Open Letters To Ted Leonsis From Wizards Fans

[newslowsad]

Dear Ted, the Wiz need your guidance. That is all.

[JWizmentality]

Me thinks you need to be a little more...how do say....compelling.

[BruceO]

haha to think i was thinking about this board writing an open letter to the team and it's management asking wtf they are doing. It might have begun, dear team, are we tanking? and for who

[Terpman]

When you're done buying up the Bullets, could you PLEASE buy the Redskins too??
We NEED you TeddyBallgame!!!

[Wizards2Lottery]

I don't know how much Ted can do to help this team. I seriously don't understand who's obsession of the veterans is causing the young players to sit on the bench while scrubs like James and Stevenson get minutes.

I find it really hard to believe that Abe, as old as he is now and how bad his health is can have this much influence on this team. And it makes no sense that Ernie keeps drafting these really talented rooks but doesn't want them to get minutes... and then you have Tapscott but wouldn't Ernie tell Taps to play the rooks?

I don't know, I'm looking forward to next year. As long as the coach isn't Wes Jr.

[newslowsad]

Ted would help this team a great deal. A lot of the Wiz' problems now and for a long time stem from the way the franchise is operated. He would provide a much needed makeover. I know that it is a completely different sport, but just look at what he has done with the Caps. It is amazing.

[newslowsad]

haha to think i was thinking about this board writing an open letter to the team and it's management asking wtf they are doing. It might have begun, dear team, are we tanking? and for who

I can answer that:

Yes, and for:

[WizarDynasty]

Leonsis.. Please direct manage to make trades for player with true all star potential...not just offensive specialist who win popularity contest. A true all is dominant in his position on both sides of the ball...otherwise arenas is an offensive specialist. An allstar gives you such a superior advantage at position that dramatically swings the game into your favor. If arenas was able to shutdown hinrich well below his average and at the same time produce above average on offense...then that significantly swings the game in your favor. If arenas scores his points...but also lets the guy he is guarding score his average...arens isn't really changing the dynamic of the other teams offense. I.E. if arenas scores 30 points a game and he goes against hinrich who normally scores 20 pts a game..if arenas scores 30 pts and game and hold hinrich to 10 pts a game...arenas forces the other team to find another player to score hinrichs 10pts that he normally gives the team. Arenas doesn't do that. He allows the player he is guarding to scores his average or even above average and not affect the offensive chemistry of the other team. I.E. lebron. when he guards caron, he reduces caron's scoring average while at the same time...improving his scoring average. that is a super star. We pay arenas to be a superstar but he doesn't produce on the court like a superstar.
Please fire Grunfeld.

[kblack]

Leonsis.. Please direct manage to make trades for player with true all star potential...not just offensive specialist who win popularity contest. A true all is dominant in his position on both sides of the ball...otherwise arenas is an offensive specialist. An allstar gives you such a superior advantage at position that dramatically swings the game into your favor. If arenas was able to shutdown hinrich well below his average and at the same time produce above average on offense...then that significantly swings the game in your favor. If arenas scores his points...but also lets the guy he is guarding score his average...arens isn't really changing the dynamic of the other teams offense. I.E. if arenas scores 30 points a game and he goes against hinrich who normally scores 20 pts a game..if arenas scores 30 pts and game and hold hinrich to 10 pts a game...arenas forces the other team to find another player to score hinrichs 10pts that he normally gives the team. Arenas doesn't do that. He allows the player he is guarding to scores his average or even above average and not affect the offensive chemistry of the other team. I.E. lebron. when he guards caron, he reduces caron's scoring average while at the same time...improving his scoring average. that is a super star. We pay arenas to be a superstar but he doesn't produce on the court like a superstar.
Please fire Grunfeld.

A true All-star? There are not many players in the league that are true all-stars according to your definition. Maybe 10! You don't trade to get those players. When Arenas is healthy and on the floor, he's one of the top 2 or 3 players in that game.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Just for giggles, go visit basketball-reference.com and do a head-to-head of Gilbert Arenas vs Jason Kidd, vs Tony Parker, vs Sam Cassell, vs Chauncey Billups, and vs Chris Paul.

I know for a fact he lost vs the first three very decisively in important categories and in wins and losses.

