Who should be the next coach of the Washington Wizards?

[Dat2U]

Walsh at 70 identified Shumpert this past draft and he is the steal of the draft. He found Fields in Rd 2. He took Gallo in '08. His is a proven talent evaluator and he has shown no dropoff there. He's not resting on a resume he built 10-years ago. Why not develop a successor under Walsh? Is that such a terrible thing?

I'd strongly disagree with that. Shumpert is getting love for his defense and certainly he looked solid on that end of the court against a rusty Derrick Rose but Shump has been terrible offensively all year long. He was disaster as a PG. He doesn't shoot well enough to really be a 2. He's like a bigger version of Javaris Crittenton without the guns. His TS% of .477 is nestled neatly in between Chris Singleton and Andrew Gouldelock amongst rookies (his TS% is 28th amongst rookies!). And his PER of 10.96 ranks 27th (right below Shelvin Mack and right above Jimmer Fredette). Maybe he's getting praise and love because of the NY media circus around the Knicks but he's not been good. Even in a supposed "weak draft class" he doesn't stand out.

[Induveca]

Dat, that's really not true.......for a rookie Shumpert has been pretty damn amazing over the past few months. I've been to 3 or 4 Knicks games over the past 6 weeks and the kid is the real deal. He has all the pieces necessary to become a very high level player in the NBA.

He started off very shaky, but has improved every single month......and since Woodson has taken over the kid has been stellar.

Solid shot, amazing speed, great work ethic.....great athleticism. In a lot of ways he reminds me of a poor man's Wade. I realize I'll get attacked for that statement, but that comes from a former Miami resident with a good deal of time sitting in the AA Arena in Miami. Their floor game/vibe are very similar.

He's a great piece for the Knicks. Yes his first few months were not impressive, the same can't be said for the past 6 weeks. Watch a game, the kid has a few jawdropping plays every game and has shown the ability to drop 20-30 when given minutes.

[Dat2U]

Indu, the kid passes the eye test and he is playing better, especially defensively. In fact I can certainly see him establishing himself as a defensive ace if he really works at it. Problem is for all his jaw dropping plays he's been in-efficient, very turnover prone and has continually made a lot of questionable decisions. He's been playing better in spurts since sliding into a reduced role with Lin & Davis around but calling him the steal of the draft seems like an incredible assumption at this point.

Again, I think a lot of the buzz is the NY hype and the fact that some of his best performances have been on national TV.

[Nivek]

I think Shumpert LOOKS better than he actually plays. Dat's points about Shumpert's inefficiency are good ones.

Also, how much credit does Walsh deserve for "finding" him? DX had him rated as a 1st round pick in the 20s. NBAdraft.net had him going 20th. In my stuff, he rated as a late 1st round pick. Walsh picked him 17th, which is a little earlier than the "outside" experts, but hardly rates as a "find." Especially considering that he passed on Faried, who's going to be a much better pro.

[dobrojim]

My prediction about peoples' reactions since reporting the D'Antoni rumor seems to have been correct. People are very against it -- it seems mostly based on D'antoni's age, the perception that he doesn't coach defense and/or discipline, and the fact that he hasn't won multiple championships.

I have some counters to these "arguments" in my head, but I'm going to keep them to myself for the time being. Instead, I have ordered a copy of Jack McCallum's book "Seven Seconds or Less," which chronicles the Suns' 05-06 season during which the author was an embedded reporter with tons of access. I got it for $4, including shipping, off of Amazon. The book is supposedly fabulous. I'm going to try to educate myself before taking a strong position.

Who's with me? WizFans book club!

I'll try to get the book. I like to consider myself teachable.

[gesa2]

I'm a little more than half way through the book, bought it when the rumors first started about D'Antoni. The per possession numbers for that Phoenix team were apparently not bad defensively, but all of the quotes from D'Antoni so far are about outscoring the opposition. Maybe that was just acknowledging his team's strengths with Nash at the helm; in NY he had a pretty good defensive rating this year. He does seem like a good guy, and was creative and willing to adapt to player's best traits. Heck, he got something out of Tim Thomas AND Boris Diaw that season, which is more than any coach has before or since.

[MOrgil]

I really don't want Wizards to hire someone high profile right now. We are not making playoffs probably for another 2-3 seasons, so no need to go after someone big. Wizards should try to find a very energetic, competitive head coach who will keep teaching and developing the young talent.

[hands11]

Wizards Coach Randy Wittman making the best of a difficult situation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wi ... ory_1.html

Randy is a good coach and has earned an invite to come back for 1 more year to show what he can do when he isnt taking over midseason on a team that is sitting its best player so they can secure a tank. Sorry, but people who want to ship Randy out so they can go the grass is greener approach are missing out.

