Grunfeld a Great GM. Proves Doubters Wrong

[hands11]

10 to 1 - posters want Witt and EG gone... Ted needs to make a change to get fans back on the Wizards side - and to begin to draw larger crowds at the Verizon Center.

It is good that there is still 10 percent that still believe in EG. 10 percent still believe the world is flat

Sold out crowd going crazy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7AaKfxVLc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGsXxqsUF0[/youtube]

[hands11]

We were already in the lottery for several years. Could have gotten more but we got Wall and Beal and we still have to see about Otto. Since Wall was drafted, he was projected as the franchise player. Beal was drafted to be the SG that complimented him.

Since then, there have been mistakes, but in the end, they did added the vets needed around Wall for him to grow. Gortat has allowed Wall to learn PnR. Now Miller is anchoring the 2nd unit and will help teach Wall to back down players. And now they have Gooden helping as an additional vet big and S4/S5. They have TA spacing the floor as one of the leagues best 3 pt shooter and top level perimeter defenders. AH while not hitting on all cylinders is helping by adding toughness, energy and post pts via his mid speed drives. Still waiting for him to get hot from 3.

And they still have Nene to add back. Nene is a legit force as a big man and fit perfectly as a missing piece to the pieces they have added.

Agree with how they got here or not, its looking more and more like they can be legit. Anchored by Wall their #1 pick who is just starting to get seasoned after his first AS appearance. He is learning to manage the game and how to close. And the 3 ball is looking WET all the sudden. Wall is still developing and the team is still gelling.

They will have Miller next year because he is signed. Gooden says he wants to stay and we can pay him the vet min while he makes 6.8M anyway. They have to figure out Gortat, TA and Webster sure, but they will have options and they will get Wall and Beal that valuable playoff experience they need this year. Which was the main goal.

Saying they are stuck is foolish. Same posters took that position when they picked up TA and Okafor and said they were stuck. It was always about Wall and Beal first and foremost and both will be here a long time. First goal was to get them to their peak so they can check those boxes off. TA and Okafor helped that process and so are the other vets they added... Miller, Gortat, Gooden, AH and Webster.

Pieces around them will get added and subtracted. They will keep an eye on adding a 3rd big piece when they can. Right now, its by committee. Nene, Gorat, TA, and its looking like Gooden. Nene and Gooden should be here next year. We will see about TA and Gortat. But adding Gooden is looking huge. Who knew he added a 3 ball while he wasn't playing.

I'm starting to feel like this might be some Bullets Fever going on here like a 1970s team

[closg00]

And what does a sold out crowd cheering their team (as we all do), have anything to do with Ernie Grunfeld's actual job performance?

[hands11]

And what does a sold out crowd cheering their team (as we all do), have anything to do with Ernie Grunfeld's actual job performance?

Read the part that is underlined in the post I quoted.

[payitforward]

Hands blowing in the wind as usual -- if you like to be right, just agree w/ whatever the latest event is.

Lets start with the following: Ernie has worked with an unbelievably great set of resources over the last 4 years. The combination of having high picks to begin with, moving up something like 10 spots total via the ping pong balls, and the opportunity to open up just about as much cap room as anyone could ever want.

Lets leave the lucky 2010 ping pong ball draft aside for a moment: thereafter, Ernie turned a #6 pick, a #18 pick, a #34 pick, a #3 pick, a #32 pick, a #46 pick, a #38 pick, one more 2013 round 2 pick, and yet another round 2 pick to come, plus his hand-picked off-season FA acquisition, into the following: Otto Porter, Glen Rice & Andre Miller. You think that's good work?

He also picked Beal w/ a #3 pick. As with Wall, this is not a pick that says "what a good GM." These 2 picks say, "whew, thank God he made the default choices that every other GM in the league would have made."

As to the opportunity he had to open a huge amount of cap room and sign young FAs with it, Ernie turned into an expiring Trevor Ariza, an expiring Marcin Gortat, and a first round pick given away. In other words... less than nothing. That too you like?

Your other point -- "It was always all about Wall and Beal" -- what does that even mean? Was it all about Beal when we threw away three straight picks in the 2011 draft? Or when Beal, an hour after drafting him, we flushed our high Round 2 pick? Hands, do you have any idea of what you actually think? Because, that can't be it!

Nene "a force" -- ? We got better after he went down (and before we brought on Gooden). Now, however did that happen, can you explain? Nene is a shadow of what once he was. A statue of Napoleon wins no battles, Hands, and the current version of Nene (not to mention the further declines inevitably on the way) is no help at all.

