Ernie is entering year two of Ted's three year plan. Here is the blueprint for building the team. This is the Caps version, I can;t seem to track down the (12 point?) Wizards version that mentioned drafting players who play defense. But this is the basic armature of it:
1. Ask yourself the big question: “Can this team—as constructed—ever win a championship?” …..if the answer is no, then plan to rebuild. Don’t fake it—really do it the right way. Use analytics and be brutally honest.
2. Once you make the decision to rebuild—be transparent. Articulate the plan and sell it loudly and proudly to all constituencies, the media, the organization, the fans, your partners, family and anyone who will listen.
3. Once you decide to rebuild—bring the house down to the foundation—be consistent with your plan—and with your asks—we always sought to get “a pick and a prospect” in all of our [deals]
4. Commit to building around the draft. Invest in scouting, development, and a system. Draft players that fit the system, not the best player. Draft the best player for the system.
5. Be patient with young players— throw them in the pool to see if they can swim. Believe in them. Show them loyalty. Re-sign the best young players to long term high priced deals.
6. Make sure the GM, coach, owner and business folks are on the EXACT same page as to deliverables, metrics of success, ultimate goal, process and measured outcomes.
7. No jerks allowed. Implement a no jerk policy. Draft and develop and keep high character people. Team chemistry is vital to success. Make sure the best and highest paid players are coachable, show respect to the system, want to be in the city, love to welcome new, young players to the team, have respect for the fan base, show joy in their occupation, get the system, believe in the coaches, have fun in practice, and want to be gym rats. Dump quickly distractions.
8. Add veterans to the team via shorter term deals as free agents.
9. Measure and improve. Have shared metrics—know what the progress is—and where it ranks on the timeline— be honest in all appraisals; don’t be afraid to trade young assets for other draft picks to build back end backlog— know the aging of contracts— protect “optionality” to make trades at deadlines or in off season; never get in cap jail. Having dry powder is very important to make needed moves.
10. Never settle—never rest—keep on improving.
So far it looks like Ernie and Ted have done a decent job of sticking to the plan. Standout points being: 1, 2, 3, 4* [with an asterix], 5, and 7.
Point 4 is missing one critical piece. And I suspect Ernie's success or failure hinges on that point. Ted inherited a team running an unsuccessful 'system'. Flip's set list was proven to fail in the playoffs. The question then is raised, what system complements this collection of players? This may be the genesis of the D'Antoni rumor: Wall plays fast, Mike D likes to play fast. However, the emergence of Seraphin and the arrival of Nene tip the scales towards our frontcourt.
This suggests that points 1, 9, and 10 may be invoked. In the metric they use to evaluate team trajectory, do we need to play an uptempo offensive system to maximize John Wall, or can we form a hybrid that also relies on tough frontcourt play. But clearly the team is able to re-evaluate and find what fits with the plan, or tweak the plan as it is clearly shown to need it. To whit:
Point 8 changed with Nene, in part because in the NBA you need success quicker since you're limited in your ability to sign young players to Ovechkin-length deals. And veterans at key positions actually help youngsters develop. First you win, then you get good. Veterans can teach dirty tricks. I suspect Seraphin learned that 'pull the chair' technique from Nene. I'd never seen him use it before the big Brazilian arrived.
The timing for the change was good: we sucked long enough to land a number of high picks. We were locked in to a top-of-lotto prospect in a purportedly deep year, and in landing that vet for two players who were not great fits on point 7 (distractions, resistant or immune to coaching). We had as much PT as we needed for the youth on our team, even if like CSing they hadn't proven to have earned it.
We're ready for a next phase. The real question lies in whether we will stick with Witt, whether he can make a case for a longterm successful system, or if Ted would prefer to get started deciding on a system with a coaching hire. Some part of that system determination may be decided by our draft position.
I suspect, as with the Knicks and his love of players like Minister of Defense Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley, Ernie likes a defensive based team. But where criticism of him may ring true lies in his desire to implement what his owner would like to see. This is why D'Antoni is still a risk. Seems to me though that Calipari may be an even bigger target, if not this next year, in the future. That said though, as far as I' concerned this would definitely threaten point #7. Coach Cal can't afford a no jerks policy on his teams. Ask big Cuz or douchebag Joey Dorsey.