Randy is that young up and coming coach and he is already here.

And the players respond to him. Talent is improving under him. He is a straight shooter and they respect that. Wall likes him.

[nate33]

I was listening to David Thorpe on ESPN's NBA Today podcast. He hammered home the point that players aren't finished products with a pre-defined ceiling once they get into the league. The environment really matters. He pointed to Chauncey Billups as an example of a player who learned to play PG, and he did so under Larry Brown (after being a mediocre combo guard for several years under several coaches, including Flip Saunders).

It got me to thinking that Wall is not thriving under Wittman. He seems to be getting worse. Wall is the most important piece to the puzzle and our top priority must be develop him to be the best player he can be. Randy has done many things well in his stint in Washington, but he has failed to make much headway with Wall. For that reason alone, I'd be open to exploring other options at head coach.

I'll cede that I may be over-analyzing things with a small sample size. Maybe there are other factors like injuries or fatigue that have affected Wall's performance.

[Nivek]

Wittman is "young up and coming"? He's 52 years old and this is his 3rd head coaching gig. He's 62 games under .500 for his career. That's not the sole measure of how good a coach he is -- he took over a below-average Cleveland team, which then got worse under him, though it's hard to blame him for that. His next gig was in Minnesota where things were falling apart, and then they traded KG to start rebuilding. Again, hard to blame him for the team not winning -- they were in essence about where the Wizards are now.

It's good that the players like him, but that doesn't mean he's the best guy for the job. The Wizards should have an open search for the coach and Wittman has earned the right to be considered one of the prime candidates. My guess is that he's learned a lot about coaching since his previous gigs. But they'd be foolish to just hand him the job. They need to explore their options. Maybe he turns out to be the right guy, but at least explore other candidates as well.

[hands11]

I was listening to David Thorpe on ESPN's NBA Today podcast. He hammered home the point that players aren't finished products with a pre-defined ceiling once they get into the league. The environment really matters. He pointed to Chauncey Billups as an example of a player who learned to play PG, and he did so under Larry Brown (after being a mediocre combo guard for several years under several coaches, including Flip Saunders).

It got me to thinking that Wall is not thriving under Wittman. He seems to be getting worse. Wall is the most important piece to the puzzle and our top priority must be develop him to be the best player he can be. Randy has done many things well in his stint in Washington, but he has failed to make much headway with Wall. For that reason alone, I'd be open to exploring other options at head coach.

I'll cede that I may be over-analyzing things with a small sample size. Maybe there are other factors like injuries or fatigue that have affected Wall's performance.

Wow, I couldn't disagree more about your assessment of Wall under Whitman.

Saying Wall is not thriving under Whitman is way missing what is going on. When Whitman took over he simplified the offense and did more up tempo. Wall was playing really well under that. It was Nene showing up and two starters leaving that throw Wall off. He needed to adjust and we didnt see it long enough for Wall to learn how. In part it was because he needed to find his shot, which he had lost. Also, he needed to learn his new teammate and learn how to find the creases in the half court set.

Randy took over when... Jan 24th

Wall Feb numbers were .480 4.6rbs 8.6 assists 0.9blocks 1.4steals 19.2 pts with 6 double digit assists games and 2 that were 15 assists. 5 2x 2x games and he missed 1 more by 1 assist.

He continued on a tear until mid March when Nick and McGee left and then Nene was added a few games later 3/21. His assist stayed good with several games with 9, but he had a few egg games with low assists and poor shooting.

Its just adjusting given different personnel and what they can do with that different personnel. There have been a lot of different line ups since Nick and McGee got shipped out. First no Nick and McGee. Then Nene added. Then no Booker or Nene. That 2 starters out (NY/JM). Then a new players added ( Nene) who is probably the best on the team at center. Then loosing 2 more starters (Nene/Booker). All in a few weeks. So if Wall had a bump in his play, I think that can be expected. Every position on the team got change up except C Singleton and he isnt even that good.

Wall/NY/Sing/Booker/McGee
Wall/Craw/Sing/Booker/Nene
Wall/Craw/Sing/Ves/Keveen (2 rookie and 3 second year players)

I think his last two games have been really nice. A couple plays last game I think he was pushing beyond what he can do but overall, quality games. Two wins and he looked like he was having a lot of fun.

Randy has done a great job helping Wall navigate these adjustments. I see his progress. He uses the pick a lot better. I also see when he regresses. But that is going to happen with so many pieces changing. Next year will be year 3 for Wall. Traditionally a break out year for a PG. Specially since he missed summer instruction while the strike was on so he had a really rough start to the season playing stupid hero basketball.

