Please Grade Eddie Jordan as a Coach.

[doclinkin]

From Big Wood in the comments section of his blog.

"I wouldn't mind playing for eddie again, we got off to a ruff start but in the end we had a pretty good relationship. philly wouldn't be a bad spot for me, and my contract is up in 2010 anyways so you never know what might happen."

Also:

playing for eddie had it"s ups and downs but in the end I can truly say that I liked playing for him

But you know, I'm pretty sure all the dedicated haters have some excuse -- some inside information-- on why they know better than our defensive anchor, who has better b-ball IQ than most of the players we've had here.


I'm noticing resounding silence here...

[closg00]

From Big Wood in the comments section of his blog.

"I wouldn't mind playing for eddie again, we got off to a ruff start but in the end we had a pretty good relationship. philly wouldn't be a bad spot for me, and my contract is up in 2010 anyways so you never know what might happen."

Also:

playing for eddie had it"s ups and downs but in the end I can truly say that I liked playing for him

But you know, I'm pretty sure all the dedicated haters have some excuse -- some inside information-- on why they know better than our defensive anchor, who has better b-ball IQ than most of the players we've had here.

I'm noticing resounding silence here...

It doesn't matter what Haywood's opinion of EFJ is, it's how EJF actually used him...or didn't use him.
He started a 6-9 PF against Z in the playoffs who continually abused us. He over-played injured players risking further injury. Nuff-said.

[Benjammin]

From Big Wood in the comments section of his blog.

"I wouldn't mind playing for eddie again, we got off to a ruff start but in the end we had a pretty good relationship. philly wouldn't be a bad spot for me, and my contract is up in 2010 anyways so you never know what might happen."

Also:

playing for eddie had it"s ups and downs but in the end I can truly say that I liked playing for him

But you know, I'm pretty sure all the dedicated haters have some excuse -- some inside information-- on why they know better than our defensive anchor, who has better b-ball IQ than most of the players we've had here.


I'm noticing resounding silence here...

No resounding silence here. That's some weak sauce you're serving. Brendan is no dummy; he's not going to alienate any team going into his contract year. Perhaps Brendan is simply classier about EFJ than EFJ was about EG.

[DCZards]

But you know, I'm pretty sure all the dedicated haters have some excuse -- some inside information-- on why they know better than our defensive anchor, who has better b-ball IQ than most of the players we've had here.


I'm noticing resounding silence here...

Of course there's silence doc. What do you expect from haters who have spent the last two years insisting BH hated EJ...only to learn that the opposite may indeed be true. Posters who just a few days ago wrote that BH was eagerly looking forward to destroying EJ's Philly squad...only to learn that BH wants to play for EJ again.

I said it before and I'll see it again: the "hatred" between EJ and BH was more a media/fan creation than a reality.

[Benjammin]

I must give the EJ apologistas credit. I've never seen such loyalty and fervent ardor for a below .500 coach. I am confident that EJ will continue the same level of performance that he has demonstrated throughout his coaching career.

[yungal07]

I must give the EJ apologistas credit. I've never seen such loyalty and fervent ardor for a below .500 coach. I am confident that EJ will continue the same level of performance that he has demonstrated throughout his coaching career.

Pretty much. A mediocre coach for a mediocre team. I don't see the point in defending the guy anymore.

[hands11]

From Big Wood in the comments section of his blog.

"I wouldn't mind playing for eddie again, we got off to a ruff start but in the end we had a pretty good relationship. philly wouldn't be a bad spot for me, and my contract is up in 2010 anyways so you never know what might happen."

Also:

playing for eddie had it"s ups and downs but in the end I can truly say that I liked playing for him

Ok. I was starting to think Haywood was maturing but now I don't know. Even if he did think this, you don't say it. Not if we want to sign for your existing team. Only thing this does is act as a power play to put pressure on the Wizard to money up. Sounds like a GA move. Not good. Don't get me wrong. It's not immature from a playing the NBA salary game in a smart way but it is from a bigger picture of balancing money and team loyalty if you think the Wiz are going for a deep run.

