Countdown to Ernie Grunfeld Firing

[hands11]

Man, CLE went from a hopeful franchise to a hot mess in just one draft by taking Bennett over VO.

VO is exactly what that franchise needed. Not only with his defense, athleticism and talent but with his personality. How in the world did they blow what ?

Talk about your bone headed GMs.

[dckingsfan]

Should we have a poll or contest on the date EG gets fired?

If a poll then:
Dec
Jan
Feb
March
April
After the season ends
Keeps his job

[DCZards]

Man, CLE went from a hopeful franchise to a hot mess in just one draft by taking Bennett over VO.

VO is exactly what that franchise needed. Not only with his defense, athleticism and talent but with his personality. How in the world did they blow what ?

Talk about your bone headed GMs.

I think it's a little early to proclaim drafting Bennett a mistake. Kinda reminds me of how around this time last season some on this board were saying that the Zards should have taken Waiters over Beal.

[hands11]

Should we have a poll or contest on the date EG gets fired?

If a poll then:
Dec
Jan
Feb
March
April
After the season ends
Keeps his job

Sounds like a good idea. Would be nice to have that added to the thread.

[mhd]

Seriously, with Ariza & Harrington out, how in the world will we have a chance tonight? EG should be fired b/c of his horrible bench. I posted a while back that our 2011 draft has doomed our franchise. We don't have a bench b/c of that draft!

Fire EG: End the Failure (credit to the hilarious Raptor sigs that had "Fire BC: End the Failure).

[hands11]

Man, CLE went from a hopeful franchise to a hot mess in just one draft by taking Bennett over VO.

VO is exactly what that franchise needed. Not only with his defense, athleticism and talent but with his personality. How in the world did they blow what ?

Talk about your bone headed GMs.

I think it's a little early to proclaim drafting Bennett a mistake. Kinda reminds me of how around this time last season some on this board were saying that the Zards should have taken Waiters over Beal.

Well I'm not just calling it a mistake based on talent. I'm talking about team construction.

VO is a stud defender. A work addict. A real energy guy and a leader. All things that team needed. It hard for me to see Bennett ever measuring up to VO in those areas. Not by a country mile.

Cleveland could have all of that in VO right now. It was their player to take or pass up on. Instead they have Bennett and the team is still rudderless.

They could have had.

Kyrie/Jack
VO/Waiters
Alonzo Gee/Sergey Karasev
Tristan/Zeller/Earl Clark
Varejao/Bumnum

It still would need centers of the future but that is a tough ass PG and Guard rotation. They would have an emotion leader work horse. VO would have been great for Kyrie in getting him to defend better.

[hands11]

Seriously, with Ariza & Harrington out, how in the world will we have a chance tonight? EG should be fired b/c of his horrible bench. I posted a while back that our 2011 draft has doomed our franchise. We don't have a bench b/c of that draft!

Fire EG: End the Failure (credit to the hilarious Raptor sigs that had "Fire BC: End the Failure).

Actually I think the opposite.

Webster starting and Ves, Temple and Glen off the bench over AH should help them win. So will playing at home.

Actually, will so few SFs available. VES TO SF

Wall/Temple
Beal/Glen
Webster
Nene/Ves
Gortat

Hopefully that is the core 8

Wall vs Kyrie
Beal vs C.J. Miles,
Webster vs Earl Clark
Nene vs Tristan
Gortat vs Varejao

and

Glen vs Gee
Ves vs Zeller
Temple vs Jack

Bring in Booker is needed to beat up on Tristan some more if needed if he is to quick for Nene all game. And put Ves on Clack if needed. Should be an easy win if coached correctly.

[DCZards]

Well I'm not just calling it a mistake based on talent. I'm talking about team construction.

They could have had.

Kyrie/Jack
VO/Waiters
Alonzo Gee/Sergey Karasev
Tristan/Zeller/Earl Clark
Varejao/Bumnum

It still would need centers of the future but that is a tough ass PG and Guard rotation. They would have an emotion leader work horse. VO would have been great for Kyrie in getting him to defend better.

Hands, I think your Cavs lineup shows exactly why Bennett was the right choice for the Cavs as far as team construction is concerned. Anytime you have Alonzo Gee as your starting SF, you have a problem at that position. Alonzo is a nice role/bench player but he's not a starting caliber SF. With Bennett, the Cavs may have their star SF of the future.

By signing Jack, whose often teamed with Kyrie in the back court, the Cavs lessened their need to draft a SG. With Irving, Waiters and Jack the Cavs have a decent three-guard rotation. And CJ Miles is not a bad guy to have coming off the bench.

I think VO is going to be an outstanding player--maybe even an all-star--but don't be so quick to discount what Bennett might turn out to be. We're only 10 or so games into the kid's rookie season after all.

[jimij]

DCZards - how does Bennet help Cleveland at SF? He's a undersized PF regardless of how long they try to run him out at PF. Given that they had Thompson emerging last year and the fact that Waiters looks better in a Jamal Crawford like role off the bench (rather than playing next to Kyrie) VO would have fit there roster much better. They still need a SF no doubt but they still think they can get LeBron or another FA next summer to fill that role.

