WOJ BOMB: Tommy Fired

[payitforward]

I think the firing of Sheppard is entirely justified, but when I first heard about it, I couldn’t understand it. I think the reasons that people would point to to justify their belief that Sheppard should be fired are (I don’t believe all these reasons, just trying to list every complaint about Sheppard)

1. Poor drafting
2. Vastly overpaid Beal
3. Hired and won’t fire wuj
4. Failed to get optimum value for Kuzma and seems intent on giving him a big contract
5. Didn’t blow up the team and tank

I think those are all the reasons. If I missed any, please enlighten me.

It could very well be a combination of some or all those reasons, as well as the one you didn’t mention that was the one that Ted gave…not making the playoffs.

Those are all good reasons.
& if you draft poorly, over-pay players, hire a lousy coach (if that's what WUJ is, though I see no great reason to think so), & plan to give big contracts to bad players, why then... "not making the playoffs" does seem the likely result.

But, if that means that it's ok to do all that stupid stuff as long as you sneak into the playoffs, then there's a far bigger problem to solve than replacing Tommy Sheppard.

What did Landry Fields say in the interview I posted? Something like "the goal of the Atlanta Hawks is to be a championship-level organization," I think.

Have you ever heard anyone in the Wizards organization say anything like that? Have you ever heard Ted Leonsis say anything like that?

There's no reason in the world why the Atlanta Hawks should be a better organization than the Washington Wizards.

Suppose Ted Leonsis had said something like this:

"Our goal is to be a championship-level organization; we failed to do that under our previous GM & have made no progress whatever towards that goal under the GM I hired to replace him. I take responsibility for this history of failure, & I'm going to make every effort to change it by hiring a new President from outside the organization."

That is, more or less, what a real leader would have said.

We got the opposite. Effectively, what we got was, "bad sad Tommy disappointed me."

I'm sure Ted Leonsis is a nice guy. & I know he was a good manager working for Steve Case at AOL. He may even be a good leader of Monumental as an overall organization, who knows?

But, he's handled this situation, & the entire dozen year tenure responsible for the Wizards for that matter, just about as badly as possible.

[nate33]

1. Poor drafting
2. Vastly overpaid Beal
3. Hired and won’t fire wuj
4. Failed to get optimum value for Kuzma and seems intent on giving him a big contract
5. Didn’t blow up the team and tank

FWIW, I don't think #3 is valid complaint.

I have no particular problems with the hiring of WUJ and in not firing him. He hasn't been particularly good, but I don't think he has been particularly bad either. If anything, I think if WUJ was fired so soon after his hiring, it would be an even greater indictment of Sheppard.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

1. Poor drafting
2. Vastly overpaid Beal
3. Hired and won’t fire wuj
4. Failed to get optimum value for Kuzma and seems intent on giving him a big contract
5. Didn’t blow up the team and tank

FWIW, I don't think #3 is valid complaint.

I have no particular problems with the hiring of WUJ and in not firing him. He hasn't been particularly good, but I don't think he has been particularly bad either. If anything, I think if WUJ was fired so soon after his hiring, it would be an even greater indictment of Sheppard.

I still find it very hard to believe if he didn't have the last name of Unseld we'd be talking about this.

What drives many of us crazy is whenever you hear about this team making moves whether with management or players, we all too often hear about the that they are a local product or have past organizational ties, which in of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing but becomes one when it is a heavy influencer in decision making processes.

WUJ screams of exactly that. Just another poorly thought out hire that was given a serious leg up given his dad, the big man who revolutionized the outlet pass, is the player the franchise is most often associated with. I have nothing personal against WUJ, I just don't think he brings anything special or helpful to the franchise other than good PR.

So maybe point 3 should just be, "Hired WUJ." The fact that he hasn't fired him is as you stated not terribly surprising, the issue was the initial hiring.

[DCZards]

1. Poor drafting
2. Vastly overpaid Beal
3. Hired and won’t fire wuj
4. Failed to get optimum value for Kuzma and seems intent on giving him a big contract
5. Didn’t blow up the team and tank

FWIW, I don't think #3 is valid complaint.