I'm not going to worry about it to much because things can change but that statement on its own is not a good thing for the Wiz since they will most likely want to sign him for as little as possible.

Hopefully the league salary cap and lux tax numbers temper Haywoods ideas of getting more money then we want to or are able to pay him.

[Kanyewest]

From Big Wood in the comments section of his blog.

"I wouldn't mind playing for eddie again, we got off to a ruff start but in the end we had a pretty good relationship. philly wouldn't be a bad spot for me, and my contract is up in 2010 anyways so you never know what might happen."

Also:

playing for eddie had it"s ups and downs but in the end I can truly say that I liked playing for him

Ok. I was starting to think Haywood was maturing but now I don't know. Even if he did think this, you don't say it. Not if we want to sign for your existing team. Only thing this does is act as a power play to put pressure on the Wizard to money up. Sounds like a GA move. Not good. Don't get me wrong. It's not immature from a playing the NBA salary game in a smart way but it is from a bigger picture of balancing money and team loyalty if you think the Wiz are going for a deep run.

I'm not going to worry about it to much because things can change but that statement on its own is not a good thing for the Wiz since they will most likely want to sign him for as little as possible.

Hopefully the league salary cap and lux tax numbers temper Haywoods ideas of getting more money then we want to or are able to pay him.

Brendan Haywood and his agent were going to put pressure on the Wizards to give him money anyways. This league is business. The Wizards wouldn't show Haywood loyalty if he started sucking it up like Etan Thomas. Sounds like you need to mature and look at it from other people's perspectives.

By the way, plenty of teams will have money in 2010 because they are saving their money for the LeBron James sweepstakes. Haywood will have to put up or shut up in a contract year. And for a league where quality big men are a commodity, if Haywood puts together a double double season, some team could overpay.

[Kanyewest]

I must give the EJ apologistas credit. I've never seen such loyalty and fervent ardor for a below .500 coach. I am confident that EJ will continue the same level of performance that he has demonstrated throughout his coaching career.

You act like coaching is a vacuum without considering the talent on the court. Who exactly was Eddie Jordan's MJ, Shaq, or Tim Duncan. Talent usually indicates how well your team performs; Doc Rivers didn't become a much better coach overnight when his team went from 19 wins to 65+ and a championship. he had top heavy talent like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

Sure Eddie Jordan had his faults but fans blame far too many problems on the team and overrate the talent on the roster. If you look at the teams that have made it to the Conference finals over the past few years, you can see that they have had significantly more talent than this Washington team.

Yes, Eddie Jordan has had his talent (Arenas, Butler, Jamison) but when they were healthy, their depth included the likes of Michael Ruffin and Jarvis Hayes. Look at the Lakers and Magic benches and tell me with a straight face that they compared to the talent that the Wizards have and not in the form of potential.

Sorry but the talent on this roster was not championship material even with all those 3 all star arguments.

[Wizards2Lottery]

He's fired for a reason. The men had an abysmal playoff record. Between loyalists and front office members, I know who to side with on this situation. The people who are employed by this team obviously know more than us

[Ced67]

I must give the EJ apologistas credit. I've never seen such loyalty and fervent ardor for a below .500 coach. I am confident that EJ will continue the same level of performance that he has demonstrated throughout his coaching career.

You act like coaching is a vacuum without considering the talent on the court. Who exactly was Eddie Jordan's MJ, Shaq, or Tim Duncan. Talent usually indicates how well your team performs; Doc Rivers didn't become a much better coach overnight when his team went from 19 wins to 65+ and a championship. he had top heavy talent like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

Sure Eddie Jordan had his faults but fans blame far too many problems on the team and overrate the talent on the roster. If you look at the teams that have made it to the Conference finals over the past few years, you can see that they have had significantly more talent than this Washington team.