So... it's a total blast, I mean really great fun, to get some wins and post a just North of .500 record. Lets enjoy it. But lets not be fools enough to say that average is a great achievement given what EG had to work with.

[payitforward]

Gooden/Miller/Harrington. Three players that have contributed massively to this teams latest success. What defines a good GM? Sticking to the plan even if it defies popular opinion.

Great to have you back, genius. But, how come we see you after 2 wins in a row, but we don't see you after 2 losses in a row?

Please explain.

Edit: Oh, and "What defines a good GM?" Success is what defines a good GM -- as it does a good anything. There are 30 teams in the NBA, milellie111, as I'm hoping you know. How many teams are having more success this year than the Wizards? The answer is 14. How many teams are having less success than the Wizards? The answer is 15.

So, you tell me -- how "good", or as you used to say "great", is Ernie. Right now, at his peak in many a year, he has gotten himself to... average.

Do I have that right? Or what have I missed? I know... you are grading on a curve, right?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I want Ernie Grunfeld to be promoted on the success of this season. The Wizards can then hire a good GM candidate, Troy Weaver.

Free agents acquired and the Wizards' starters retained next season will be the success or failure of EG. Grunfeld has made a few moves that are reaping short-term success.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[hands11]

I want Ernie Grunfeld to be promoted on the success of this season. The Wizards can then hire a good GM candidate, Troy Weaver.

Free agents acquired and the Wizards' starters retained next season will be the success or failure of EG. Grunfeld has made a few moves that are reaping short-term success.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Seems like a likely move. Take a step back on a high note then if they bring in some someone, he will be associated with that also. Then somewhere down the road he just retires. And with his contract up, he and Ted can come up with something that makes sense.

[DCZards]

It's always entertaining reading the contrasting views of Hands and PIF. Hands typically sees things through rose-colored glasses, with clear skies ahead for the Zards. While PIF's view of the future is much darker and cloudier, with doom and gloom lurking around the corner. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Hands, I think I know where you're coming from when you say that "it was always about Wall and Beal." I too believe that the development of the Zards young backcourt is of paramount importance...far more important than worrying about an unknowable future like many on this board seem to prefer to do. So the "win now" approach most see as designed to save EG's and Wittman's job has the added benefit of giving Wall and Beal much-needed regular season success and playoff experience --both of which are long-term momentum builders, imo.

PIF, no doubt EG has blown it, especially when it comes to draft picks. I wanted the Zards to draft Leonard. But since I knew nothing about Ves and most of the draft gurus has Jan slotted just about where he was drafted, I thought EG knew what he was doing. Obviously, I was wrong. And you are probably right that those the second-round draft picks that EG has wasted could have very well turned into productive role players.

But I still think the Ariza/Okafor trade was a good one--and has helped to stabilize a franchise with a shaky foundation. And assuming the Zards continue to win and make the playoffs--and resign Gortat or use that cap space to go after, say, a Greg Monroe--I can live with the mid-first round pick that the Zards gave up for Gortat. Gortat has solidified the center position during what I consider to be a very important 2013-14 season for the Zards, which needed to build on the momentum with which they ended last season--and not regress.

Yeah, it might have been nice to have had that "huge amount of cap room" that you refer to. But I see two problems with that: having money doesn't guarantee that a quality free agent will give your franchise serious consideration, especially when you're a lousy team that can't even smell the playoffs. (On top of that, I can't think of many recent free agent signees who have been as productive as Trevor Ariza.)

And sometimes you end up spending that free agent money on a player who really isn't worth it. Just ask Toronto, which grossly overpaid Landry Fields, one of the players you thought the Zards should have pursued the offseason that they traded for Ariza and Okafor. Let's be thankful that EG didn't make that mistake.

[fishercob]

Gooden/Miller/Harrington. Three players that have contributed massively to this teams latest success. What defines a good GM? Sticking to the plan even if it defies popular opinion.

Great to have you back, genius.

Are you not old enough to know better than to act like such a prick so often? You're a smart guy and your posts are sometimes informative. But maybe don't be such a meanie all the time.

[LyricalRico]

Gooden/Miller/Harrington. Three players that have contributed massively to this teams latest success. What defines a good GM? Sticking to the plan even if it defies popular opinion.

Great to have you back, genius.

Are you not old enough to know better than to act like such a prick so often? You're a smart guy and your posts are sometimes informative. But maybe don't be such a meanie all the time.

