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Is the Wizards organization overtly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 4:37 pm
by montestewart
I've never started a thread before and don't care if this one is merged somewhere (random thoughts?), but this got me thinking.
Ruzious wrote:And they better come clean real quickly on what in the hell is wrong with Vesely. The organization is looking completely f'd up right now. It's gotta be embarrassing to be a Wiz employee now.

Long story short, after having a partial plan in the same seats for five years, agent says I can't keep that spot next year. He adjusted my half season plan to account for the lockout, and I lost half the seats in that spot this year too (in no case was it a closer/better location) then substituted a Sixers game for a Heat game without notice. When I complained, he said he'd throw in a Bobcats game (sounded like he had a straight face when he said it). Still don't know whether they'll bother throwing in free tickets as in the past. I can't tell if they even realize the message they're sending to a loyal ticket buyer as the team enters its fourth straight season of suckdom.

Maybe that's just my own personal petty gripe, but last night I noticed the floor where we were sitting was VERY sticky, as if no one had mopped it in a while. When I went to the bathroom, there were no paper towels. What happened to that billionaire who personally checks the urinal cakes? I thought of the Mason-roster issue, and I thought back to countless other issues, regarding coaching, management, personnel, medical staff, team public relations, facilities, etc.

I'm thinking the team is looking a little rudderless from top to bottom.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 5:27 pm
by Wizards2Lottery
I attended the home opener, had center court seats in Section 418. No usher for the entire game. There were these two really good looking girls sitting two rows in front of us. About half way through the first quarter, a very shady looking fellow comes and sits down right next to them and starts flirting, making them very uncomfortable. One of them got up and looked around for what I'm assuming was security. No one was there. Eventually they both just got up and moved to different seats. This dude after staring them down for another five minutes, got up and left and didn't come back again for the entire game.

It was rather uncomfortable to watch.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 5:28 pm
by go'stags
Just to add, the point you made in another thread to the effect of "I want to see a plan, not just 'suck and hope for a high draft pick'" rang true, especially in wake of this teams putrid play. Is an entire season in nthe balance, with a coach that may need to be fired and probably a GM as well? I could be wrong, but it seems that good organizations don't waste entire seasons like this, even during "rebuilding". I'v been a huge, blind Leonsis supporter, and I'd like to continue to be, so I'd like someone talk me down. fish?

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 6:13 pm
by Ruzious
I'd urge you guys who bought tickets - to e-mail Ted. You have a right to expect a lot more - at least to expect that the facilities are clean, that there is adequate security, and that the team appreciates your patronage. That's the bare minimum you should expect, imo.

Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 6:35 pm
by Induveca
Actually I was visiting DC last week......I have to say the Verizon Center itself is looking pretty dirty. Obviously age is a factor, but was there a week and the windows/sidewalks in front were disgusting the entire time I was there?

Also was saddened to see the Hotel Monaco was gobbled up by Kimpton. Used to love that hotel, to say it has gone down in quality would be a drastic understatement.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 7:26 pm
by daSwami
three words: urinal cup holders.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 7:32 pm
by Severn Hoos
I think I'd prefer if that was two words: Urinal Cupholders. Otherwise, it looks like a holder for your urinal cup, which sounds rather unpleasant....

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 7:35 pm
by JWizmentality
daSwami wrote:three words: urinal cup holders.


That's awesome! :o

I'll follow you till the day I die! :bowdown:

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 7:44 pm
by montestewart
Severn Hoos wrote:I think I'd prefer if that was two words: Urinal Cupholders. Otherwise, it looks like a holder for your urinal cup, which sounds rather unpleasant....

and speaking of cupholders, ever notice how nasty the ones in the stabds look? some look like they haven't been washed since '97. Urinal cupholders might be more sanitary than the ones in the stands..

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Mon Jan 2, 2012 9:00 pm
by Hoopalotta
montestewart wrote:Long story short, after having a partial plan in the same seats for five years, agent says I can't keep that spot next year. He adjusted my half season plan to account for the lockout, and I lost half the seats in that spot this year too (in no case was it a closer/better location) then substituted a Sixers game for a Heat game without notice. When I complained, he said he'd throw in a Bobcats game (sounded like he had a straight face when he said it). Still don't know whether they'll bother throwing in free tickets as in the past. I can't tell if they even realize the message they're sending to a loyal ticket buyer as the team enters its fourth straight season of suckdom.


This might just be the Wizards proactively preparing a legal defense were it that something spectacularly unfortunate were to happen to you with your grieving kin then attempting to argue causality and sue the knickers off the 'Zards.

Here they can say, "while we cannot definitively disprove any correlation between watching Wizards basketball in person and the spontaneous combustion which engulfed the most unfortunate Mr. Montestewart, we did, in his interests, attempt to change his seats and push him further back from the, uhm, action."