I have no particular problems with the hiring of WUJ and in not firing him. He hasn't been particularly good, but I don't think he has been particularly bad either. If anything, I think if WUJ was fired so soon after his hiring, it would be an even greater indictment of Sheppard.

I still find it very hard to believe if he didn't have the last name of Unseld we'd be talking about this.

What drives many of us crazy is whenever you hear about this team making moves whether with management or players, we all too often hear about the that they are a local product or have past organizational ties, which in of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing but becomes one when it is a heavy influencer in decision making processes.

WUJ screams of exactly that. Just another poorly thought out hire that was given a serious leg up given his dad, the big man who revolutionized the outlet pass, is the player the franchise is most often associated with. I have nothing personal against WUJ, I just don't think he brings anything special or helpful to the franchise other than good PR.

So maybe point 3 should just be, "Hired WUJ." The fact that he hasn't fired him is as you stated not terribly surprising, the issue was the initial hiring.

Wes Jr.’s last name may have been a factor in him getting the Zards head coaching job. I don’t doubt that. But it’s not like he didn’t have a ton of experience.

Wes Jr. was an NBA assistant coach for almost 15 years, including 6 yrs in Denver where he was the lead assistant. He has been credited with helping to develop Jokic and Murray, and building Denver' top-rated defense.

[payitforward]

WUJ was part of a bunch of youngish guys who'd climbed the assistant-coaching ladder with notable success. He was a perfectly legitimate candidate for a head coaching job in the NBA. Just like the rest of his generation.

if, in that situation, his last name gave him a little edge over those contemporaries, so what? There's no reason to think it is what got him on the list of candidates.

Coaches aren't miracle workers.
For example, they cannot make a player better than he is.
Nor can they be more successful than the quality of their roster allows.

Nick Nurse is no worse a coach today than he was when he won a title. But he just got fired.
His roster isn't what it was a few years ago.

Our roster isn't nearly as good as the Raptors' roster this year. That's why we won 35 games, while they won 41 games. They have better players than we do.

If Nick Nurse had been coaching the Wizards this year we'd still have won somewhere around 35 games.
If WUJ had been coaching the Raptors this year they'd still have won somewhere around 41 games.

[doclinkin]

Makes sense, Greeks lie about everything. "There was only 300 of us, we all had six packs and hot wives, and we killed a million persians by kicking them into bottomless pits."

Funny!
I might be the only one here other than you who knows that, traditionally, Greeks & Persians have been enemies for 3 or 4 millennia. Oh, & I've actually been to Thermopylae!

Nonsense. Okay you're the only one here who can give a first person account of selling a carpet for Xerxes to lounge on. Or tell us all about when you penned an epic panegyric on papyrus to convince his great grandaddy Cyrus to let your people wander back to their homeland.

But no. Pretty much everybody has at least seen "300". "Our arrows will blot the sun from the sky". "Then we'll fight in the shade". Even if I'm probably the only one here nerd enough to have read the single issue comics of the Frank Miller series that the movie was adapted from. (If not Herodotus in the original Greek, I bow to your erudtion). Still, for those who don't like books with pictures, read Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield. Good book. Not sure if there's a good one from the Persian perspective though.

[AFM]

Makes sense, Greeks lie about everything. "There was only 300 of us, we all had six packs and hot wives, and we killed a million persians by kicking them into bottomless pits."

Funny!
I might be the only one here other than you who knows that, traditionally, Greeks & Persians have been enemies for 3 or 4 millennia. Oh, & I've actually been to Thermopylae!

Nonsense. Okay you're the only one here who can give a first person account of selling a carpet for Xerxes to lounge on. Or tell us all about when you penned an epic panegyric on papyrus to convince his great grandaddy Cyrus to let your people wander back to their homeland.

But no. Pretty much everybody has at least seen "300". "Our arrows will blot the sun from the sky". "Then we'll fight in the shade". Even if I'm probably the only one here nerd enough to have read the single issue comics of the Frank Miller series that the movie was adapted from. (If not Herodotus in the original Greek, I bow to your erudtion). Still, for those who don't like books with pictures, read Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield. Good book. Not sure if there's a good one from the Persian perspective though.

