Wizards @ Spurs 8:30PM

[hands11]

I'm done with Randy.

He really just has no clue about who to play with whom and when.

You can see what works. Its obvious. Stop feeding Nene in the post. It doesn't work. He is much better on high pick and roll plays where he is moving toward the baskets.

Finally Ves saw some minutes and you could see how he helped. Then you don't see him ago. Singleton comes in and totally beasts. But he never uses him either. Wall isolations work. He needs to do them a lot more. Etc. Etc. He would get close with some line ups but even then he would be a player off.

He never played a set that got Okafor in a rhythm and he has been a beast lastly. He doesn't take advantage of what Crawford can do.

Temple should never have started at SG and yet he still started him for the 2nd. He puts the team in a hole that is to big to overcome before stumbling into something that works. And then he puts Nene back in.

He just doesn't understand what is a good line up where the players compliment each other and the offense he has been running feeding Nene is the post is terrible.

He is what EFJ was. A good assistant that is not a good head coach.

Please fire him at the All Star break.

SHOCKER ALERT: hands, I say why wait?

Randy is a good man and he has done his best. Fire him now and bring in a different coach. These guys have lost hope and are about to devolve into selfish play, bickering, etc. Wittman can bark at them and get anything else. They probably are blaming him like you are.

Fire him. I like Wittman a lot and this is on Ted and Ernie. Give the coach his papers and let Newman steer the Titanic. Why not?

But TED LEONSIS, YOU NEED TO MAN UP AND FIRE YOUR BOY, EG, TOO!!!!

Why not is right.

Hey, I wanted Whitman so this is no fun for me. I even started the Whitman appreciation thread. I don't have an issue with them signing him and giving him a chance. I just expected something different from him. Something that looked more like what I saw from him last year. Maybe he is just a better coach when he has nothing to lose and he is playing to tank/develop players vs actually trying to win games.

He has been using Nene wrong. He has been starting Temple over better choices. He doesn't let Wall run the offense enough with pick and rolls, or isolation. He doesn't spot when a player is having an off night soon enough. Those are basic things without even getting into lots of other finer points.

[80sballboy]

I don't expect this from Singleton nightly, but there was no reason for him not to get any pt the last few weeks....

Did you watch him play in December? He was terrible. Not sure what he's doing in practice but it looked as though he lost all confidence in his jumper and wasn't even defending that well. One game doesn't mean he's great but it's basically Tweedle Dee (Singleton), Tweedle Fragile (Booker) or Tweedle Dum (Vesely). Go with Singleton for now at the backup 4.

Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Fragile, Tweedle Dum, Green Light, Black Hole, Brick Wall, Tender Foot, Stretch Brick Strong ….

What a team!

Ernie and Ted should be proud. Following Ted's great blueprint. I guess Ted's goal is to have worst two teams in both sports.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Guys, we're not going to make the playoffs. It's over. There's no reason to fire the coach right now. If you have any clue as an owner, you fire EG right after the All-Star break so you can hire a GM who can picks his own scouts and draft his own guys. Maybe work some trades. But let the guy pick his own coach. No way do you fire Randy now just to hire Cassell or Newman unless you think they are a much better option.

But I'd rather let them flounder under Randy and get a top 3 pick. I mean the guy has to play Garrett Temple. Crawforrd is so bad that they came back with AJ Price and Wall playing together. That might be a better starting 2 but that's what Witt has to deal with until Beal returns. Yeah, he sucks as a coach.

There you go being all rational and well-reasoned, 80s.

I was taking pity in Randy's predicament when I said fire him. There is no reason worthwhile to do so. It would be change for the sake of change, or change to get a worse pick at this point. I think Randy consistently plays 10-11 guys, and dudes don't stay in his doghouse forever.

Singleton poked his head out the dog house, and even gave good chase today. He is no worse because of Randy. hands, Vesely was playing well during the 7-3 run. Randy started him at the end of last season when the team went 8-2. Randy is a good man. Crawford has hit a game winner with Wittman giving him the "green light." The team is full of good dudes. I think even if they suffer the rest of the season, 80s is making sense.

[hands11]

Hey, when he lines this up well, I give him props for it.

He just doesn't do it often enough.

How can he not see the Temple at SG to start the game is just not working. How ? Why does he do it to begin with ? And why does he stick with it ?

Honestly. He has better choices. The line ups I suggested had him starting either Webster there or Crawford.

If Webster, then Trevor A is at SF and Singleton would have been the back up. We could have seen that from the beginning.

Do you not agree that would be the obvious better way to go.

[jivelikenice]

I don't expect this from Singleton nightly, but there was no reason for him not to get any pt the last few weeks....

Did you watch him play in December? He was terrible. Not sure what he's doing in practice but it looked as though he lost all confidence in his jumper and wasn't even defending that well. One game doesn't mean he's great but it's basically Tweedle Dee (Singleton), Tweedle Fragile (Booker) or Tweedle Dum (Vesely). Go with Singleton for now at the backup 4.

You're acting as though he's playing behind other players who've been playing well. He didn't deserve heavy minutes, but he didn't deserve banishment considering the guys ahead of him are Jan & Booker.

[hands11]

Hopefully now that all playoff long shot dreams are over, we will see Randy line them up better and call better plays.