Another couple years of this and they'll be issuing radiation badges and lead aprons at the turnstile.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 5:53 pm
by wizfan81
i used to work for the organization, and yes, there is some dysfunction there. just look at the gaffe with roger mason last week. how in the world do you allow that to happen? there is hardly any communication between business ops and basketball ops. now that the caps run the wiz, they brought in the caps mentality that they're so great and they will not budge on anything for wiz season ticket holders. i feel for the person who lost the heat game. they claim they sold so many season tickets, where most of the tickets that they have sold have gone to brokers. EG is not very popular outside of the basketball ops. and good luck getting comps as a plan holder. they will never do that again. they do not value anyone who is not a full season ticket holder.

ted says he wants to follow the OKC model. well, that will not work. OKC hit a home run on almost all of their draft picks, and that just does not happen in the NBA. the fact they did not even call lebron, and are not trying to get howard is sad. i know, howard probably wouldn't sign a new deal here, but it is at least worth a try. unfortunately, as long as EG is there, the team is doomed.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 6:54 pm
by Chocolate City Jordanaire
It worked out very well for the Wizards the way Gilbert was traded for Rashard Lewis. Less of a buy out/amnesty and at least last season was free of some of the tension. However, I remember how Arenas' whole gun incident was handled. I did not like the way Grunfeld spoke for the Pollins or his actions/inactions regarding Arenas. The first thing Ted Leonsis did was give his overwhelming support to EG. That was a bad sign to me because I do not necessarily view Ernie to be a stand up guy. I had to wonder about Mr. Leonsis.

That happened last season, but all I have concluded about the Wizards organization is Ted Leonsis advocates patience and what appears to me to be a conservative approach. His public endorsements of Saunders and Grunfeld are pretty much to be expected.

I want to give Ted Leonsis time. He fired the last Caps coach. I expect some changes to the Wizards in the near future.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 6:57 pm
by Nivek
New name for the Wizards:

Washington Urinal Cupholders

Kinda rolls off the tongue.

So to speak.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 7:49 pm
by tontoz
montestewart wrote:I've never started a thread before and don't care if this one is merged somewhere (random thoughts?), but this got me thinking.
Ruzious wrote:And they better come clean real quickly on what in the hell is wrong with Vesely. The organization is looking completely f'd up right now. It's gotta be embarrassing to be a Wiz employee now.

Long story short, after having a partial plan in the same seats for five years, agent says I can't keep that spot next year. He adjusted my half season plan to account for the lockout, and I lost half the seats in that spot this year too (in no case was it a closer/better location) then substituted a Sixers game for a Heat game without notice. When I complained, he said he'd throw in a Bobcats game (sounded like he had a straight face when he said it). Still don't know whether they'll bother throwing in free tickets as in the past. I can't tell if they even realize the message they're sending to a loyal ticket buyer as the team enters its fourth straight season of suckdom.

Maybe that's just my own personal petty gripe, but last night I noticed the floor where we were sitting was VERY sticky, as if no one had mopped it in a while. When I went to the bathroom, there were no paper towels. What happened to that billionaire who personally checks the urinal cakes? I thought of the Mason-roster issue, and I thought back to countless other issues, regarding coaching, management, personnel, medical staff, team public relations, facilities, etc.

I'm thinking the team is looking a little rudderless from top to bottom.



Yes. They should be bending over backwards for fans willing to pay year after year to watch this traveshamockery of a team.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 7:53 pm
by montestewart
I like the tank tontoz. Nice compliment to Nivek's battle lamb.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 8:43 pm
by Silvie Lysandra
They are a bad organization, and it is unfortunate that a guy from the cesspool (because Ted was a part owner of the Wiz) became owner. As I feared a bit after the hype died down, he would continue the same onerous policy and organization messes that made us suck for 20 years.

We needed a Mark Cuban but we just got a younger Abe.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sat Jan 7, 2012 9:40 pm
by Severn Hoos
Kinda disappointed - I thought the title asked if the organization was "overtly dysfunctional" - which offered the tantalizing thought that the past few years have been a secret mission to rack up high draft picks and lay low, causing other teams to lower their guard, so that EG & co. could pounce just when the moment is right. You know, kind of a Gene Wilder/Zero Mostel kind of way.



Sigh.... yes, I think the simpler answer is just that they are, in fact, overly dysfunctional

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sun Jan 8, 2012 12:36 am
by wizfan81
i feel bad for all of the people that spend money on wiz tickets...they truly are duped into donating to ted's charity.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sun Jan 8, 2012 2:42 am
by daSwami
montestewart wrote:and speaking of cupholders, ever notice how nasty the ones in the stabds look? some look like they haven't been washed since '97. Urinal cupholders might be more sanitary than the ones in the stands..


I've been peeing in mine since 2004, and its never looked better. hater.

Re: Is the Wizards organization overly dysfunctional?

Posted: Sun Jan 8, 2012 4:35 am
by montestewart
daSwami wrote:
montestewart wrote:and speaking of cupholders, ever notice how nasty the ones in the stabds look? some look like they haven't been washed since '97. Urinal cupholders might be more sanitary than the ones in the stands..


I've been peeing in mine since 2004, and its never looked better. hater.

Didn't want to miss any of the action on court, eh?

when they tear down Verizon Center, maybe you can use CITI Rewards points to buy that cupholder