The Plan

[Jay81]

WTF is the plan that Leonisis keeps talking about

“I think that fans [believe] in the win-now [mind-set], and if you don’t win now, if you lose two games in a row, make a change,” Leonsis said. “And they should be. It’s fantastic. It generates click streams. Right now, we developed a plan. I was in the middle of it. We were executing against the plan and the plan is working slower than I wanted it to be. But I’m in the middle of it.”


what? If the plan working slower than he wanted it to be...that means its not working...

On why he didnt fire ernie when he hired brooks

“Because we were executing to the plan,” Leonsis said at the time. “If we had varied from the plan and the plan didn’t work, then I think it would’ve been in my realm of responsibility to take a look. But we were executing a plan that we agreed to when I bought the team five years ago.”

So he thought the plan was working when he hired Brooks? They had missed the playoffs and didnt have a first round pick. The plan is even worse now without any salary cap flexibility and this team is stuck unless they blow it up.

So my question is again...wtf is the plan? To win 39 games? if thats the plan, they have a decent shot of at least getting close...maybe 36 wins

[AFM]

Ted's head is so far up his ass, he can give himself a colonoscopy.

[Ruzious]

Yup, as far as we know, his "plan" is a marketing plan rather than a plan to build a champion. Honestly, i don't think any plan he has involves competing for a world championship, a conference championship, or even a division championship. When he started as an owner, I believe he did have those as his goals - with vague plans to get there. But at some point early on, busines$ goals completely took over.

Watch on YouTube

[nate33]

To be fair, I think Ted is right in saying that you don't panic after 3 losses. But he's deluded if he truly believes EG is executing any kind of "plan". I don't know what kind of logical plan involves spending $23M a year to add a pair of 30 year old backup centers to a team that didn't even make the playoffs. I don't know what kind of logical plan that involves spending $24M a year on an utterly average shooting guard.

[queridiculo]

**** that guy.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

**** that guy.

Seconded.

Abe Pollin was a better owner. He wanted to win and he gave a damn.



Sent from my LG-H345 using RealGM mobile app

[montestewart]

Those quotes are from today's Post story, Ted Leonsis isn’t deaf to criticism from Wizards fans, but stands by ‘the plan’ available here

Terd says "when I bought the team five years ago," but he assumed full control of the team in June 2010, more than six years and six seasons ago, and the teardown/rebuild began in the Spring of 2010, to satisfy his demands and likely at his behest. This may be carelessness or disingenuousness. I'm not sure which is worse in this case.

The Plan is a moving target, rarely defined but presumably in some way related to his much discussed 10 point plan. Lacking any other definition, I'll post that plan, quoted from the Evaluating Teddy's 10 Point Plan, Wizards version thread found here

Okay perhaps it doesn't merit a thread but I find I always have to search for this thing, and seems to me fair to have a discussion of whether or not Teddy is or is not sticking to a plan. And whether or not he actually has a plan or if all is flexible and subject to PR flimflammery..

What I have learned about a rebuild to date: A 10 point plan. A Washington Capitals perspective:

1. Ask yourself the big question: "Can this team--as constructed--ever win a championship?" If the answer is yes -- stay the course and try to find the right formula -- if the answer is no, then plan to rebuild. Don't fake it--really do the analytics and be brutally honest. Once you have your answer, develop the game plan to try to REALLY win a championship. Always run away from experts that say, "We are just one player away." Recognize there is no easy and fast systemic fix. It will be a bumpy ride--have confidence in the plan--"trust and verify: the progress -- but don't deviate from the plan."

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. Agree to what makes for a successful rebuild--in our case it is "a great young team with upside that can make the playoffs for a decade and win a Stanley Cup or two."

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 trades. We believed that volume would yield better results than precision. We decided to trade multiple stars at their prime or peak to get a large volume of young players. Young players will get better as they age, so you have built in upside. Youngsters push vets to play better to keep their jobs, and they stay healthier, and they are more fun--less jaded by pro sports.

4. Commit to building around the draft. Invest in scouting, development, and a system. Articulate that system and stay with it so that all players feel comfortable-- know the language-- know what is expected of them-- read the Oriole Way*. It worked and it is a great tutorial. Draft players that fit the system, not the best player. Draft the best player for the system. Don't deviate or get seduced by agents, media demands, or by just stats or hype. Envision how this player will slide into your 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. Show the players you are very loyal to them as compared to free agents who achieved highly for another team. Teach them. Celebrate their successes. Use failures as a way to teach and improve. Coaches must be tough but kind to build confidence.

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. Always meet to discuss analytics and don't be afraid of the truth that the numbers reveal. Manage to outcomes. Manage to let the GM and coach NOT be afraid of taking risks, and make sure there are no surprises. Over communicate. Act like an ethnic family--battle around the dinner table--never in public. Be tight as a team. Protect and enhance each other. Let the right people do their jobs.

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. Life is too short to drink bad wine.

8. Add veterans to the team via shorter term deals as free agents. Signing long-term, expensive deals for vets is very risky. We try to add vets to the mix for two year or three year deals. They fill in around our young core. They are very important for leadership, but they must complement the young core (NOT try to overtake them or be paid more than them). Identify and protect the core. Add veterans to complement them, not visa versa.

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. Around the edges to the plan, have monthly, quarterly and annual check ups. Refresh the plan when needed but for the right reasons-- "how are we doing against our metrics of success and where are we on our path to a championship." Never listen to bloggers, media, so called experts--to thine own self be true. Enjoy the ride.