Have you seen the 300 sequel? There's this really awkward 10 minute sex scene it, basically full blown pornography. I remember seeing it in the theater with my then gf and feeling mad uncomfortable

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

FWIW, I don't think #3 is valid complaint.

I have no particular problems with the hiring of WUJ and in not firing him. He hasn't been particularly good, but I don't think he has been particularly bad either. If anything, I think if WUJ was fired so soon after his hiring, it would be an even greater indictment of Sheppard.

I still find it very hard to believe if he didn't have the last name of Unseld we'd be talking about this.

What drives many of us crazy is whenever you hear about this team making moves whether with management or players, we all too often hear about the that they are a local product or have past organizational ties, which in of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing but becomes one when it is a heavy influencer in decision making processes.

WUJ screams of exactly that. Just another poorly thought out hire that was given a serious leg up given his dad, the big man who revolutionized the outlet pass, is the player the franchise is most often associated with. I have nothing personal against WUJ, I just don't think he brings anything special or helpful to the franchise other than good PR.

So maybe point 3 should just be, "Hired WUJ." The fact that he hasn't fired him is as you stated not terribly surprising, the issue was the initial hiring.

Wes Jr.’s last name may have been a factor in him getting the Zards head coaching job. I don’t doubt that. But it’s not like he didn’t have a ton of experience.

Wes Jr. was an NBA assistant coach for almost 15 years, including 6 yrs in Denver where he was the lead assistant. He has been credited with helping to develop Jokic and Murray, and building Denver' top-rated defense.

You're right about his experience, certainly from a years in the league standpoint had that going for him. But I don't know, he got his start on the Wizards as an assistant, and I know Jokic and Murray said some nice things but of course they were going to do that trying to help out someone they knew out. So still too much of a fraternity-like atmosphere around him for my taste. Given the results, it doesn't help things.

I just want us to be good, independent of my own personal feelings. WUJ hasn't instilled in me that he does anything out of the ordinary to help that cause. If he gets another year, I hope he proves me wrong.

[payitforward]

Makes sense, Greeks lie about everything. "There was only 300 of us, we all had six packs and hot wives, and we killed a million persians by kicking them into bottomless pits."

Funny!
I might be the only one here other than you who knows that, traditionally, Greeks & Persians have been enemies for 3 or 4 millennia. Oh, & I've actually been to Thermopylae!

Nonsense. Okay you're the only one here who can give a first person account of selling a carpet for Xerxes to lounge on. Or tell us all about when you penned an epic panegyric on papyrus to convince his great grandaddy Cyrus to let your people wander back to their homeland. ...

So... you agree with me? Is that it?

There's no need for you to be jealous of my opium experiences, doc; I barely remember them!

[payitforward]

I still find it very hard to believe if he didn't have the last name of Unseld we'd be talking about this.

What drives many of us crazy is whenever you hear about this team making moves whether with management or players, we all too often hear about the that they are a local product or have past organizational ties, which in of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing but becomes one when it is a heavy influencer in decision making processes.

WUJ screams of exactly that. Just another poorly thought out hire that was given a serious leg up given his dad, the big man who revolutionized the outlet pass, is the player the franchise is most often associated with. I have nothing personal against WUJ, I just don't think he brings anything special or helpful to the franchise other than good PR.

So maybe point 3 should just be, "Hired WUJ." The fact that he hasn't fired him is as you stated not terribly surprising, the issue was the initial hiring.

Wes Jr.’s last name may have been a factor in him getting the Zards head coaching job. I don’t doubt that. But it’s not like he didn’t have a ton of experience.

Wes Jr. was an NBA assistant coach for almost 15 years, including 6 yrs in Denver where he was the lead assistant. He has been credited with helping to develop Jokic and Murray, and building Denver' top-rated defense.