This team made some HUGE transitions again this year. Nick and McGee out with Nene in is HUGE. Dray benched and most likely gone. Also Huge. This team is better now then what he had to start the year and it should be the team he gets next year with a few upgrades.

The garden has been weeded. Now we will watch the team grow and Wall will settle in more. It really have been change after change since he has gotten here. Things are not going to settle down and he has more assets on the floor with him. They can now start to gel.

[hands11]

Wittman is "young up and coming"? He's 52 years old and this is his 3rd head coaching gig. He's 62 games under .500 for his career. That's not the sole measure of how good a coach he is -- he took over a below-average Cleveland team, which then got worse under him, though it's hard to blame him for that. His next gig was in Minnesota where things were falling apart, and then they traded KG to start rebuilding. Again, hard to blame him for the team not winning -- they were in essence about where the Wizards are now.

It's good that the players like him, but that doesn't mean he's the best guy for the job. The Wizards should have an open search for the coach and Wittman has earned the right to be considered one of the prime candidates. My guess is that he's learned a lot about coaching since his previous gigs. But they'd be foolish to just hand him the job. They need to explore their options. Maybe he turns out to be the right guy, but at least explore other candidates as well.

Ok, maybe young wasn't the best word but 52 isnt old for an NBA coach. Besides that, it sounds like we are mostly on the same page. I'm just taking the view that I think Randy is a good coach and good with this group. I like his personality and schemes and how he communicates. I think they should extend him for 1 year and see what he can do. Once he is gone, they aren't likely to bring him back so why not give him an extended look for one year while he is already here. You can always go hunting for something different next year if needed.

But you got me thinking. What are the ages of other HCs. Well here is it. Randy falls right in the middle of the pack. And just for reference. Tibbs is older then Randy and most of us thought he was primed to be a HC. ( up and coming ) Age isn't everything but I don't think a old couch would match with this young team. Randy is a good age for them. Not to young and not to old.

Kaleb Canales (born July 7, 1978)
Frank Vogel (born June 21, 1973
Tavares Montgomery (Monty) Williams, Jr. (born October 8, 1971)
Lawrence Frank (born August 23, 1970)
Michael “Mike” Brown (born March 5, 1970)
Erik Spoelstra (born November 1, 1970

Vincent Joseph "Vinny" Del Negro (born August 9, 1966)
Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965)
Avery Johnson (born March 25, 1965)
Scott William Brooks (born July 31, 1965)
Jonathan Keith Smart (born September 21, 1964)
Scott Allen Skiles (born March 5, 1964
Tyrone Kennedy Corbin (born December 31, 1962)
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961)
Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961)

Randy Scott Wittman (born October 28, 1959)
Richard Preston Carlisle born October 27, 1959)
Stanley A. Van Gundy[1] (born August 26, 1959)
Larry Donnell Drew (born April 2, 1958
Tom Thibodeau (born January 17, 1958)
Michael Dean "Mike" Woodson (born March 24, 1958)
Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957
Dwane Casey (born April 17, 1957)

Richard Leonard "Rick" Adelman (born June 16, 1946)
Paul Douglas "Doug" Collins (born July 28, 1951)
Paul Theron Silas (born July 12, 1943)
Alvin Gentry (born November 5, 1954)
Lionel Eugene Hollins (born October 19, 1953)
George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951)
Gregg Popovich (born January 28, 1949)

[nate33]

I was listening to David Thorpe on ESPN's NBA Today podcast. He hammered home the point that players aren't finished products with a pre-defined ceiling once they get into the league. The environment really matters. He pointed to Chauncey Billups as an example of a player who learned to play PG, and he did so under Larry Brown (after being a mediocre combo guard for several years under several coaches, including Flip Saunders).

It got me to thinking that Wall is not thriving under Wittman. He seems to be getting worse. Wall is the most important piece to the puzzle and our top priority must be develop him to be the best player he can be. Randy has done many things well in his stint in Washington, but he has failed to make much headway with Wall. For that reason alone, I'd be open to exploring other options at head coach.

I'll cede that I may be over-analyzing things with a small sample size. Maybe there are other factors like injuries or fatigue that have affected Wall's performance.

Wow, I couldn't disagree more about your assessment of Wall under Whitman.

Saying Wall is not thriving under Whitman is way missing what is going on. When Whitman took over he simplified the offense and did more up tempo. Wall was playing really well under that. It was Nene showing up and two starters leaving that throw Wall off.

