Grunfeld a Great GM. Proves Doubters Wrong

[leswizards]

This was my response to Cacciola's drivel.

...if I can find the time between responding to “All Hail Grunfeld!” articles.

I think it very well might become a full time job. I think it is clear that someone is on a publicity tour. The probable suspects are Ted and/or Ernie. If it is Ted, then I think it is clear he has made the decision to keep Ernie, and he is laying the groundwork for everyone to agree with his decision when it is made public. If it is Ernie, there are 2 possible reasons that he is doing it. First, he is publicly trying to force Ted's hand. Second, he knows he is getting fired, and he is trying to embarrass Ted and/or create good publicity to help him get a new job.

Since all the quotes seem to be coming from Ernie, I am pretty certain that Ernie is the one planting the stories. As to why he is doing it, from the tone of the articles, I think Ernie knows he is getting fired, and he is trying to publicly embarrass Ted when the firing comes.

[nate33]

This was my response to Cacciola's drivel.

...if I can find the time between responding to “All Hail Grunfeld!” articles.

I think it very well might become a full time job. I think it is clear that someone is on a publicity tour. The probable suspects are Ted and/or Ernie. If it is Ted, then I think it is clear he has made the decision to keep Ernie, and he is laying the groundwork for everyone to agree with his decision when it is made public. If it is Ernie, there are 2 possible reasons that he is doing it. First, he is publicly trying to force Ted's hand. Second, he knows he is getting fired, and he is trying to embarrass Ted and/or create good publicity to help him get a new job.

Since all the quotes seem to be coming from Ernie, I am pretty certain that Ernie is the one planting the stories. As to why he is doing it, from the tone of the articles, I think Ernie knows he is getting fired, and he is trying to publicly embarrass Ted when the firing comes.

I really hope you're right. But you forgot Possibility #3: Ted knows he's going to keep EG and has already let EG know, and now he's having EG make publicity tour to lay the foundation for public acceptance when they announce the decision this summer.

[Nivek]

Yeah, I don't see any way Leonsis fires Grunfeld. Leonsis set the goal -- make the playoffs -- and Grunfeld achieved it. For the same reason, I expect Wittman to return.

[keynote]

It's going to be virtually impossible to fire Wittman after a season where we make the playoffs. I think/fear that EG will be retained as well. The only viable hope is the suggestion I saw someone on the boards make where EG gets "promoted" to a supervisor/Phil Jackson role, and we find a young shark to take the Steve Mills role.

[closg00]

The genius of this thread is that it has basically replaced the Countdown to Ernie Grunfeld getting fired thread.

[montestewart]

The genius of this thread is that it has basically replaced the Countdown to Ernie Grunfeld getting fired thread.

Should be renamed "Grunfeld Still GM. Proves Doubters Powerless"

[milellie111]

It's going to be virtually impossible to fire Wittman after a season where we make the playoffs. I think/fear that EG will be retained as well. The only viable hope is the suggestion I saw someone on the boards make where EG gets "promoted" to a supervisor/Phil Jackson role, and we find a young shark to take the Steve Mills role.

Grunfeld will be retained along with Wittman. You don't fire a GM and coach after a playoff season on a rebuilding team. Continuity is very critical at this point in Wall and Beals young careers. Stability is best during this period.

[montestewart]

It's going to be virtually impossible to fire Wittman after a season where we make the playoffs. I think/fear that EG will be retained as well. The only viable hope is the suggestion I saw someone on the boards make where EG gets "promoted" to a supervisor/Phil Jackson role, and we find a young shark to take the Steve Mills role.

Grunfeld will be retained along with Wittman. You don't fire a GM and coach after a playoff season on a rebuilding team. Continuity is very critical at this point in Wall and Beals young careers. Stability is best during this period.

Absolutely. They should have been canned at the beginning of the rebuild.

[Illuminaire]

The Wizards are still rebuilding? That's news to me, given that they've gone all-in on a playoff run based around 30+ year old veterans and no effective cap flexibility or draft picks to meaningfully change the roster. You know, unless they REALLY rebuild, for once.

[hands11]

It's going to be virtually impossible to fire Wittman after a season where we make the playoffs. I think/fear that EG will be retained as well. The only viable hope is the suggestion I saw someone on the boards make where EG gets "promoted" to a supervisor/Phil Jackson role, and we find a young shark to take the Steve Mills role.

I have seen nothing from the organization that leads me to believe they are leaning toward resigning Randy.
With or without EG.

Without EG, he is clearly gone. With EG, Randy was Flips assistant. Wall and Beal wanted him to stay. He was a decent choice for where the team was at the time. But I have never gotten a feeling that Randy and EG got along.

