Countdown to Ernie Grunfeld Firing

[LyricalRico]

^ And maybe that will work for Toronto, but no team is in exactly the same situation. New Portland GM Neil Olshey, for example, took a different approach:

And quickly, he learned this: The people of Portland didn't want a winner, they needed one.

"It caught me off guard," Olshey said. "Listen, I had been in this building as a front-office executive, a coach, and I knew how much it meant inside this building with the fans. But how much the identity of this city is wrapped up in the Blazers. It's so important that this team performs well – and does it with the right kind of guys. It's not just winning, but how we win, how we lose, how guys play, how guys treat the fans.

"And you know, that's what accelerated it for me. It would be great to come in with a three-to-five-year plan, slowly rebuild, but about five minutes after I got here, I realized: We're going to have to pick the pace up on this."

All around Olshey, he's working to temper expectations. Slow down, he's telling everyone. Slow down. All they wanted was to make the playoffs here, just grow and progress and start to construct some sustainable success. And then there's another one of these nights – back-to-back beatings of Indiana and Oklahoma City – and Olshey had to laugh and shrug and wonder the way everyone else does: Just how good can these Blazers be?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rip-city-r ... 12423.html

They realized they needed to start winning some games right away so they made moves they thought would help them do that. They just wanted to make the playoffs, but things are taking off for them. Let's see if the same can happen here.

It can't be "championship contender or tank" as the only two choices every year, otherwise there would be 29 teams tanking for the #1 overall pick as long as LeBron is in the league. There's nothing wrong with trying to win games.

[Dat2U]

^ And maybe that will work for Toronto, but no team is in exactly the same situation. New Portland GM Neil Olshey, for example, took a different approach:

And quickly, he learned this: The people of Portland didn't want a winner, they needed one.

"It caught me off guard," Olshey said. "Listen, I had been in this building as a front-office executive, a coach, and I knew how much it meant inside this building with the fans. But how much the identity of this city is wrapped up in the Blazers. It's so important that this team performs well – and does it with the right kind of guys. It's not just winning, but how we win, how we lose, how guys play, how guys treat the fans.

"And you know, that's what accelerated it for me. It would be great to come in with a three-to-five-year plan, slowly rebuild, but about five minutes after I got here, I realized: We're going to have to pick the pace up on this."

All around Olshey, he's working to temper expectations. Slow down, he's telling everyone. Slow down. All they wanted was to make the playoffs here, just grow and progress and start to construct some sustainable success. And then there's another one of these nights – back-to-back beatings of Indiana and Oklahoma City – and Olshey had to laugh and shrug and wonder the way everyone else does: Just how good can these Blazers be?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rip-city-r ... 12423.html

They realized they needed to start winning some games right away so they made moves they thought would help them do that. They just wanted to make the playoffs, but things are taking off for them. Let's see if the same can happen here.

It can't be "championship contender or tank" as the only two choices every year, otherwise there would be 29 teams tanking for the #1 overall pick as long as LeBron is in the league. There's nothing wrong with trying to win games.

Yeah, someone has to ride that wave of mediocrity so we can get cake and streamers in June.

But we aren't Portland. We didn't have their roster and there aren't 29 teams tanking last time I checked.

[TGW]

I have a feeling Toronto will be better than the Wizards by next season, tanking or not. I have more faith in there front office than I do in ours.

[mohammed10]

I have a feeling Toronto will be better than the Wizards by next season, tanking or not. I have more faith in there front office than I do in ours.

Feel free to add about 28 more teams...

[jivelikenice]

I have a feeling Toronto will be better than the Wizards by next season, tanking or not. I have more faith in there front office than I do in ours.

Toronto? I don't see how. What young pieces of theirs would you want over ours outside of Valanciunas? Lets see what they're able to get for the assets they may dump first....

[TGW]

I have a feeling Toronto will be better than the Wizards by next season, tanking or not. I have more faith in there front office than I do in ours.

Toronto? I don't see how. What young pieces of theirs would you want over ours outside of Valanciunas? Lets see what they're able to get for the assets they may dump first....

Valuciunas, Ross, and Derozan aren't bad players. Derozan has quietly put up a pretty solid season.

If they tanked, and ended up with Parker or Wiggins, in addition to whatever they get from trading Lowry and Gay, they would have a pretty solid young team. Right now, they have a deal for expirings from Detroit for Gay, so they can get rid of his awful salary. We shall see.

[LyricalRico]

there aren't 29 teams tanking last time I checked.

And that's sort of my point. According to some here, all teams that would peak at anything less than title contention should hope their best player breaks a pinkie (or something like that) so they can miss games and the team can tank for a high lottery pick. But everyone isn't doing that.

Many teams, in spite of the seemingly prevailing opinion of many on this board, see value in winning as many games as they can in a given season - even if they aren't going to win a title. I don't see anything wrong with that, and I support the Wizards efforts to win.

[hands11]

Its just time for a change. I understood keeping EG for the blow up, but we need more from a GM than someone who can make trades. We need someone who can draft correctly.

[queridiculo]

Yesterday's game had me curious just how bad our bench production has been thus far. Having watched every game, I couldn't recall a single instance of our bench outperforming their counterparts.

Not surprisingly, this is what Grunfeld's diligent efforts to rebuild this team have gotten us.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /7/pts/1-1

It's almost comical how Grunfeld has wasted 2nd round opportunities citing the teams depth.

[tontoz]

The Blazers have had terrible luck. Oden was completely worthless due to injuries and then Roy's career was ended by injuries. Yet there they sit, 17-3. That just shows you the difference between a good GM and a bum like EG.

[hands11]

Yesterday's game had me curious just how bad our bench production has been thus far. Having watched every game, I couldn't recall a single instance of our bench outperforming their counterparts.

