Leonsis Response re: Arenas/Running the Ball

[Induveca]

Sent Leonsis this email yesterday:

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Mr. Leonsis,

Hopefully this doesn't fall into your folder of "overreacting" fan emails. I sincerely appreciate all the hard work you've put into interfacing with your customers over the offseason and giving us all hope. However I'd like to point out some of the predictions/goals you've made off the court concerning the direction of the Wizards have not been implemented.

For instance, here is an article from July.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcspor ... e_one.html

You stated how we'd have one of the league's most dynamic backcourts, and have a team that "puts up a lot of points" and "just runs the floor". Also stated you planned to feature Wall alongside Arenas for this very purpose and with the rest of the youth. You stated that was the "system the WIzards will build around."

However, in fact we're playing quite slow most nights, and featuring players who have the skillsets which go directly against your preseason wishes. We aren't scoring, or running. Hinrich (capable, but offensively/speed challenged) has in fact played 100% more minutes next to Wall this year. Arenas has played around 120 minutes next to Wall, Hinrich 240 (give or take 3-4 minutes). Seems to contradict your wishes/hopes for the squad this season. If your goal was to run/play the youth thus far it's not happening. Guys like Hilton Armstrong and Hinrich are playing 8/12 minutes in crucial stretches while your dynamic/speed/scoring players such as Arenas/McGee/Young ride the bench.

Thanks much for your time, and I'm confident your message in the offseason still rings true and the ship will soon be righted. We all realize this is not a championship year, but it disappoints me to see your vision for the team not being implemented by your staff.
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[Induveca]

His response:


Ok. Thank you.

Arenas starting tonight. Running more soon.

Ted
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Not a huge response, but at least a response. We have some hope. What we've been seeing on the floor just didn't match up with the man's vision. Usually a sign of some major internal struggles. Let's hope.

[nate33]

Ha ha. It looks like you just dictated the starting lineup for the Washington Wizards. I had no idea you had this kind of pull with Ted.

[dobrojim]

gotta love Ted

One does wonder though, did someone whisper in Flip's ear
or did he come to that decision on his own.

Having been a supporter of this, I am happy to hear of it.
That said, I also not too long ago suggested that perhaps
Wall should come off the bench. In hindsight that seems
kinda silly since he's already had a triple-dub and is
playing very well.

Now get a road win please.

[Induveca]

Ha ha. It looks like you just dictated the starting lineup for the Washington Wizards. I had no idea you had this kind of pull with Ted.

I should wish as much. Keep in mind it's the same guy who bashed Arenas a few months ago to me via email as well.

Obviously he was going to start anyways tonight, nothing to do with me.

[pineappleheadindc]

Induveca - can you please use your influence with Ted to score me some good seats for when the Lakers come into town??

[dlts20]

Is this foreal? Seems strange to me that Flip would change so quickly. Even if he considered it, I could see him starting Hirnich against Kobe and then Gil after that. seems strange

[Induveca]

Induveca - can you please use your influence with Ted to score me some good seats for when the Lakers come into town??

LOL. Honestly he's responded to everything I've ever sent. My suggestion is simply call him out on promises he's made. The guy has always been 100% customer/PR focused. He's defensive and reacted well to that approach even at AOL.

Big integrity guy, so even if it's not 100% always the case, successful businessmen always hang their hat on one big "strength" they project. Again, his being integrity find something his company/employees have contradicted him on in practice or quote and he'll hopefully respond?

[dobrojim]

so what you're saying is that Pine needs to find an email
where Ted promised him primo seats

[dlts20]

but did he really say that Gil would start tonight or am i missing the joke?

[dobrojim]

that's certainly how I would read it

[Wizards2Lottery]

Good. People keep harping that this season is more about the future and developing talent but guess what ... Gilbert will be here for another 3.75 seasons. He's going to be partnered up with Wall for pretty much all of Wall's developmental years.

The sooner we start the process of building that chemistry, the better off this team will be in the future. Arenas isn't getting traded.

[closg00]

If it was Ted that actually answered the email and everything turns-out to be true, then it shows that he is active in discussing possible improvements to our current woes. Could be Ernie saying "perhaps we could have Gilbert run the point and bring Wall along more slowly" What I want to know is if Ted & or Ernie are making demands on Flip, or is Flip adding anything to the discussion?

[Nivek]

Not to nitpick, but... The Wizards aren't playing slow most nights -- they play at about the league average pace, which by definition means that they play fast some nights and slow others. This season, they're averaging about 93 possessions per 48 minutes -- they've been faster than 93 possessions 10 times this year; slower 7 times; and right at 93 two times.