I think Gil when healthy is a tremendous scoring PG and one of the best ever at hitting game-winning shots. On the other hand, he routinely plays bad defense. Guys like Mo Williams and Ramon Sessions and Raymond Felton and Damon Jones all have hit shots to win games with Gil guarding them. Elite guards like the ones above (Cassell from a couple seasons back) routinely have their way with Gil.

In my book, Gilbert, like Antawn and Caron are good to great offensive players. Period.

[go'stags]

I agree, CCJ, but with one caveat.

Antawn, and to a lesser exten, Caron, dont have the same ability to play goodn defense as gil does. We saw it in the first 8 games last year before he got hurt. Gil, when healthy, has no limits athletically.

Gil is also a much better offensive player then those 2 as well.

[hands11]

You can write the team. I think the link is still in my sig.

I wrote them when the EFJ thing was just about to come to a head.

I told them how I felt about him as coach and said I wasn't going to buy anymore tickets until he was gone. I actually got a call back from someone from the organization just after he was fired. They asked me what I thought of the move and would I be coming back to see more games now.

I said I liked that they got ride of EJ and would be watching to see if the line ups and mins changed to something that made more obvious sence now that he is gone. Sadly, I may have to write them back and give them an update. Hey guys... nothing has really changed.

The line ups are still wrong given our talent and it's still taking to long for them to adjust.

I'm glad to see they discovered Dixon can play but as I said more then a few games ago.

McGee should not be starting any longer, he would be better off the bench.. Blatche should start.
I doubt they can ruin this kid but they aren't helping. He started and only played 5 mins ? This has happened more then once. Who is he... Etan ?

DS has no business at all still starting.

NY got 4 mins. That is completely insane. He should be getting 15mins a game min and actually should probably he starting.

So while EFJ sucked as a HC, Tapps is not proving to be any better. At least he is only a temp.


It's just so confusing. I have heard Tapps over the years. He is a smart man. He would identify what needed done when he wasn't HC. What happens to people ? Do they hire them and then give them a lobotomy ?

[yungal07]

Just for giggles, go visit basketball-reference.com and do a head-to-head of Gilbert Arenas vs Jason Kidd, vs Tony Parker, vs Sam Cassell, vs Chauncey Billups, and vs Chris Paul.

I know for a fact he lost vs the first three very decisively in important categories and in wins and losses.

i went to Br.com and arenas did struggle against kidd, who has been the best point guard in the 2000's. he killed paul and parker last year and the season before. he also killed chauncey too. i'm not sure about the head to head numbers, but looking at the past few boxscores -- i'd say he's killed all those point guards except for J. Kidd.

[WizarDynasty]

Just for giggles, go visit basketball-reference.com and do a head-to-head of Gilbert Arenas vs Jason Kidd, vs Tony Parker, vs Sam Cassell, vs Chauncey Billups, and vs Chris Paul.

I know for a fact he lost vs the first three very decisively in important categories and in wins and losses.

i went to Br.com and arenas did struggle against kidd, who has been the best point guard in the 2000's. he killed paul and parker last year and the season before. he also killed chauncey too. i'm not sure about the head to head numbers, but looking at the past few boxscores -- i'd say he's killed all those point guards except for J. Kidd.

When you say killed, are you saying that arenas held the pg below their normal averages and at the same time maintain or exceeded his scoring average? i know that paul and billups don't average as many points per game as arenas..but did arenas hold paul and billups below their "personal pts per game for the season". or even field goal average for the season?

[P'Oed]

Just for giggles, go visit basketball-reference.com and do a head-to-head of Gilbert Arenas vs Jason Kidd, vs Tony Parker, vs Sam Cassell, vs Chauncey Billups, and vs Chris Paul.

I know for a fact he lost vs the first three very decisively in important categories and in wins and losses.

I think Gil when healthy is a tremendous scoring PG and one of the best ever at hitting game-winning shots. On the other hand, he routinely plays bad defense. Guys like Mo Williams and Ramon Sessions and Raymond Felton and Damon Jones all have hit shots to win games with Gil guarding them. Elite guards like the ones above (Cassell from a couple seasons back) routinely have their way with Gil.

In my book, Gilbert, like Antawn and Caron are good to great offensive players. Period.

i COMPLETELY agree. I've found myself asking lately, "what has Gilbert done here?" I know he's a personality and the media loves that and he's a tremendous scorer who is exciting to watch...