You're right about his experience, certainly from a years in the league standpoint had that going for him. But I don't know, he got his start on the Wizards as an assistant, and I know Jokic and Murray said some nice things but of course they were going to do that trying to help out someone they knew out. So still too much of a fraternity-like atmosphere around him for my taste. Given the results, it doesn't help things.

I just want us to be good, independent of my own personal feelings. WUJ hasn't instilled in me that he does anything out of the ordinary to help that cause. If he gets another year, I hope he proves me wrong.

Maybe if we got some better players, what do you think? Could that help?

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Wes Jr.’s last name may have been a factor in him getting the Zards head coaching job. I don’t doubt that. But it’s not like he didn’t have a ton of experience.

Wes Jr. was an NBA assistant coach for almost 15 years, including 6 yrs in Denver where he was the lead assistant. He has been credited with helping to develop Jokic and Murray, and building Denver' top-rated defense.

You're right about his experience, certainly from a years in the league standpoint had that going for him. But I don't know, he got his start on the Wizards as an assistant, and I know Jokic and Murray said some nice things but of course they were going to do that trying to help out someone they knew out. So still too much of a fraternity-like atmosphere around him for my taste. Given the results, it doesn't help things.

I just want us to be good, independent of my own personal feelings. WUJ hasn't instilled in me that he does anything out of the ordinary to help that cause. If he gets another year, I hope he proves me wrong.

Maybe if we got some better players, what do you think? Could that help?

Don't disagree on that front either, but I think coaches matter too. At the very least having a guy that holds all players accountable is something that facilitates team cohesion and chemistry. But no doubt, roster needs a lot more talent as well.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

WUJ was part of a bunch of youngish guys who'd climbed the assistant-coaching ladder with notable success. He was a perfectly legitimate candidate for a head coaching job in the NBA. Just like the rest of his generation.

if, in that situation, his last name gave him a little edge over those contemporaries, so what? There's no reason to think it is what got him on the list of candidates.

Coaches aren't miracle workers.
For example, they cannot make a player better than he is.
Nor can they be more successful than the quality of their roster allows.

Nick Nurse is no worse a coach today than he was when he won a title. But he just got fired.
His roster isn't what it was a few years ago.

Our roster isn't nearly as good as the Raptors' roster this year. That's why we won 35 games, while they won 41 games. They have better players than we do.

If Nick Nurse had been coaching the Wizards this year we'd still have won somewhere around 35 games.
If WUJ had been coaching the Raptors this year they'd still have won somewhere around 41 games.

Anomaly or exception to this: George Karl coaching Denver up in 2004

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2005.html

Also, Flip Saunders coached the same guys Eddie Jordan took to playoffs down to 27 wins. Technically, ED TAPSCOTT coached tank-worthy before Flip.

This season, although they got swept hours ago, Jacque Vaughn did a lot better than Steve Nash has with Brooklyn.

I think sometimes coaching makes a huge difference. Scott Brooks was terrible quite often.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

[TGW]

Unless it’s getting a new urinal cake vendor, those guys better not be making any real basketball related decisions.

[closg00]

After an exhaustive search, JT III has been promoted to the position of Wizards GM

[NatP4]

After an exhaustive search, JT III has been promoted to the position of Wizards GM

JT III just understands the DMV culture, and understands what we’re trying to do here. There were plenty of suitors, but we found not only a great basketball mind, but a great person as well.

[BEEFBROTHER]

After an exhaustive search, JT III has been promoted to the position of Wizards GM

JT III just understands the DMV culture, and understands what we’re trying to do here. There were plenty of suitors, but we found not only a great basketball mind, but a great person as well.

I will do a triple lindy off the Wilson Bridge

[FAH1223]

Watch on YouTube

[montestewart]

After an exhaustive search, JT III has been promoted to the position of Wizards GM

JT III just understands the DMV culture, and understands what we’re trying to do here. There were plenty of suitors, but we found not only a great basketball mind, but a great person as well.

I will do a triple lindy off the Wilson Bridge

Do a Triple Bottom Line instead. Great basketball mind, great person and great well good doer. Who needs a great coach?

[FAH1223]

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