Countdown to Ernie Grunfeld Firing

[keynote]

If you're gonna fire EG, fire EG ASAP. No sense waiting until the end of the season. Bring in the new guy so that he can evaluate Wittman and the entire basketball operations team.

Why give EG's successor a short runway to get up to speed on team needs, evaluate potential draft picks, evaluate the coaching staff, etc.? Start that process now.

[verbal8]

If you're gonna fire EG, fire EG ASAP. No sense waiting until the end of the season. Bring in the new guy so that he can evaluate Wittman and the entire basketball operations team.

Why give EG's successor a short runway to get up to speed on team needs, evaluate potential draft picks, evaluate the coaching staff, etc.? Start that process now.

It would seem strange to replace a GM at this point. However it would give the GM a chance to pull of a trade deadline deal.

After the trade deadline would probably be better than the end of the season because it gives the new GM a chance to evaluate the basketball operations without the need to make any significant moves.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[dckingsfan]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Most condemning endorsement ever! Well done...

[BarnabyJones]

When should EG have been fired?

Oh I don't know, how about May 1st, 2012?

[hands11]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Nah. Its better now then it was 2-4 years ago. That's the point. They can attract better now then they could then. A good GM could clean this up pretty quick. Look what TOR's GM has gotten done in a short time.

You can get picks. Players can get moved. Again, its way better then it was. And to a new GM, Ted has looked more then fair in how he treats a GM so that doesn't hurt.

[montestewart]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Nah. Its better now then it was 2-4 years ago. That's the point. They can attract better now then they could then. A good GM could clean this up pretty quick. Look what TOR's GM has gotten done in a short time.

You can get picks. Players can get moved. Again, its way better then it was. And to a new GM, Ted has looked more then fair in how he treats a GM so that doesn't hurt.

This team is not as good as it would have been had a good GM come in 2-4 years ago and started to clean things up.

[hands11]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Nah. Its better now then it was 2-4 years ago. That's the point. They can attract better now then they could then. A good GM could clean this up pretty quick. Look what TOR's GM has gotten done in a short time.

You can get picks. Players can get moved. Again, its way better then it was. And to a new GM, Ted has looked more then fair in how he treats a GM so that doesn't hurt.

This team is not as good as it would have been had a good GM come in 2-4 years ago and started to clean things up.

But the point is, it was such a hot mess and a joke of a franchise, you probably couldn't get one to come. Sure it would have been better to get a top GM back then. I just see no reason to believe it was an option.

Hell, I remember the mess it was in when EG signed. I was doing back flips they could get something as legit as he was. Hell, it took Abe promising MJ part ownership to get him to come. Do you remember what we had before that ? Wes Unseld.

[JonathanJoseph]

In 2 games as a starter, Kendall Marshall has 32 assists and 4 turnovers.

So in the past 24 months, Ernie has either given away or is still paying the contracts for Andray Blatche (PER 18.2), Jordan Crawford (PER 16.5), Shelvin Mack (PER 14.8) and Kendall Marshall (PER 20.2), and we have not a single asset to in return to show for those moves, nor do we have a credible NBA backup PG despite giving away a few.

Thanks, Ernie.

[verbal8]

1. At this point a new GM would come to a team with no first round pick.
2. The BAE has been used on Maynor
3. EG waived both Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown. (To the same posters who told me Marshall is no good, recall I also mentioned Brown having two championship rings, having played for Phil Jackson and Tom Izzo; and Brown starting when Gortat played his best). Points 2 and 3 add up to 5. See point 5.
4. EG has 6 players or so who are primarily SFs.
5. EG does not have one good backup PG.
6. Two of the top 6 players, Ariza and Gortat are on expiring deals.
7. Outside of Beal, not one prospect under 25 is even an average player aside from Wall, who will be a max contract.

This is not the best time for a new GM to take over.

Firing EG or even replacing him probably won't help in the next season barring some kind of great trade. I hope Nene feels healthier moving forward.

I agree that 1 and 2 are a significant disadvantage for a prospective GM candidate. However I don't think GM candidates are typically in a position to be terribly choosy about the current condition of their prospective team. Usually a team won't fire a GM unless the team is a mess. I actually think the Wizards would probably be one of the better situations that could have a GM opening.

If EG was fired now, would it be possible to interview candidates from other front offices?