+1

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

10 to 1 - posters want Witt and EG gone... Ted needs to make a change to get fans back on the Wizards side - and to begin to draw larger crowds at the Verizon Center.

It is good that there is still 10 percent that still believe in EG. 10 percent still believe the world is flat

Sold out crowd going crazy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7AaKfxVLc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGsXxqsUF0[/youtube]

Fun to watch the highlights. I was sitting across from the scorers table and didn't see Phil or Buck. Where were they broadcasting from?

[dckingsfan]

We were already in the lottery for several years. Could have gotten more but we got Wall and Beal and we still have to see about Otto. Since Wall was drafted, he was projected as the franchise player. Beal was drafted to be the SG that complimented him.

Since then, there have been mistakes, but in the end, they did added the vets needed around Wall for him to grow. Gortat has allowed Wall to learn PnR. Now Miller is anchoring the 2nd unit and will help teach Wall to back down players. And now they have Gooden helping as an additional vet big and S4/S5. They have TA spacing the floor as one of the leagues best 3 pt shooter and top level perimeter defenders. AH while not hitting on all cylinders is helping by adding toughness, energy and post pts via his mid speed drives. Still waiting for him to get hot from 3.

And they still have Nene to add back. Nene is a legit force as a big man and fit perfectly as a missing piece to the pieces they have added.

Agree with how they got here or not, its looking more and more like they can be legit. Anchored by Wall their #1 pick who is just starting to get seasoned after his first AS appearance. He is learning to manage the game and how to close. And the 3 ball is looking WET all the sudden. Wall is still developing and the team is still gelling.

They will have Miller next year because he is signed. Gooden says he wants to stay and we can pay him the vet min while he makes 6.8M anyway. They have to figure out Gortat, TA and Webster sure, but they will have options and they will get Wall and Beal that valuable playoff experience they need this year. Which was the main goal.

Saying they are stuck is foolish. Same posters took that position when they picked up TA and Okafor and said they were stuck. It was always about Wall and Beal first and foremost and both will be here a long time. First goal was to get them to their peak so they can check those boxes off. TA and Okafor helped that process and so are the other vets they added... Miller, Gortat, Gooden, AH and Webster.

Pieces around them will get added and subtracted. They will keep an eye on adding a 3rd big piece when they can. Right now, its by committee. Nene, Gorat, TA, and its looking like Gooden. Nene and Gooden should be here next year. We will see about TA and Gortat. But adding Gooden is looking huge. Who knew he added a 3 ball while he wasn't playing.

I'm starting to feel like this might be some Bullets Fever going on here like a 1970s team

And it all starts with Wittman - you must be endorsing him for an extension now

[mohammed10]

And it all starts with Wittman - you must be endorsing him for an extension now

Did you forget the green font?

[milellie111]

Gooden/Miller/Harrington. Three players that have contributed massively to this teams latest success. What defines a good GM? Sticking to the plan even if it defies popular opinion.

Great to have you back, genius. But, how come we see you after 2 wins in a row, but we don't see you after 2 losses in a row?

Please explain.

Edit: Oh, and "What defines a good GM?" Success is what defines a good GM -- as it does a good anything. There are 30 teams in the NBA, milellie111, as I'm hoping you know. How many teams are having more success this year than the Wizards? The answer is 14. How many teams are having less success than the Wizards? The answer is 15.

So, you tell me -- how "good", or as you used to say "great", is Ernie. Right now, at his peak in many a year, he has gotten himself to... average.

Do I have that right? Or what have I missed? I know... you are grading on a curve, right?

How many owners would fire a GM that has their team 2 games out of 3rd place in their conference? How many owners would fire their GM who has a sold out energized crowd at Verizon Center ? How many owners would fire their GM in the middle of or after a playoff run by a young talented team still reaching it's potential?

Easy for outsiders to want change and just say "fire" a guy without looking at job performance from both ends of the spectrum.

[milellie111]

We were already in the lottery for several years. Could have gotten more but we got Wall and Beal and we still have to see about Otto. Since Wall was drafted, he was projected as the franchise player. Beal was drafted to be the SG that complimented him.

Since then, there have been mistakes, but in the end, they did added the vets needed around Wall for him to grow. Gortat has allowed Wall to learn PnR. Now Miller is anchoring the 2nd unit and will help teach Wall to back down players. And now they have Gooden helping as an additional vet big and S4/S5. They have TA spacing the floor as one of the leagues best 3 pt shooter and top level perimeter defenders. AH while not hitting on all cylinders is helping by adding toughness, energy and post pts via his mid speed drives. Still waiting for him to get hot from 3.