Actually, I don't mind him starting Nene as long as he isn't running that offense where he feeds him in the post all the time. Nene just forces things to much from there and turns it over to much. Nene setting picks at the FT line and rolling seems to work a lot better. It also give Wall a role in the offense from which he can make plays.

Or bring him off the bench to balance the line ups better.

[jivelikenice]

I liked what I saw in the second half. How much of it was a lackadaisical opponent and how much of it was execution & lineup adjustments? I give a little more credit in this situation because of the opponent and specifically the coach. They're not the type of team that seems to let up playing for Pop. The Wiz created turnovers, went small with Singleton at the 4, and the floor opened up.

Wittman finally made the adjustment so I credit him for it tonight. Hopefully he keeps it up. I do however think a better coach could get more out of this team....That does NOT mean I think a better coach makes this a good team considering the roster flaws and lack of skilled talent in the frontcourt. But I do think that while Wittman gets them to play hard, he's not maximizing talent. Maybe that changes with Beal in there with Wall???

Lastly, Crawford only got 15 or so minutes tonight. There HAS to be something going on behind the scenes.
1. Nene called the team out....seemingly Jordan and Seraphin
2. Crawford misses shootaround and gets benched
3. Crawford then loses the starting pg spot
4. Crawford gets hurt and sits for longer then he usually would (not doubting it since I don't know the severity, but just fishy in totality)
5. Beal gets hurt and Crawford still doesn't start
6. Outside of not starting, he's not even getting minutes. He's played less than 20 minutes in 4 of the last 5 games.

[jivelikenice]

Wall had a couple of mistakes near the end, but I liked the aggressiveness tonight. When he's aggressive, he can create for himself and use the attention he's drawing to create for his teammates. He easily could have ended up with 15 assists tonight. Aggressive turnovers are acceptable....Passive turnovers are really what frustrate me about him.

[FAH1223]

New GM and new HC by June. Please!!!!

[Knighthonor]

team weakness seem to be it relying on Nene for too much. Leave him in the paint and defense know the ball not coming back out.

Running a in the paint Nene kind of offense, when your so called franchise player excels at speed and driving to the rim. this team plan seem backwards.

[Deivy202]

if redskins and nats can rebuild to division leaders than wiz can too one day .

[dangermouse]

I knew we were going to lose, probably by a lot, but that was just pathetic.

Wittman's rotations make absolutely no sense. Nene struggled in the second at all facets of the game, but does he yank him? No. I was sitting there thinking come on, sit him down for a bit, put Seraphin on for pete's sake, or Booker, ANYTHING. CHANGE IT UP.

Then in the 3rd he brings in Singleton?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I just don't even know.... Is he drawing names out of a hat?

[dangermouse]

I should follow that up: Singleton did play pretty well in those minutes. It just makes no sense because thats the first time ive seen him on the floor for as long as i can remember. And i dont remember hearing that he was injured or anything?

[Knighthonor]

if redskins and nats can rebuild to division leaders than wiz can too one day .

thats a different sport. getting a single key player can make big changes. NFL doesnt even have a lotto.

[Deivy202]

if redskins and nats can rebuild to division leaders than wiz can too one day .

thats a different sport. getting a single key player can make big changes. NFL doesnt even have a lotto.

Yea but still i think nats and skins where way harder to rebuild.

[DANNYLANDOVER]

hands, when they fire Randy I guaran-damn-tee you the next coach won't win ISH with this team, either.

I guess that would depend on who the coach is.

What I do know is he is not getting the most from the roster. He is actually hurting.

I agree with hands on this one. We could have had at least 5 more wins this season. I know we don't have shooters, but losing so many close games is a sign of bad coaching. Unless, you want to make me believe that every single time we've lost a close game, it was on the players.

[DANNYLANDOVER]

Not really proposing that Wittman gets fired right now. This season is a lost cause, just don't wanna see him and Ernie on this team next season.

[montestewart]

I know we don't have shooters, but losing so many close games is a sign of bad coaching.

How so? Say a close game is one decied by 4 points are less. If you include OT games (4 points or less at end of regulation) the Wizards record in such games is 4-12, which is about the same as their overall record. Maybe they just don't have enough talent. Maybe they just suck. Maybe that's what losing so many close games means.

[Kanyewest]

Even though the Wizards got within 6, the game wasn't really that close. It was moreso that San Antonio stopped playing hard after the 1st half. Wizards really missed Beal tonight or even someone that could knock down an open 3. The Wizards were getting good open looks from Ariza, Price, and Wall but they just didn't have their jumpers tonight.

At least Wall is starting to take 3s. Seems like his jumper from long range has gotten worse since his rookie year; shooting 11% from 3 is not good even if it's not that many attempts.

At least Singleton came off as a bright spot after tonight. Hopefully the Wizards can find another shooter or sa big man that is more consistent in the draft next year.

[DANNYLANDOVER]

I know we don't have shooters, but losing so many close games is a sign of bad coaching.

How so? Say a close game is one decied by 4 points are less. If you include OT games (4 points or less at end of regulation) the Wizards record in such games is 4-12, which is about the same as their overall record. Maybe they just don't have enough talent. Maybe they just suck. Maybe that's what losing so many close games means.

I really don't get your point. I consider a close game losing by 10 pts or less. What I've noticed is that these guys can play hard and cut the lead down to like 4 pts or so, but when they have to make a play to take the lead and grab the game by the scruff of it's neck, Randy just can't call an effective play. That and going through long spells in a game where they can't hit a shot.