He had a couple months during which he put up 62 on the Lakers and 53 on the Suns. It was awesome and none of us had seen ANYTHING like that here before. But other than those great few months and the DAGGER! in the Bulls series, what has this guy done to earn $111 million?

I think Gilbert is great. I own a jersey, I go crazy when the guy hits amazing buzzer-beating shots. But if he isn't going to take us any further then why are we flushing the money down the toilet? He's a liability on defense, and hey, if we had 4 other guys who played lockdown defense maybe we could get away with Gilbert saving his energy on D. Fact is, Gilbert is the "Superstar" and if he isn't going to bother to play D then the rest of the team won't either.

I really pray for the day that Gilbert moves to the 2, where he's SUPPOSED to be and where he's going to grow into the player that a championship caliber team needs. Throw in a Felton or a Williams at PG with Gilbert at SG and who knows, maybe our record could look more like the Cavs' current one at this time next year. And maybe a guy like Leonsis is smart enough to see things like this.

We need an owner who is completely conscious of what is going on and isn't emotionally attached to ANYONE in the organization. I love Abe, he's done great things not only for the team but for the community as well. But at some point, you have to pass on the torch to someone who is going to keep the team relevant. These past few years of making the playoffs has been great...I don't want to start returning to the 90s when I grew up watching this team suck.

Get some cajones in that front office. I think it's about time we really start pushing that desperation button for a championship like the Celtics did. I'm scared of what is going to happen in 5-10 years with this organization because at some point, no one is really going to care anymore and we might not even have a team. If it can happen to a team like the Sonics, a team who has a rich history, then it could happen to us sooner than you think.

[yungal07]

Just for giggles, go visit basketball-reference.com and do a head-to-head of Gilbert Arenas vs Jason Kidd, vs Tony Parker, vs Sam Cassell, vs Chauncey Billups, and vs Chris Paul.

I know for a fact he lost vs the first three very decisively in important categories and in wins and losses.

i went to Br.com and arenas did struggle against kidd, who has been the best point guard in the 2000's. he killed paul and parker last year and the season before. he also killed chauncey too. i'm not sure about the head to head numbers, but looking at the past few boxscores -- i'd say he's killed all those point guards except for J. Kidd.

When you say killed, are you saying that arenas held the pg below their normal averages and at the same time maintain or exceeded his scoring average? i know that paul and billups don't average as many points per game as arenas..but did arenas hold paul and billups below their "personal pts per game for the season". or even field goal average for the season?

i didn't do a comprehensive search, but:
arenas vs. billups:
2007: 36 points, 11 assists vs 24 points, 8 assists
2007: 25 points, 10 assists vs. 17 points, 9 assists
2006: 28 points, 10 assists vs. 29 points, 7 assists
2006: 20 points, 5 assists vs. 12 points, 10 assists

so yes, i would come to the conclusion that A HEALTHY arenas outplayed billups head to head in the past 4 matchups.

arenas vs. paul:
2007: 30 points, 11 assists vs. 21 points, 8 assists
2006: 33 points, 5 assists vs. 28 points, 11 assists

arenas won this matchup too, although it is close to a wash admittedly.

arenas vs. parker:
2007: 29 points, 1 assist vs. 20 points, 6 assists
2007: 17 points, 3 assists vs. 13 points, 6 assists
2006: 31 points, 8 assists vs. 28 points, 6 assists
2006: 43 points, 6 assists vs. 23 points 6 assists

arenas won this one too.

obviouly these don't tell the whole story. i didn't compare TS% and other numbers, and i didn't include the W/L. just strichtly raw scoring and assists numbers. and from what i've seen, arenas more than held his own or flat-out outplayed his competition more often than not. it seems like you dudes have a selective memory and want to hate on gilbert while he's down. well fyi, he's carried this team pretty much every season. without him this team is pure crap.

[Dat2U]

Glibert is so overrated. We can't win with him. We played our best ball last your when he was out and he came back and ruined chemitry and we've been struggling ever since. He's a cancer. We need to build the team around Caron, who along with Jamison are true leaders and mature veterans. When Gil gets healthy trade him for an expiring contract & a PG. Maybe Portland gives us LaFrentz & Steve Blake.

