GT - Pacer @ Wizards - Tues Feb 22, 7:00pm EST

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I wouldn't mind an entertaining game or two along the way to the lottery. I think we are currently a bad team that has tuned out their coach (which might be a good thing b/c he keeps insulting them to the media) but I also, crazily don't believe we are all that far off from being much better, not championship or even EC finals better but much better. I would accuse myself of being a homer but I don't feel this way about the Skins so I have a hint of realism left in me somewhere.

I think we root for a young, talent-laden team, that has an exceptionally poor coach. Flip will rule autocratically as always. Mistakes will be punished. Eventually, Wall will speak out and Saunders will deservedly be fired.

After that people will see how talented the Wizards are.

The biggest thing wrong with the Wizards is Flip Saunders' coaching. I don't care what he did before being Wizards coaching. Last season 25-56. This season 15-40.

He is 40 up and 96 down, but somehow safe and secure with his job.

Blaming this on McGee and Blatche presupposes the coach couldn't bench either player for some better combination. Blaming everyone else but the coach makes no sense to me.

[Kanyewest]

UGH I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M WASTING MY PRECIOUS FREE TIME WATCHING THIS.

I could've played two hours of video games, man.

I love DVR- I can skip through commercials. Even the downside isn't so bad, when you find out the Wizards lose by double digits, then you don't have to watch it.

[Kanyewest]

The biggest thing wrong with the Wizards is Flip Saunders' coaching. I don't care what he did before being Wizards coaching. Last season 25-56. This season 15-40.

He is 40 up and 96 down, but somehow safe and secure with his job.

Blaming this on McGee and Blatche presupposes the coach couldn't bench either player for some better combination. Blaming everyone else but the coach makes no sense to me.

Come to think of it, everyone that Saunders had on his starting 5 would most likely start on the Wizards. Heck, even a gimpy C-Webb would be an upgrade over Blatche at this point.

[Spence]

Flip is worse than Eddie was 7 days a week as far as I'm concerned.

I read this all the time on this board. The Wizards would be good if only they got rid of Eddie Jordan as coach. Then it was Ed Tapscott. Now it is Flip Saunders. It's always the coach. He doesn't play the players you would play. He doesn't use the rotations you would use. He doesn't understand all you understand about the pro game.

Okay.

So we fire Flip. I give it 3 weeks -- 4 max -- before you start complaining about the new guy. I give it 8 weeks before you start demanding his job. And I'm not just talking about you, it's a lot of people. We can be like the Redskins. Just firing coaches until we get one we like. Just don't pay any attention to the quality of the roster and how it got that way.

[pancakes3]

YEAH! the real problem is EG! Fire EG!!

[cwb3]

Man, check out the article on last nights game by the Wash Post's Wiz beat writer. I cannot remember the last time I read a beat writer just wailing on the Wizards lack of effort.

Refreshingly honest, gotta give the reporter credit.

The Wizards have been a wanna-be finesse, jump shooting team for over a decade now it seems. I'd love to hear the terms "blue-coller", "rugged" and "smash-mouth" associated with at least a few of the Wizards. Its been so long. . .

(and no, Ruffin and Etan don't count!)

[pineappleheadindc]

It's okay to be a rebuilding team. It's okay to admit that your talent level isn't on par with the Bostons, Miamis, San Antonios of the world.

But it's really not okay to half step it out there and let Indy's BACKUP bigs dominate you as if you were a WNBA team.

Last night's exhibition of basketball was totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. With the exception of Wall, Booker, Seraphin, and maybe Hinrich, I'm ready to trade everyone else on this God-forsaken squad for a Chipotle steak burrito and a coke.

I'm this close to sending flaming email to Leonsis, except that he'd probably blacklist my email addy.

Fire everyone.

[Zonkerbl]

Man, check out the article on last nights game by the Wash Post's Wiz beat writer. I cannot remember the last time I read a beat writer just wailing on the Wizards lack of effort.

Refreshingly honest, gotta give the reporter credit.

The Wizards have been a wanna-be finesse, jump shooting team for over a decade now it seems. I'd love to hear the terms "blue-coller", "rugged" and "smash-mouth" associated with at least a few of the Wizards. Its been so long. . .

(and no, Ruffin and Etan don't count!)

Hm, he says "and the one of the worst offenders is N1, who missed a lot of jumpers [paraphrase]"

Since when does making jumpers have anything to do with effort? Maybe he was trying too hard?

I would say instead that they didn't drive to the hoop enough.

[Ruzious]

I would like to give thanks for the fact that I did not watch the game.

But how do you give up a combined 18 FT attempts to the PF combo of McBob and Handsbrough? On the season, they combine to average 4.6 attempts. I realize we have troubles with dominant centers, but we let 2 mediocre PFs combine for 18 FT's? How can that happen to a professional basketball team?

