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according to 980

Holy crap.

This might not be good for us. Doc mentioned it in another thread - if you're going to fire the guy, do it in the off-season so he can at least keep the morale in the locker-room up AND help us lose games (ok, the second part I added).

But this begs the question - who is the interim head coach? If it's O'Koren, shoot me now.

It's been a long time coming if this is true. EJ wasn't the worse coach and I appreciate his time here, but I think it's time to move on and bring in someone EG would have approved of (recall EJ preceded EG). So who's next?

I am kind of shocked that this actually happened. Eddie is clearly a good guy and was local, but it was time for a change.

Eddie is a nice guy and I appreciate his work in helping us get back to the playoffs. It is definitely time to start a new chapter though. I wish him good luck, but it was painfully clear that we weren't getting any further with him. Alright EG, now you get to pick YOUR coach. Don't blow it.

ptown wrote:It's been a long time coming if this is true. EJ wasn't the worse coach and I appreciate his time here, but I think it's time to move on and bring in someone EG would have approved of (recall EJ preceded EG). So who's next?

EG gave him an extension so it's not really fair to say EJ wasn't EG's guy.

I wish all the best to Eddie Jordan. He signed on as head coach when this franchise was probably at its lowest point - in the aftermath of Michael Jordan. Sure, he got lucky that Arenas landed here, but 4 straight playoff appearances for this team is a huge success. I hope DC's own gets another shot somewhere.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizard ... fired.html

Ivan just posted a link.

Also according to Ivan Carter on the Wizards Insider blog at the Washington Post.

What I would like to see now would be McGee getting a lot of minutes. Blatche getting minutes, assuming he plays the way he should and hopefully gets into better shape. I'd like to see Nick Young start or at least get the majority of minutes at the 2. I wouldn't mind seeing more of D.Mac as well. We might as well see what Stewie can do, especially since EG picked up his option for next year.

The reality is you can't lose a game to a team with 7 players when you're already 1-9. I guess I would prefer Ayers to O'Koren as interim coach, but it doesn't matter very much.

EG should be aggressively looking at moving Jamison for young players/cap space and/or a guy who actually plays on both ends of the court. If the right deal comes along, I wouldn't hesitate to deal Butler either. If there is a way to turn Etan/Daniels/Stevenson/Songaila into useful players or cap saving, then go for it.

Since he's fired, it's only right that I say a few good things about the guy...

The man had his faults, some glaring, some not so much, but in general and overall, he was a good coach. He implemented a successful and tailored offensive system and he kept the players happy, no matter the circumstances. With the exception of a few incidents, the players always seemed to have his back, and that's good to see. It shows how much EJ meant to them.

I haven't been a fan of his rotations or his defensive system, for lack of a better word, but you can't say anything bad about the guy's character.

Ivan:

Ed Tapscott, who had carried the title of Director of Player Development but traveled with the team and essentially served as an extra assistant coach, will take over coaching duties, starting with a practice that will begin today at 11 a.m.

Eddie Jordan has always handled himself well and in a classy manner. He helped the Wizards to achieve a level of respectability. He was well-liked and mostly respected by his players, and the Wizards were a good offensive team in part because of his coaching. I'm sure when he's ready and wants to, he'll have no trouble getting an assistant coaching job in the NBA.

Wow.

I did think that guys were starting to tune him out. And that's usually the death knell ...

What I'm curious to know is, what will become of the Princeton offense? My guess is it's been kicked out the door, too.

And that's all these guys have been playing for years -- or, well, half-heartedly playing. It didn't work, except in a few instances. And wasted a lot of clock with the handoffs, etc.

It could be liberating for guys to be out from under the system. Or it could prolong indefinitely the utter failure of the first 11 games.

I do think that this clears the way for 30 minutes a game for Blatche, McGee and Young. We simply have got to know what we've got in these guys as we move forward.

McGee has shown some great flashes; can we count on him for major minutes next year? Is Young a part of the core -- or is he someone who might be moved with a big man like Jamison for a Major Piece? Blatche: now or never. If he doesn't produce with regular minutes (something he never really got this year under Eddie), then it's time to ship him.

A final thought ... I think it's almost a certainty, now, that major roster changes are in order -- either in the next month or so, or by the All-Star break -- if there's not significant progress made.

It was ultimately his substitution patterns that led to him getting the axe. i'm guessing that behind the scenes there was some tension between Ernie and Eddie. Specifically, Ernie probably wanted to see the youth get more minutes while Eddie kept inserting Darius at center. It will be interesting to see the lineup and sub patterns on Tuesday night because I'm sure they are being dictated by Grunfeld.

ESPN 980 with special coverage of the situation at 11 AM.

wow....really? wow....i wished for it, but didn't think it was going to happen so soon with so many injuries. He didn't exactly resign Etan and draft Opec...

I guess we were right that losing to a depleted Knick team like that was the final straw.

Didn't EG just give EJ a contract extension this off-season? What happens to that? Was it guaranteed money?

miller31time wrote:Didn't EG just give EJ a contract extension this off-season? What happens to that? Was it guaranteed money?

I believe that EG gave EJ a one year contract extension, which is almost certainly guaranteed. It is customary for coaches not to go into a season on the last year of their deal unless they're on the extreme hot seat. I would have thought that EJ would have fit that description. I don't really give a crap that EJ gets some more cash except if Mr. Pollin cuts back on hiring a new coach or making deals because of that 4 million or whatever it is.

On another note, I am okay with Ed Tapscott as an interim coach, but short of a deep run in the playoffs, there better not be a chance that he can get the permanent job.

miller31time wrote:Didn't EG just give EJ a contract extension this off-season? What happens to that? Was it guaranteed money?

basically a severance package.

this is where EG earns his money. he can bring in his own guy.