Not surprisingly, this is what Grunfeld's diligent efforts to rebuild this team have gotten us.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /7/pts/1-1

It's almost comical how Grunfeld has wasted 2nd round opportunities citing the teams depth.

Well this gismo says our bench out performed theirs.
http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /7-1-1-eff

If you look at the stats, it really just comes down to one thing. Singleton + Otto shot 1-13
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489154

All the other mistakes and injuries aside, if not for that and 10 missed FTs .. 4 by Nene and 3 by Booker, they would have won. Oh, and Maynor sucks. They should have one of Crawford, Wolters or Pierre Jackson. For that, EG is an idiot.

After that, Wall made two back to back bad plays down the stretch. Maybe 3. Shot to early after the rebounds. Went behind the pick on the next play and forced another really bad shot on a drive.

This team is not build deep enough to deal with no Webster, Beal and Nene.

The Webster injury worries me. He didn't turn that ankle so for it to hurt that much, I fear a fracture.

[FAH1223]

well, Hands, that's Ernie's fault for not getting more quality on this roster

[nate33]

Yesterday's game had me curious just how bad our bench production has been thus far. Having watched every game, I couldn't recall a single instance of our bench outperforming their counterparts.

Not surprisingly, this is what Grunfeld's diligent efforts to rebuild this team have gotten us.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /7/pts/1-1

It's almost comical how Grunfeld has wasted 2nd round opportunities citing the teams depth.

It's even worse when you look at it on a per48 basis. We are so much worse than every other bench. Dead last in points. Dead last in offensive efficiency. 26th in defensive efficiency. Dead last in efficiency differential.

[hands11]

well, Hands, that's Ernie's fault for not getting more quality on this roster

Right. I think I said that.

[hands11]

Yesterday's game had me curious just how bad our bench production has been thus far. Having watched every game, I couldn't recall a single instance of our bench outperforming their counterparts.

Not surprisingly, this is what Grunfeld's diligent efforts to rebuild this team have gotten us.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /7/pts/1-1

It's almost comical how Grunfeld has wasted 2nd round opportunities citing the teams depth.

It's even worse when you look at it on a per48 basis. We are so much worse than every other bench. Dead last in points. Dead last in offensive efficiency. 26th in defensive efficiency. Dead last in efficiency differential.

On the bright side. OKC, GS, MN, INDY, CHI, and MEM also have terrible benches. And with us, there is really no where to go but up. Almost any reasonable trade would improve the bench numbers.

[montestewart]

EG is an idiot.

OMG EG!!! Your days are numbered. I predict that some day soon, you're going to look out the castle window and see LyricalRico leading a torch and pitchfork wielding mob and yelling, "There he goes. Get him!"

[FAH1223]

On the bright side. OKC, GS, MN, INDY, CHI, and MEM also have terrible benches. And with us, there is really no where to go but up. Almost any reasonable trade would improve the bench numbers.

OKC - I'll take Lamb, Jackson, Adams, Collison over the crap we have
GS - I'll take Douglas, Speights, O'Neal over the crap we have
MIN - They're pretty weak. I'd take Budinger healthy and Barea and Dieng... Shabazz Muhammad too must be better than our crap
CHI - They're stretched thin... had a much better bench last year with Beli and Nate
MEM - I'll take Bayless, Pondexter, Davis, Mike Miller, Koufos, over the crap we have...
IND - I'll take CJ Watson, Scola, Copeland, Granger (even hurt), Johnson, etc over the crap on our bench..

[hands11]

EG is an idiot.

OMG EG!!! Your days are numbered. I predict that some day soon, you're going to look out the castle window and see LyricalRico leading a torch and pitchfork wielding mob and yelling, "There he goes. Get him!"

Not sure where you have been. I have said stuff like that plenty.

Actually he rarely drafts who I think he should. Got Beal, and Wall was consensus number one. I do give him credit for the decisive tank to get Wall. Webby was a nice find. Dumping Gils contract was golden. Trevor A and Okafor for Lewis was nice since Ted didn't want to buy out Lewis. Crawford was a nice find. To made he dumped him for nothing. Letting McGee and Nick go was the right move. McGee was an alright pick but had I know more about him regarding his personality I wouldn't have. I would have never drafted Nick. Dude was clearly not very smart and I like smart players. Critter was a total disaster. How do you not do enough research to know the guy was mental ? As for draft picks, other then Wall and Beal he hasn't picked one player that was on my list and its been a pretty good list.

Like I said. I understood Ted keeping him around for the blow up. Not sure if he could get someone better at the time. But I always felt they would probably make a change after this contract was up. That why I would bust you'll chops talking about him getting moved before now. I just never saw that in the cards.

Hopefully he can make some smart move to finish cleaning up the bench. To bad he was allowed to draft again though. Not sure about his Glen Rice pick over Wolters or even Pierre. And not sure Otto was the right move over trading down and getting more. 9-12 were nice picks in this draft. And they would have been a lot cheaper. Some good, some bad. That's not enough it you want a top team.

But I expect they will look better then they do now so if they want to get a new GM, the team will look pretty attractive to more good ones. That was always were I felt things were going.

[Kanyewest]

The Blazers have had terrible luck. Oden was completely worthless due to injuries and then Roy's career was ended by injuries. Yet there they sit, 17-3. That just shows you the difference between a good GM and a bum like EG.

They also got a #6 pick for Gerald Wallace. But yeah, they have had better GMs and scouting than Washington.

[Knighthonor]

Would be cool if we had some more general conspiracy news kind of threads to talk about wizards stuff. I guess for the past few days we been talking about the same stuff. matter fact, weeks now.