Yes, Eddie Jordan has had his talent (Arenas, Butler, Jamison) but when they were healthy, their depth included the likes of Michael Ruffin and Jarvis Hayes. Look at the Lakers and Magic benches and tell me with a straight face that they compared to the talent that the Wizards have and not in the form of potential.

Sorry but the talent on this roster was not championship material even with all those 3 all star arguments.

Great Post. You need talent to win and even though EJ had some offensive firepower, your crazy if you think EJ could even contend for a championship with that roster 1-12.

[Benjammin]

I must give the EJ apologistas credit. I've never seen such loyalty and fervent ardor for a below .500 coach. I am confident that EJ will continue the same level of performance that he has demonstrated throughout his coaching career.

You act like coaching is a vacuum without considering the talent on the court. Who exactly was Eddie Jordan's MJ, Shaq, or Tim Duncan. Talent usually indicates how well your team performs; Doc Rivers didn't become a much better coach overnight when his team went from 19 wins to 65+ and a championship. he had top heavy talent like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

Sure Eddie Jordan had his faults but fans blame far too many problems on the team and overrate the talent on the roster. If you look at the teams that have made it to the Conference finals over the past few years, you can see that they have had significantly more talent than this Washington team.

Yes, Eddie Jordan has had his talent (Arenas, Butler, Jamison) but when they were healthy, their depth included the likes of Michael Ruffin and Jarvis Hayes. Look at the Lakers and Magic benches and tell me with a straight face that they compared to the talent that the Wizards have and not in the form of potential.

Sorry but the talent on this roster was not championship material even with all those 3 all star arguments.

Better players make better coaches, no question. I find it ironic that you bring up Jarvis Hayes and Ruffin, two EJ favorites who he played over guys with more talent and production. EJ is a reasonably good offensive coach. He is a very poor defensive coach. He is not a good in-game coach with adjustments or utilizing matchups. He is a player's coach who has a good relationship with most of his players. He's well-liked by the media. I don't think he's a horrible coach actually. But I simply do not get the dogged idolatry and zealotry espoused by his defenders. He had a long and moderately successful run as coach. If he truly had maximized the talent on his roster, I would be more likely to be part of the apologistas as well.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

About EJ I don't understand either extreme--dogged loyalty or hatred.

Regardless of his flaws, I like Eddie Jordan and want him to succeed.

He''d still be the Wizards coach if not for injuries to Arenas and Haywood.

I'm curious to see if he'll adapt and grow as a coach. Will he strictly be a system coach? Will he stick with offense and small ball? Will he prefer activity over measured achievement? Will he have a team that's always hurt. (Okay, that's not on EJ). If he grows as a coach, I want to hear what the haters have to say then.

OTOH, the good things about EJ are he's a positive role model and a guy the players look up to. You can't teach class and style. He's got both. As fans we care about wins and losses but the bigger picture is that there's only one NBA champion each season. A classy coach makes a difference. Winning isn't the only thing.

Roughly half the teams make the playoffs (16) and half of them do not make it out of the 1st round. Therefore, three-fourths of coaches get no further than EJ did the past four seasons with the Wizards. But how many of those 23 or 24 coaches impact the lives of their players in a positive way? Not many.

So, I give EJ major props for being a standup guy ad a person who's more than a coach to most of his players. EJ's loyal to his old coach and I'm sure the vast majority of guys who ever play for EJ will remain loyal to him.

[DCZards]

He's fired for a reason. The men had an abysmal playoff record. Between loyalists and front office members, I know who to side with on this situation. The people who are employed by this team obviously know more than us

I think you'd also agree that the people the Philly GM consulted with before hiring EJ know more than us.

76ers general manager Ed Stefanski discussed the team's coaching search while introducing Eddie Jordan on Monday.

Stefanski insisted that Jordan didn't have the job in the bag all along.

"As I said from the beginning, it was a process. Some people weren't happy that it wasn't quick enough; some people said I went too fast. I can't make everyone happy.