[dobrojim]

at least we all won chicken sandwiches for being there

not much positive to say beyond that -

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Flip is worse than Eddie was 7 days a week as far as I'm concerned.

I read this all the time on this board. The Wizards would be good if only they got rid of Eddie Jordan as coach. Then it was Ed Tapscott. Now it is Flip Saunders. It's always the coach. He doesn't play the players you would play. He doesn't use the rotations you would use. He doesn't understand all you understand about the pro game.

Okay.

So we fire Flip. I give it 3 weeks -- 4 max -- before you start complaining about the new guy. I give it 8 weeks before you start demanding his job. And I'm not just talking about you, it's a lot of people. We can be like the Redskins. Just firing coaches until we get one we like. Just don't pay any attention to the quality of the roster and how it got that way.

Spence, I liked EJ a lot and ALWAYS respected his character. Only one player in all his years in DC did I think EJ mistreated: Brendan Haywood.

The repeated playoff losses to Cleveland were difficult to accept when EJ went one series without using Haywood or Blatche virtually at all. Cleveland's bigs kept pounding the boards over a tired Jamison. EJ played Antawn and Caron too many minutes, lost with small ball, and the perimeter defense was epically bad. OTOH, EJ could coach walking dead zombies to 40 wins. EJ made the playoffs with old Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, and Roger Mason balling. The Spurs ran Mason from the league. AD was such a bad player for the Hornets Chtis Paul virtually had no backup. Darius Songaila and Mike Ruffin balled for EJ. The Wizards had a sick offense with EJ.

Eddie had to deal with far less talent, far more injuries, and he wasn't Ernie's coach.

The Wizards fired a 1-11 Jordan after he made the playoffs. Haywood, Arenas, and either Butler or Jamison were injured. EJ took the fall after EG went and resigned injured Gil (I Strongly advised against) and Jamison.

Spence, I only arrived at "Fire EJ" when Eddie appeared to raise the white flag.


I predict I will be ecstatic and stay pleased for years with the next coach as I was with Eddie. Jordan was a sincere, nice, good man. Flip really knows a lot about coaching, but he's not one to adapt his system to fit personnel. Eddie had Hughes looking like an all star. Gil was no Princeton guard. He did drop 54 on Nash and 60 on Kobe's team.

I don't arbitrarily despise coaches. The thing I dislike is that so many people, like Glenn Consor, and some posters I respect as knowledgable here, have no problem labeling Blatche or McGee or Young as an imbecile, or a knucklehead, or a moron; when it's the doggone coach who puts them on display the same way.

Flip is bad as Wizards coach.

[Ruzious]

CCJ, I know you're going to be angry at me, but if you're going to tell the full story, you should admit that you used to b and moan after pretty much every loss about EJ being a lousy coach - and if he had just done this or that, the Wiz woulda won. I'm sure you liked him and respected his character, but you consistently bashed his coaching... after losses.

[dobrojim]

Face reality - EJ was a horrible coach as his record so clearly
indicates. Look how much better the 6ers are as soon as he's
gone. Our D (under EJ), if you want to call it that, was epic bad with
EJ as coach. He got by to the extent that he did mostly because
Gil was a total stud while they were together. End of story.

[Kanyewest]

Face reality - EJ was a horrible coach as his record so clearly
indicates. Look how much better the 6ers are as soon as he's
gone. Our D (under EJ), if you want to call it that, was epic bad with
EJ as coach. He got by to the extent that he did mostly because
Gil was a total stud while they were together. End of story.

The 76ers situation may be because of Doug Colins but I would also point to that Jrue Holiday is much better as a 2nd year player, Allen Iverson didn't work out, and I would attribute their decline fore to the loss of Andre Miller. But EJ's system wasn't going to work immediately in Philly; most players struggled greatly in their first years in the system with the exception of Antawn Jamison.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

CCJ, I know you're going to be angry at me, but if you're going to tell the full story, you should admit that you used to b and moan after pretty much every loss about EJ being a lousy coach - and if he had just done this or that, the Wiz woulda won. I'm sure you liked him and respected his character, but you consistently bashed his coaching... after losses.

No, not true.

I called him Eddie Smalls the year after he lost in the playoffs not playing Haywood or Blatche. I talked about "Protect the Paint" and bemoaned that he'd give up the three, with a higher effective FG%, while having his small players double down in the paint. Made no sense at all.

Towards the end I said he's a bad coach but a good mentor.

But I NEVER said he's a lousy coach after pretty much every loss. I'm not going to call you a liar, but I do think your memory on this isn't as clear as mine and that you tend to overgeneralize when holding me accountable, Ruz.

Like I said above, EJ was released at 1-11, with a very injured roster and years of injuries at inopportune times to Butler, Arenas, and even once Jamison. The Wiz Board Five didn't get me on board til there were 20+ against EJ.

Ruz, you want to say I b and moan and that's your right to do so. I disagree with you and do not recall what you say like that. I don't need to pull you in just because I disagree.