And they still have Nene to add back. Nene is a legit force as a big man and fit perfectly as a missing piece to the pieces they have added.

Agree with how they got here or not, its looking more and more like they can be legit. Anchored by Wall their #1 pick who is just starting to get seasoned after his first AS appearance. He is learning to manage the game and how to close. And the 3 ball is looking WET all the sudden. Wall is still developing and the team is still gelling.

They will have Miller next year because he is signed. Gooden says he wants to stay and we can pay him the vet min while he makes 6.8M anyway. They have to figure out Gortat, TA and Webster sure, but they will have options and they will get Wall and Beal that valuable playoff experience they need this year. Which was the main goal.

Saying they are stuck is foolish. Same posters took that position when they picked up TA and Okafor and said they were stuck. It was always about Wall and Beal first and foremost and both will be here a long time. First goal was to get them to their peak so they can check those boxes off. TA and Okafor helped that process and so are the other vets they added... Miller, Gortat, Gooden, AH and Webster.

Pieces around them will get added and subtracted. They will keep an eye on adding a 3rd big piece when they can. Right now, its by committee. Nene, Gorat, TA, and its looking like Gooden. Nene and Gooden should be here next year. We will see about TA and Gortat. But adding Gooden is looking huge. Who knew he added a 3 ball while he wasn't playing.

I'm starting to feel like this might be some Bullets Fever going on here like a 1970s team

I like your point of view and the way you think brother. The Wizards are respected around the league and by other teams fans, however their own fans can be far too negative. Your posts are refreshing and gives the support this team needs.

[leswizards]

I like your point of view and the way you think brother. The Wizards are respected around the league and by other teams fans, however their own fans can be far too negative. Your posts are refreshing and gives the support this team needs.

It is hard to respect you when your only apparent reason for posting is to attempt to irritate those who have legitimate complaints about EG's tenure.

[LyricalRico]

We were already in the lottery for several years. Could have gotten more but we got Wall and Beal and we still have to see about Otto. Since Wall was drafted, he was projected as the franchise player. Beal was drafted to be the SG that complimented him.

Since then, there have been mistakes, but in the end, they did added the vets needed around Wall for him to grow. Gortat has allowed Wall to learn PnR. Now Miller is anchoring the 2nd unit and will help teach Wall to back down players. And now they have Gooden helping as an additional vet big and S4/S5. They have TA spacing the floor as one of the leagues best 3 pt shooter and top level perimeter defenders. AH while not hitting on all cylinders is helping by adding toughness, energy and post pts via his mid speed drives. Still waiting for him to get hot from 3.

And they still have Nene to add back. Nene is a legit force as a big man and fit perfectly as a missing piece to the pieces they have added.

Agree with how they got here or not, its looking more and more like they can be legit. Anchored by Wall their #1 pick who is just starting to get seasoned after his first AS appearance. He is learning to manage the game and how to close. And the 3 ball is looking WET all the sudden. Wall is still developing and the team is still gelling.

They will have Miller next year because he is signed. Gooden says he wants to stay and we can pay him the vet min while he makes 6.8M anyway. They have to figure out Gortat, TA and Webster sure, but they will have options and they will get Wall and Beal that valuable playoff experience they need this year. Which was the main goal.

Saying they are stuck is foolish. Same posters took that position when they picked up TA and Okafor and said they were stuck. It was always about Wall and Beal first and foremost and both will be here a long time. First goal was to get them to their peak so they can check those boxes off. TA and Okafor helped that process and so are the other vets they added... Miller, Gortat, Gooden, AH and Webster.

Pieces around them will get added and subtracted. They will keep an eye on adding a 3rd big piece when they can. Right now, its by committee. Nene, Gorat, TA, and its looking like Gooden. Nene and Gooden should be here next year. We will see about TA and Gortat. But adding Gooden is looking huge. Who knew he added a 3 ball while he wasn't playing.

I'm starting to feel like this might be some Bullets Fever going on here like a 1970s team

I like your point of view and the way you think brother. The Wizards are respected around the league and by other teams fans, however their own fans can be far too negative. Your posts are refreshing and gives the support this team needs.

Agreed, enjoy both of your posts. Keep up the positivity, guys!

[mohammed10]

What's next - holding hands and singing Kumbaya?