[hands11]

In 2 games as a starter, Kendall Marshall has 32 assists and 4 turnovers.

So in the past 24 months, Ernie has either given away or is still paying the contracts for Andray Blatche (PER 18.2), Jordan Crawford (PER 16.5), Shelvin Mack (PER 14.8) and Kendall Marshall (PER 20.2), and we have not a single asset to in return to show for those moves, nor do we have a credible NBA backup PG despite giving away a few.

Thanks, Ernie.

Yeah, I saw Kendall posted 17 assists in a blow out lose. Denver scored 137

[montestewart]

Nah. Its better now then it was 2-4 years ago. That's the point. They can attract better now then they could then. A good GM could clean this up pretty quick. Look what TOR's GM has gotten done in a short time.

You can get picks. Players can get moved. Again, its way better then it was. And to a new GM, Ted has looked more then fair in how he treats a GM so that doesn't hurt.

This team is not as good as it would have been had a good GM come in 2-4 years ago and started to clean things up.

But the point is, it was such a hot mess and a joke of a franchise, you probably couldn't get one to come. Sure it would have been better to get a top GM back then. I just see no reason to believe it was an option.

You might be right about that, though when Leonsis came in, well financed and with a visionary entrepreneurial background, he seemed like he should have been able to sell the possibilities of a clean slate: new owner, new GM, new coach, and #1 pick. Seems like some quality GMs would have listened.

Oh well, just speculating about the past.

[nate33]

I'm really starting to hate this team. Well, not the players specifically, but the way the Washington Wizards are run. There really is no hope in sight. We suck. We have always sucked. We always will suck.

[montestewart]

I'm really starting to hate this team. Well, not the players specifically, but the way the Washington Wizards are run. There really is no hope in sight. We suck. We have always sucked. We always will suck.

But, but, but, 1978, so on, etc…

[dckingsfan]

Hmmm, not to many in EGs corner at this point...

[verbal8]

Hmmm, not to many in EGs corner at this point...

Although if Ted is, it doesn't matter what the fans think

[tontoz]

In spite of all the win now trades (Nene, Okariza, Gortat) we still have a losing record even though we have had one of the leagues easiest schedules so far.

http://espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS

[fishercob]

I think it's fair to say that Ernie's signing of Maynor cost us a first round pick!

If we had preserved the BAE, we could have signed Dajuan Blair. If we had Blair in tow, it;s very unlikely Ernie panics and makes the Gortat deal.

We would have had our share of problems with a Nene/Blair/Booker front line, but we'd probably still be a playoff team in the horrible East -- and we'd have a first round pick.

[TGW]

NOT OFF TO A GOOD START IN 2014
Posted on January 06, 2014 by Ted Leonsis
Both the Caps and Wizards have gotten off to odd and tough starts in 2014.

The Wizards have lost 3 games in a row at home, and last night - the 3rd quarter was painful to watch. The game was tied 58 to 58 at half time and we literally were run off the floor, all in a ten minute increment.

Our team is relying far too much on long jump shots. We were out shot last night by a wide margin in shooting percentage, and that was the entire story in the game. Almost all the other stats in the game were even, the delta was shooting percentage. The team truly needs a reboot back to its roots of being a tough defensive team, and let its offense grow out of its transition game and get fast break and points in the paint. We are a better team and more productive when we play inside out - not outside in. And we hit corner 3 shots ...created by penetration.

The Wizards have more than 50 games to get back to playing good basketball. We remain in the 5th spot in the East. It is a fact that we lost all momentum we created in December with this last week of basketball and unproductive results. We must win at home to ultimately qualify for the playoffs.

This is literally the first real negative post I've seen Ted say about the team. usually it some sort of spin using injuries as some excuse as to why the team is failing...here he's basically saying the team sucks.

EG is sweating bullets right now...I think the first casualty will be Whitman.

[miller31time]

Our problem isn't offense or defense. It's talent.

The sooner our GM and owner stops worrying about one side of the floor vs. the other and STARTS worrying about putting together a deep team of talented players, the better.

(This isn't to say that we shouldn't be a better defensive team or a better offensive team, but rather that if we keep focusing on one vs. the other, it will lead to an eternal struggle of sides when the real beacon of hope is talent and chemistry -- the offense and defense should, therefore, follow suit)