The Bobcats probably would have taken Miami to 6 games if Al Jefferson didn't get injured. I would say the Bobcats had a successful season. They outperformed my expectations especially on the defensive end.

Based on what? He played 35 minutes per game for 3 games and they lost all 3.

[Silvie Lysandra]

The issue with Ernie this year is that while a deep playoff run is probably "worth" Ernie's win now approach, the issue is that we've been more lucky than good, and being more lucky than good is not sustainable. Eventually we'll have to become good. And Ernie has shown he can't make a team good without massively overpaying or getting really lucky.

Granted, good GMs in the NBA are a rare species, and winning in the NBA seems to be a lot more luck and favorable circumstances than skill. Look at Sam Presti - he gets Durant, Westbrook (and he should have drafted Love > Westbrook) and Harden and pisses away that huge talent pool by trading Harden for cap space and prospects, refusing to amnesty one of the worst players in the NBA to keep a guy who's basically a young Manu (granted he's out of his depth as a 1A, but an excellent 1B or 2), keeping Scott Brooks, keeping Ibaka, etc etc etc. At this point, I think it's safe to declare Presti a MASSIVE fraud. His last two years of GMing have been Grunfieldian (actually arguably worse than Grunfieldian) and he's supposed to be the best in the business!

[closg00]

DCZards, have you forgotten that Grunfeld wanted to trade Ariza for Caron Butler just last year?

I forgot about that - what a knucklehead... sigh

I understand it was EG who turned down the proposed trade. You got proof to the contrary?

Zard, you just served-up yet another knock-out blow to Grunfeld. The Washington Post story on this ^ EG proposed trade will be provided by one of the board faithful

[Kanyewest]

Based on what? He played 35 minutes per game for 3 games and they lost all 3.

Al Jefferson was playing injured after the first quarter of game 1. Perhaps probably a 6 games series is too strong but they had a chance to make it competitive.

[tontoz]

Sterling nixed the Ariza-Butler deal.

The Los Angeles Clippers were looking ahead to the playoffs and thought they could use a perimeter player with length and a defensive mindset.

So they set up a deal with the Washington Wizards that would have swapped Caron Butler for Trevor Ariza, according to David Aldridge at NBA.com. But the deal got shot down at the highest levels.

L.A. and Washington had a done deal Wednesday night that would have sent forward Trevor Ariza to the Clippers in exchange for Caron Butler, giving L.A. a long, defensive-oriented body to throw at the likes of Kevin Durant in the playoffs. (Butler, who still has an offseason home in the D.C. area, and who was loved by the locals, didn’t have a problem returning to a non-Arenas Wizards locker room. He’d have been welcomed back as a much-needed offensive option, according to sources.)

But sources indicated that Clippers owner Donald Sterling nixed the deal Thursday morning, not wanting to gamble on the team’s chemistry being affected in any way down the stretch.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... iza-trade/

[montestewart]

Sterling nixed the Ariza-Butler deal.

The Los Angeles Clippers were looking ahead to the playoffs and thought they could use a perimeter player with length and a defensive mindset.

So they set up a deal with the Washington Wizards that would have swapped Caron Butler for Trevor Ariza, according to David Aldridge at NBA.com. But the deal got shot down at the highest levels.

L.A. and Washington had a done deal Wednesday night that would have sent forward Trevor Ariza to the Clippers in exchange for Caron Butler, giving L.A. a long, defensive-oriented body to throw at the likes of Kevin Durant in the playoffs. (Butler, who still has an offseason home in the D.C. area, and who was loved by the locals, didn’t have a problem returning to a non-Arenas Wizards locker room. He’d have been welcomed back as a much-needed offensive option, according to sources.)

But sources indicated that Clippers owner Donald Sterling nixed the deal Thursday morning, not wanting to gamble on the team’s chemistry being affected in any way down the stretch.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... iza-trade/

I'd hate to hear the tape of what he actually said.