As far as scoring goes, there's not a lot Ted (or Flip) can do with the current group. Their high usage players have been inefficient; their low usage guys should be low usage guys. Unless Arenas regains his old form, and/or Blatche learns that a shot isn't good just because he's taking it, and/or Wall learns how to make jumpers and stop committing so many turnovers, etc., etc., etc.... the Wizards are going to struggle on offense. We knew (or should have know) this before the season began.

As for Arenas not playing many minutes with Wall -- it's true, but you should have acknowledged that Arenas missed the first 3 games, and that Wall has missed 6 games since Gil got back. Combined, that's 9 out of the 19 games that the two could not have played any minutes together at all.

I think the point about giving Hinrich and Armstrong minutes while Arenas/McGee/Young is kinda okay. Arenas is averaging 33 mpg, and they're trying most nights to keep his minutes down as he comes back. McGee could get more minutes (28.0 per night so far), but Armstrong is getting 11.8 per game -- he's not exactly snacking significantly on Javale's playing time. I wouldn't mind seeing a straight sub pattern at center -- McGee playing as much as his asthmatic lungs can handle, and Armstrong getting the rest. A 36-12 split would be fine by me.

This point is probably fairest with Young, who has played a lot better this season than he ever has before and deserves more minutes. At least until he starts shooting mid-range shots at his career norms.

Dang man, with all the pull you have with Ted, you gotta do some research before you fire off a message to the owner.

[Ed Wood]

Good. People keep harping that this season is more about the future and developing talent but guess what ... Gilbert will be here for another 3.75 seasons. He's going to be partnered up with Wall for pretty much all of Wall's developmental years.

The sooner we start the process of building that chemistry, the better off this team will be in the future. Arenas isn't getting traded.

Well I don't know about harping but this season is definitely about building for the future. On the other hand that don't have nothing to do with starting Keenan Heimlich. In fact I can't think of anybody who's actually said he or she wanted the team to continue to start Karl, just that all of the worrying over it amounts to rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. I feel like this has been run into the ground already so I'll at least try to put it another way, uh here's another, longer Titanic metaphor:

So the Wizards have hit an iceberg and this season is going down, would have been nice to have done something about it a little earlier but this franchise isn't allowed to have nice things. A combination of bad luck and really fantastic planning has left the team without enough life boats. In response there has been a considerable amount of attention paid to how the team should start boarding those lifeboats, I guess rookies and former all-stars first is the chivalrous option in this situation.

Nobody's really fighting that, but a lot of us are of the opinion that it's really more important to make sure next time the team makes sure there are enough life boats on board beforehand and maybe find enough able bodied sailors that large immobile sharp things are avoided in the future. And I guess we're getting a little tired of hearing about how much of a travesty it is that Gil isn't in a boat yet.

If nothing else I think this is something we can come together to celebrate because we're *fingers crossed* not going to have to talk about it anymore.

Edit: Also, please send Ted an email telling him to make JaVale stop saluting. Thanks in advance.

[tontoz]

In the Wizards defense regarding running it is hard to run consistently unless you have a healthy team. You don't want to run your guys ragged when you are short handed or when you have guys trying to get back into playing shape.

Also problematic is that the two primary ball handlers are turnover prone.

Re: Arenas starting, I certainly don't have a problem with it. I understand the reasoning behind bringing him off the bench after a string of 40 minute games but in the end the Wall/Arenas duo was going to be starting. It was inevitable.

I am curious to see how Flip manages the minutes. I don't think Gil is ready to go 40 minutes regularly yet so he is going to have to sit at some point. Will Flip avoid overplaying Gil in the first 3 quaters so that he has enough gas to finish in the 4th of a tight game? Watching how many minutes he has played Hinrich, who isn't that good even on his better days, makes me wonder.

[Induveca]

Seriously do you guys even email him? He always seems to respond. We are really his best customers, if you have an issue and are even handed/semi-logical about it, and quote either corporate PR, or his own quotes......we can make an impression on certain issues.

If we send him emails screaming or being just a typical fan we'll be ignored.

[pancakes3]

i haven't thought about emailing him at all, much less tracked down his address or anything. does he use gmail? can i gchat with him?

[Nivek]

Seriously do you guys even email him? He always seems to respond. We are really his best customers, if you have an issue and are even handed/semi-logical about it, and quote either corporate PR, or his own quotes......we can make an impression on certain issues.

If we send him emails screaming or being just a typical fan we'll be ignored.

I've emailed Ted. He must have taken a speed reading class or something. The guy reads frigging everything, and answers a lot of the emails he gets.

[JWizmentality]

Well done! Should we win tonight, I will devout a section of my next gamethread to you my good sir.