Seriously, I am all for giving credit when credit is due. However, Ernie has proven over the past decade of his reign of terror that he is incapable of building a championship caliber franchise. Heck, most of us would welcome winning a series or two, let alone a run at the ECF.

I don't think we are setting the bar too high here.

http://www.fireerniegrunfeld.com/p/blog-page_27.html

[hands11]

It's always entertaining reading the contrasting views of Hands and PIF. Hands typically sees things through rose-colored glasses, with clear skies ahead for the Zards. While PIF's view of the future is much darker and cloudier, with doom and gloom lurking around the corner. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Hands, I think I know where you're coming from when you say that "it was always about Wall and Beal." I too believe that the development of the Zards young backcourt is of paramount importance...far more important than worrying about an unknowable future like many on this board seem to prefer to do. So the "win now" approach most see as designed to save EG's and Wittman's job has the added benefit of giving Wall and Beal much-needed regular season success and playoff experience --both of which are long-term momentum builders, imo.

PIF, no doubt EG has blown it, especially when it comes to draft picks. I wanted the Zards to draft Leonard. But since I knew nothing about Ves and most of the draft gurus has Jan slotted just about where he was drafted, I thought EG knew what he was doing. Obviously, I was wrong. And you are probably right that those the second-round draft picks that EG has wasted could have very well turned into productive role players.

But I still think the Ariza/Okafor trade was a good one--and has helped to stabilize a franchise with a shaky foundation. And assuming the Zards continue to win and make the playoffs--and resign Gortat or use that cap space to go after, say, a Greg Monroe--I can live with the mid-first round pick that the Zards gave up for Gortat. Gortat has solidified the center position during what I consider to be a very important 2013-14 season for the Zards, which needed to build on the momentum with which they ended last season--and not regress.

Yeah, it might have been nice to have had that "huge amount of cap room" that you refer to. But I see two problems with that: having money doesn't guarantee that a quality free agent will give your franchise serious consideration, especially when you're a lousy team that can't even smell the playoffs. (On top of that, I can't think of many recent free agent signees who have been as productive as Trevor Ariza.)

And sometimes you end up spending that free agent money on a player who really isn't worth it. Just ask Toronto, which grossly overpaid Landry Fields, one of the players you thought the Zards should have pursued the offseason that they traded for Ariza and Okafor. Let's be thankful that EG didn't make that mistake.

That is the core of what I have been saying. That is not rose colored glasses.

I pointed out the main focus and I have been consistent in pointing it out repeatedly . I also have pointed out that there will be options in the future. Ones many might not all see. Me included. Well who saw Gooden showing up with a 3 ball ? Adding Gooden could well save this playoff run from being an appearance but actually being a run. Not a top 5 draft pick. Just a off the shelf FA picked up for vet min more then half way through the season. Every good move doesn't have to be the flashy one.

What I have said is the focus is on Wall and Beal. For Wall, things are going well. I worried he wouldn't develop properly and there was enough that we saw to have cause for those concerns. But Gortat has helped him a lot. He now learned to PnR. Okafor helped him a lot by example and giving Wall a talking to. Nene helped by standing up in a meeting and telling Wall, this is your team, tell us our roles. Now Miller will help him as well by helping him with pace and learning to back down players. Giving him a Nene also helped a lot also because he needed a post threat. Same with giving him shooters like Webster, TA and Beal. When people were saying TA was over paid.. trade him. I said, lets wait and see. We might want to keep him. He might want to stay.

If this team is ever to be really good, Wall developing to a top star was their first best chance to get there and getting him into the playoffs this year is of major importance and was growing all aspects of his game. I give them credit and give Wall a lot of credit. They went all in on Wall. Even signed him to max early.

What's interesting is what you call my rose colored glasses view is pretty much the exact same as how you say you see things in your post. Pretty much point for point.

How it all works out ? Not sure. But there are options. They still might find themselves in a position to land that 3rd wheel. I hardly see that view of unbalanced or one with rose coloring on it. I have disagreed with draft picks and FA pick ups. I said I didn't think they went about it in the most efficient way. I have serious concerns with Randys ability to maximize his talent with his game time coaching.

That said, yeah.. I will go into that mode rose colored glasses mode and cheer for the best outcomes at moments. I'm a fan. Its fun to hope lightening strikes and we go on a BULLET FEVER RUN. And with that said, I could see a glimmer of that happening for them this year. It could all come together where they make a run. Its a long shot, but if things break the right way, it could be a lot of fun to watch.