No, if EG stays, I would predict more likely than not that he upgrades Randy. He should have much better options now then he did two years ago.

Randy being the HC of the team while they finally tooled up enough assets to make the playoffs isn't going to save Randy. Not when they don't even have to fire him. All the have to do is no give him a new contract. Thats a pretty easy more for a playoff team to make.

[TGW]

I don't think so Hands...I think it's a package deal with Grunfeld and Whitman. Ted has credited Whitman in his blogs recently, so I don't see him letting Grunfeld change the coach even if he wanted to.

[Nivek]

Again, I don't see any way that Wittman loses his job. The goal this season was to MAKE the playoffs. They're going to do that.

Now, I could see him signing a 3-year extension and getting fired in a year and a half when the team is still hovering around .500. But, I expect him (and Grunfeld) to be rewarded for making the playoffs.

[pancakes3]

Again, I don't see any way that Wittman loses his job. The goal this season was to MAKE the playoffs. They're going to do that.

Now, I could see him signing a 3-year extension and getting fired in a year and a half when the team is still hovering around .500. But, I expect him (and Grunfeld) to be rewarded for making the playoffs.

I agree. From a 3rd person perspective, under Flip we went from a 26 win team to a 23 win team to a 20 win team. Randy took over the 20-win team 17 games in and finished 18-31, which win percentage-wise extrapolates to a 30 win season. Last season we won 29 games and this season we're on pace to be a 42-45 win team. There really isn't any reason to fire Randy other than the fact that a handful of guys on a message board disagree with his rotations.

As for what to do the long-2 situation, I don't think the coaching staff is so stupid as to be actively condoning long 2's but they see that an open 2 as a better shot than driving into a contested layup for Beal. I mean, when Beal takes those long 2's (by design of the defending team) what should he do? Drive into the paint? Take a dribble back for a contested 3? Or should he be nailing those open 2's, forcing defenders to play him closer, which will open up the inside for Beal to pass to?

I'm sure the off-season for Beal will be full of coaching pressure for him to improve his ball handling and strength so he can take it inside and draw a few fouls. It's the single largest hole in his game.

[Illuminaire]

Generally speaking, if there is still at least 10-12 seconds on the shot clock, Beal should be resetting the play to find a better shot than a crappy long 2.

A lot of the Wizard's bad shots come early enough in the shot clock that it's hard to imagine the coaching staff has a real problem with them. I mean, either the players are failing to execute (but we never hear them being corrected for it), or the offense has no counters built in to keep the play going, or the play was designed to create that very shot.

Neither is a very good answer, and all of them paint the coaching staff in a negative light.

[dckingsfan]

I would argue that defense is the biggest hole in Beal's game.

[Nivek]

I would argue that defense is the biggest hole in Beal's game.

He could use some work on defense -- he rates a bit below average in the defense part of my metric. But, I think shot selection is the bigger issue.

[hands11]

http://www.csnwashington.com/basketball ... ase-sixers

Robinson's agent, Aaron Goodwin, told CSN Washington before the free-agent signing process opened in July that the Wizards were not on Robinson's shortlist of destinations.

Hopefully we can put this one to bed.

Maynor was still a mistake but Nate wasn't an option. Which was my take on things

[milellie111]

If some of you can find nothing positive to say about Ernie Grunfeld and his management of the Wizards, at least be fair and give credit where it is due. Drew Gooden, averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds the past 4 games. Outstanding acquisition. His production far outweighs his contract value.

[dandridge 10]

If some of you can find nothing positive to say about Ernie Grunfeld and his management of the Wizards, at least be fair and give credit where it is due. Drew Gooden, averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds the past 4 games. Outstanding acquisition. His production far outweighs his contract value.

Do you really think Ernie would have signed Gooden if Nene didn't get hurt? Gooden just happened to have been working out in the Verizon Center and in the area when Nene went down. Ernie just picked the most convenient vet available.

[Kanyewest]

If some of you can find nothing positive to say about Ernie Grunfeld and his management of the Wizards, at least be fair and give credit where it is due. Drew Gooden, averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds the past 4 games. Outstanding acquisition. His production far outweighs his contract value.

Do you really think Ernie would have signed Gooden if Nene didn't get hurt? Gooden just happened to have been working out in the Verizon Center and in the area when Nene went down. Ernie just picked the most convenient vet available.

Or was Gooden working out in the area because the Wizards were interested in him? The Wizards did have an open roster spot after the Maynor/Vesely/2nd round pick for Miller trade.