Maybe these two threads should eventually be merged.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

So his fan's and patron's opinions are "chatter."

Losses make for excellent 'click streams.'

He won't fire E.G. because he (Ted that is) was "right in the middle of it."

The NFL has lagging interest because it's owners aren't as smart and tapped into the millenials as he is.

What an arrogant SOB. Worse than 'his own man' Snyder. And that's a preposterously low bar.

PIF... please load em up and fire away.

[payitforward]

To be fair, I think Ted is right in saying that you don't panic after 3 losses. But he's deluded if he truly believes EG is executing any kind of "plan". I don't know what kind of logical plan involves spending $23M a year to add a pair of 30 year old backup centers to a team that didn't even make the playoffs. I don't know what kind of logical plan that involves spending $24M a year on an utterly average shooting guard.

Agreed -- but I'd say the delusion is that he, Ted, even has a plan in the process of being executed. It's now 6+ years since he started whatever it is he thinks he's doing. It would be impossible for any plan to take that long to show big-time signs of success. E.g. Seattle/OKC. Now, that FO had a plan.

[J-Ves]

[montestewart]

So his fan's and patron's opinions are "chatter."

Losses make for excellent 'click streams.'

He won't fire E.G. because he (Ted that is) was "right in the middle of it."

The NFL has lagging interest because it's owners aren't as smart and tapped into the millenials as he is.

What an arrogant SOB. Worse than 'his own man' Snyder. And that's a preposterously low bar.

PIF... please load em up and fire away.

Various hilarious highlights:
"I think that fans [believe] in the win-now [mind-set]" where we instead impulsively announce unproven youngsters as our core and surround them with overpaid veterans of questionable worth to a rebuild while regularly jettisoning draft picks. We reject the "win now" approach. Maybe we'll never win. (Terd seems oblivious to the fact that some of us knew he was rushing the rebuild, and now he's caught red-handed trying to conceal the blunder with his "slow and steady wins the race" nonsense.)

"I feel more accountable for our success and failure than a single individual. So blame me." (Terd is perhaps also oblivious to the fact that many of us already do. The time for dumping EG and blaming it all on him has passed.)

"We trained a generation that was young that the NBA is cool," and me too, I'm cool. Just look at my tan.

[closg00]

Ted is Monumentally hopeless, what is clear now is that he knows absolutely nothing about basketball and Ernie Grunfeld leads him around by the nose. There are no scenarios in-which Ted will ever hold Grunfeld responsible for anything.

[dobrojim]

like I said in the TOR game thread

Hey Ted, This is 'the plan'?

Come on man.

[gtn130]

So his fan's and patron's opinions are "chatter."

Losses make for excellent 'click streams.'

He won't fire E.G. because he (Ted that is) was "right in the middle of it."

The NFL has lagging interest because it's owners aren't as smart and tapped into the millenials as he is.

What an arrogant SOB. Worse than 'his own man' Snyder. And that's a preposterously low bar.

PIF... please load em up and fire away.

Various hilarious highlights:
"I think that fans [believe] in the win-now [mind-set]" where we instead impulsively announce unproven youngsters as our core and surround them with overpaid veterans of questionable worth to a rebuild while regularly jettisoning draft picks. We reject the "win now" approach. Maybe we'll never win. (Terd seems oblivious to the fact that some of us knew he was rushing the rebuild, and now he's caught red-handed trying to conceal the blunder with his "slow and steady wins the race" nonsense.)

"I feel more accountable for our success and failure than a single individual. So blame me." (Terd is perhaps also oblivious to the fact that many of us already do. The time for dumping EG and blaming it all on him has passed.)

"We trained a generation that was young that the NBA is cool," and me too, I'm cool. Just look at my tan.

Yeah, Ted's comments were absurdly condescending - could he have come off worse here?

The hilarious thing to me is that Ted claims fans are demanding a win-now approach, when actually Ted is the one making that demand. I would have been perfectly fine not trading for Gortat or Morris or Okafor/Ariza, not maxing out our cap space with 30 year old backup centers and so on. I actually would be thrilled if we had let Beal walk instead of maxing him. But because of Ted's win-now mandate, we're left with a team locked into 35-45 wins for eternity.

[AFM]

LOL at "win now mindset"...Ummm it's been 6 years you Turd filled Gyro. How long should we wait?

[MikeTheKid]

Im more confused now than I was in 2011-12 when we were worse than suck

[sfam]

[b]“Because we were executing to the plan,” Leonsis said at the time.

I'm all in favor of this. This plan should be permanently executed and quickly. Give it a quick death, and try something else.

[BigA]

They're right in the middle of executing to the plan, but how are they doing with rehydrating the sponge?

[payitforward]

The idea that being "on a plan" is good all on its own is ridiculous. If you are on a plan that doesn't make you better in nearly 7 years (since after all the current team will still be our team next Spring; major changes aren't possible between now and then), then your plan has failed.

Being "on" a failing plan, a bad plan, is worse than being on no plan. Being on a plan that's "executed" by an incompetent means that pretty much any plan will fail.

Ted Leonsis could care less -- until and unless bad things happen to Monumental Sports.

[penbeast0]

Rockets Were Al Horford's Second Choice In Free Agency

I could have sworn he said this about the Wiz at one point too.