Fair points. I was kind of mixing up his play under Wittman and his play since the trade. You are right, he did play real well under Wittman for the month of February and the first part of March. It was only around the time of the trade that his play tailed off. I take back my Wittman criticisms with respect to Wall.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Yeah, Wall hit the wall around mid-March. I think when Jordan Crawford heated up, Wall cooled off.

Nivek has pointed out that Wall played better along side Nick Young than he has with Jordan Crawford at shooting guard. I think he's right about this but cannot figure out why.

[nate33]

Yeah, Wall hit the wall around mid-March. I think when Jordan Crawford heated up, Wall cooled off.

Nivek has pointed out that Wall played better along side Nick Young than he has with Jordan Crawford at shooting guard. I think he's right about this but cannot figure out why.

I know why.

When Nick gets the ball, he either shoots or he gives it back to Wall. When Wall gives the ball to Crawford, he never gets it back.

[hands11]

Wow Nate

Blow me over with that one. Did you forget the "Green" font or something ? lol

CCJ

As for Wall with Crawford over Wall with Nick, how can we really judge that in such a small sample ? And what qualifies as good game for Wall. I think his Charlotte game was one of his best games. That was with Crawford. Last game the same deal.

Crawford starting also happened with Nick and McGee leaving and no immediate replacement.
Then Nene was added a few games later which changed the offense far more then Crawford replacing Nick did. That is when they started feeding the post more and Wall struggled. Then you had neither McGee no Nene and we were starting Ves and KS and KS had not hit his stride yet. I think Wall started to press and all the changes were confusing him.

Point is, with all those changes, how can anyone isolate Crawford as the problem.

Way to many moving pieces in to short a time frame to do that. Specially given Wall and Crawford together played great the last two games. Even with C Singleton, Ves and KS starting. That has a lot of do with KS stepping it up, but also Martin, James Singleton, Mason had a good game. Again, to many moving pieces to say Crawford and Wall are not a good combo.

[Dat2U]

Yeah, Wall hit the wall around mid-March. I think when Jordan Crawford heated up, Wall cooled off.

Nivek has pointed out that Wall played better along side Nick Young than he has with Jordan Crawford at shooting guard. I think he's right about this but cannot figure out why.

Because Craw's shot selection is even worse than Young's

I think World B. Free would be envious of Crawford's ability to jack up shots.

Honestly I'm not even sure I'd want Craw coming off the bench next season. I don't think his style of play, shot selection, ball dominance is conducive to winning or team chemistry.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The best thing the Wizards could do would be to use Crawford in a trade to move up in the draft.

If I were GM of the Wizards I would be looking to sign Ray Allen or Micheal Redd to start at SG next season. I would draft Beal or Barton or Jeremy Lamb to learn under one of the two veteran guards. If I couldn't sign Allen or Redd, I would sign Anthony Morrow.

Jordan Crawford would be a guy I'd love to trade. He is fun to watch and quite a good streaky scorer. However, since Wall cannot hit a three you cannot have Jordan Crawford starting next to John Wall. He's too streaky and too ball dominant.

[hands11]

The best thing the Wizards could do would be to use Crawford in a trade to move up in the draft.

If I were GM of the Wizards I would be looking to sign Ray Allen or Micheal Redd to start at SG next season. I would draft Beal or Barton or Jeremy Lamb to learn under one of the two veteran guards. If I couldn't sign Allen or Redd, I would sign Anthony Morrow.

Jordan Crawford would be a guy I'd love to trade. He is fun to watch and quite a good streaky scorer. However, since Wall cannot hit a three you cannot have Jordan Crawford starting next to John Wall. He's too streaky and too ball dominant.

But we can have it all. We can add Beal and Ray Allen and keep Crawford. That gets you through next year min while Beal settles in. Let him fight for the starting roll through the year and into next. Let the wins pick up. Crawford isnt getting worse. You can trade him later if needed. Not like he is overly expensive right now and he actually fills a need because he an drives, dish and score. He is a competitor also. He doesn't have the star personality of a lead dog SG but he is good in other way. Good enough to contribute now while we grow into a winner.

This team needs to start to settle in and add pieces more slowly. You cant get good changing 4 starters a year. The only play who started the year as a starter still starting is Wall. That has to stop. We Craw actually did start, then he didnt and now he is again.

[RhythMic-]

I don't know if he's been mentioned yet but how about coach Nate McMillan? I like to think of him as a disciplinarian, and would certainly light a fire under these young players. What happened in Portland was out of his control and I was honestly surprised when he got fired. He did a pretty good job with the team even when they were decimated by injuries. I would definitely at least consider him.