"I said communication was important for me, and communication turns into leadership. Everybody I talked to in the NBA, it kept coming back that Eddie Jordan did it the right way, that he put his dues in, that he worked really hard at his craft and is a student of the game.

"I heard it over and over, from 'The Logo,' Jerry West, who had him [as a player] in Lakerville; I heard it from Pat Riley, I heard it when I was [in New Jersey] from Rod Thorn.," the general manager said.

[fishercob]

About EJ I don't understand either extreme--dogged loyalty or hatred.

Completely agree.

Regardless of his flaws, I like Eddie Jordan and want him to succeed.

He''d still be the Wizards coach if not for injuries to Arenas and Haywood.

I'm curious to see if he'll adapt and grow as a coach. Will he strictly be a system coach? Will he stick with offense and small ball? Will he prefer activity over measured achievement? Will he have a team that's always hurt. (Okay, that's not on EJ). If he grows as a coach, I want to hear what the haters have to say then.

OTOH, the good things about EJ are he's a positive role model and a guy the players look up to. You can't teach class and style. He's got both. As fans we care about wins and losses but the bigger picture is that there's only one NBA champion each season. A classy coach makes a difference. Winning isn't the only thing.

Roughly half the teams make the playoffs (16) and half of them do not make it out of the 1st round. Therefore, three-fourths of coaches get no further than EJ did the past four seasons with the Wizards. But how many of those 23 or 24 coaches impact the lives of their players in a positive way? Not many.

So, I give EJ major props for being a standup guy ad a person who's more than a coach to most of his players. EJ's loyal to his old coach and I'm sure the vast majority of guys who ever play for EJ will remain loyal to him.

CCJ, I have always been an EJ "centrist." I didn't rejoice at the firing, but think it's probably good for the team in the long run, etc. I have always admired how Eddie has handled himself. However, I have been extremely disappointed in Eddie's trashing of the Wiz front office in the media -- both to Chick Hernandez and in his freakin' press conference where he's being announced as the new coach of another team. If there was ever a time to be gracious to your former employers -- to the people who gave you a big opportunity and made you a very rich man -- it's when you've moved on to a new position. EJ hasn't been dishonest -- he's answered the questions asked of him. But he's taken a bunch of potshots and said a number of things that he didn't have to. I've lost respect for him.

[LyricalRico]

But you know, I'm pretty sure all the dedicated haters have some excuse -- some inside information-- on why they know better than our defensive anchor, who has better b-ball IQ than most of the players we've had here.


I'm noticing resounding silence here...

Of course there's silence doc. What do you expect from haters who have spent the last two years insisting BH hated EJ...only to learn that the opposite may indeed be true. Posters who just a few days ago wrote that BH was eagerly looking forward to destroying EJ's Philly squad...only to learn that BH wants to play for EJ again.

I said it before and I'll see it again: the "hatred" between EJ and BH was more a media/fan creation than a reality.

It's like you're arguing against yourself here. If you're saying that it's wrong to be anti-EJ because you think Haywood dislikes him, why isn't it also wrong to be pro-EJ because you think Haywood likes him? You can't have it both ways.

And even if that's not the point you were trying to make, I can honestly say that I never made my case for hating EJ based on whether or not Haywood enjoyed playing for him. Anybody who did frame the argument that way wasn't getting the real point of the Haywood-vs-EJ discussion. The real issue was always EJ not playing his most effective big man to the detriment of the team. Period.

So maybe Haywood wouldn't mind playing for EJ again. Whoop-dee-do. That still doesn't change the fact that EJ repeatedly played inferior defenders over Haywood and it cost us games. Whether or not the guy was likable shouldn't excuse bad coaching. Nor is it a reason to claim that he's a good coach. If you have to start your description of a girl with "she has a nice personality", it probably means she's ugly. If you have to start your description of a head coach in professional sports with "he's a really nice guy", it probably means his actual abilities aren't good enough for you to lead with them.

[dobrojim]

EJ's a freakin genius.
I see on wiretap he thinks Brand is a 20-10 guy. (duh)