Give Butler & Jamison are real PG like Blake and we'd be so much better. Nick Young can take up the scoring for Gil and be just as good if not better. Plus he's long limbed and can block shots well for a 2guard. Nick also has quick feet and decent lateral acceleration which is a must for a perimeter defender.

I envison lineups like this:

SB, NY, CB, AJ & BH
SB, CB, AJ, AB & BH

Both lineups give us scoring and decent size. For a different look we can do either:

DS, NY, DM, AJ & AB
JC, NY, CB, AJ & JM
JC, DS, AJ, AB & JM

When we really want to go big we can look like this:

DS, AJ, AB, JM & BH
JC, CB, AJ, JM & BH
DS, NY, AJ, JM & BH

[hands11]

Glibert is so overrated. We can't win with him. We played our best ball last your when he was out and he came back and ruined chemitry and we've been struggling ever since. He's a cancer. We need to build the team around Caron, who along with Jamison are true leaders and mature veterans. When Gil gets healthy trade him for an expiring contract & a PG. Maybe Portland gives us LaFrentz & Steve Blake.

Give Butler & Jamison are real PG like Blake and we'd be so much better. Nick Young can take up the scoring for Gil and be just as good if not better. Plus he's long limbed and can block shots well for a 2guard. Nick also has quick feet and decent lateral acceleration which is a must for a perimeter defender.

I envison lineups like this:

SB, NY, CB, AJ & BH
SB, CB, AJ, AB & BH

Both lineups give us scoring and decent size. For a different look we can do either:

DS, NY, DM, AJ & AB
JC, NY, CB, AJ & JM
JC, DS, AJ, AB & JM

When we really want to go big we can look like this:

DS, AJ, AB, JM & BH
JC, CB, AJ, JM & BH
DS, NY, AJ, JM & BH

I hear what your saying. Those first group of line ups I've been talking about for years.

I go back to the team with Hughes and Gil. We needed a true PG and a Power forward.
Did that ever get addressed ?

We had Blake and Knight and let them both go.

But this kind of Gil trade isn't going to happen any time soon. At this point I can only hope he has been watching what the best point guards in the league are doing and is willing to adjust his game.

I'll say it again. There has never been a Championship team with a top 5 league leader in scoring playing PG. Gil needs to come start the game creating opportunities for his teammates and driving.

He can Hibachi in the 4th if needed and be the go to guy in tight games. If that is the game he plays, he will be great for us.

[yungal07]

Glibert is so overrated. We can't win with him. We played our best ball last your when he was out and he came back and ruined chemitry and we've been struggling ever since. He's a cancer. We need to build the team around Caron, who along with Jamison are true leaders and mature veterans. When Gil gets healthy trade him for an expiring contract & a PG. Maybe Portland gives us LaFrentz & Steve Blake.

Give Butler & Jamison are real PG like Blake and we'd be so much better. Nick Young can take up the scoring for Gil and be just as good if not better. Plus he's long limbed and can block shots well for a 2guard. Nick also has quick feet and decent lateral acceleration which is a must for a perimeter defender.

I envison lineups like this:

SB, NY, CB, AJ & BH
SB, CB, AJ, AB & BH

Both lineups give us scoring and decent size. For a different look we can do either:

DS, NY, DM, AJ & AB
JC, NY, CB, AJ & JM
JC, DS, AJ, AB & JM

When we really want to go big we can look like this:

DS, AJ, AB, JM & BH
JC, CB, AJ, JM & BH
DS, NY, AJ, JM & BH

I hear what your saying. Those first group of line ups I've been talking about for years.

I go back to the team with Hughes and Gil. We needed a true PG and a Power forward.
Did that ever get addressed ?

We had Blake and Knight and let them both go.

But this kind of Gil trade isn't going to happen any time soon. At this point I can only hope he has been watching what the best point guards in the league are doing and is willing to adjust his game.

I'll say it again. There has never been a Championship team with a top 5 league leader in scoring playing PG. Gil needs to come start the game creating opportunities for his teammates and driving.

He can Hibachi in the 4th if needed and be the go to guy in tight games. If that is the game he plays, he will be great for us.

geez....hook, line, and sinker. i'm pretty sure dat2u was being sarcastic.

[go'stags]

That could not have gone any better.