[montestewart]

I can't think of any #1 pick that has looked so bad 9-10 games into his career. It's hard to think of many top draft picks in general that have looked as bad at the same point. Wonder how Vesely compared at a comparable point in his rookie year?

[JonathanJoseph]

At 2-7, it may have only taken 9 games for make the Gortat trade another epic GM failure for the Wizards.

[montestewart]

At 2-7, it may have only taken 9 games for make the Gortat trade another epic GM failure for the Wizards.

Follow it all the way back to the beginning, to the shrewd Arenas for Lewis trade, shaving off a mega-max year of salary. Follow it through the Lewis for Okariza trade, forsaking a Lewis buyout (another $10 million?) and taking that saved salary back in new obligations, oh yeah, and giving up a 2nd rounder, but at least the team got some playas! Follow it through the Oka for Gortat trade, getting a warm body for one year in exchange for Wall's otherwise useless life skills coach, and all that cost was a mid 1st rounder.

So in the end, they basically paid all the Arenas salary they "saved," but it only cost them a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. But on the plus side…THERE IS NO PLUS SIDE!!!!

[paulpressey25]

At 2-7, it may have only taken 9 games for make the Gortat trade another epic GM failure for the Wizards.

As a Bucks fan, I really wish Grunfeld would have traded for Ersan Ilyasova. And you guys might have gotten Moute and Udoh out of it for your defense.

In any event, Grunfeld sucked in Milwaukee as a player. Sucked in Milwaukee as a GM and now has sucked for 11 years as your GM. Our team needs to tank this year, we need the Wizards to be good. No excuse for you guys to have the same 2-7 record as us.

[MJG]

At 2-7, it may have only taken 9 games for make the Gortat trade another epic GM failure for the Wizards.

Follow it all the way back to the beginning, to the shrewd Arenas for Lewis trade, shaving off a mega-max year of salary. Follow it through the Lewis for Okariza trade, forsaking a Lewis buyout (another $10 million?) and taking that saved salary back in new obligations, oh yeah, and giving up a 2nd rounder, but at least the team got some playas! Follow it through the Oka for Gortat trade, getting a warm body for one year in exchange for Wall's otherwise useless life skills coach, and all that cost was a mid 1st rounder.

So in the end, they basically paid all the Arenas salary they "saved," but it only cost them a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. But on the plus side…THERE IS NO PLUS SIDE!!!!

There may not be much plus side on the court, but at a personal level, I'm really enjoying the extra 5-10 hours per of free time I have each week.

[montestewart]

At 2-7, it may have only taken 9 games for make the Gortat trade another epic GM failure for the Wizards.

Follow it all the way back to the beginning, to the shrewd Arenas for Lewis trade, shaving off a mega-max year of salary. Follow it through the Lewis for Okariza trade, forsaking a Lewis buyout (another $10 million?) and taking that saved salary back in new obligations, oh yeah, and giving up a 2nd rounder, but at least the team got some playas! Follow it through the Oka for Gortat trade, getting a warm body for one year in exchange for Wall's otherwise useless life skills coach, and all that cost was a mid 1st rounder.

So in the end, they basically paid all the Arenas salary they "saved," but it only cost them a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. But on the plus side…THERE IS NO PLUS SIDE!!!!

There may not be much plus side on the court, but at a personal level, I'm really enjoying the extra 5-10 hours per of free time I have each week.

I would agree, but for my personal commitment to watch almost every Wizards game with my father-in-law, and to try and explain to him what the hell is happening to his team. It ain't easy. (I have to do the same with the Skins…)

[AFM]

John Wall is a machine. And by machine, I mean a robot programmed to dribble straight forward and throw a cross court pass to the corner 3. It's amazing he's averaging 9 assists running the same play 40 times a night.

[leswizards]

Ted should start asking EG his advice, and once it is given, he should just do the exact opposite. It would turn EG into the leagues best GM.

[tontoz]

The Nene trade, the Okariza trade and the Gortat trade were all win now trades yet here we sit 2-7. At some point you would think Ted would finally get a clue and fire this bum.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Did anyone notice in the 30/30 segment the implication that Grunfeld got pretty much whatever (or whoever) he wanted as the BMOC at Tennessee?

Since I can't begin to understand/explain his GM moves over the past decade or so, I can only assume that he contracted some type of venereal disease as a college stud and that that has impaired his intellectual faculties.

So, let's not hate on EG, let's empathize with him. I must be horrible to come to work each day not knowing when the disintegrating shape of your gray matter will cause you to do something like draft Vesely or trade a valuable expiring plus a 2nd for Okariza or give up the rights for La Bomba for a future murderer.

It's not EG, it's his brain. Perhaps we should form a foundation.

[BarnabyJones]

Did anyone notice in the 30/30 segment the implication that Grunfeld got pretty much whatever (or whoever) he wanted as the BMOC at Tennessee?

Since I can't begin to understand/explain his GM moves over the past decade or so, I can only assume that he contracted some type of venereal disease as a college stud and that that has impaired his intellectual faculties.

So, let's not hate on EG, let's empathize with him. I must be horrible to come to work each day not knowing when the disintegrating shape of your gray matter will cause you to do something like draft Vesely or trade a valuable expiring plus a 2nd for Okariza or give up the rights for La Bomba for a future murderer.

It's not EG, it's his brain. Perhaps we should form a foundation.