The Amazingly Suck Theodore Leonsis Thread

[Illmatic12]

Woooooo! Are you as hyped about the Capital Centre's new scoreboard as I am?

Watch on YouTube

That's actually really cool lol. I've thought for a while that our in-arena tech was weak compared to other large venues

Cap One Arena doesn't only host Wizards games, you know

[leswizards]

Who was the Washington post writer a few years that was saying eg and ted were great and they had proved all their critics wrong? Mike Wise? Has anyone trolled him on twitter throwing his words back in his face?

[Jay81]

I will delete this thread once he

1) gets rid of the medical staff
2) gets rid of Ernie
3) and gets rid of Flip

until then..he is a bad owner of the Wizards. Enjoy the ketchup though!

9 years after i created this thread.

RIP Flip.

[BigA]

I will delete this thread once he

1) gets rid of the medical staff
2) gets rid of Ernie
3) and gets rid of Flip

until then..he is a bad owner of the Wizards. Enjoy the ketchup though!

9 years after i created this thread.

RIP Flip.

I think we need to keep this thread around.

[Illmatic12]

Read on Twitter

[montestewart]

I will delete this thread once he

1) gets rid of the medical staff
2) gets rid of Ernie
3) and gets rid of Flip

until then..he is a bad owner of the Wizards. Enjoy the ketchup though!

9 years after i created this thread.

RIP Flip.

I think we need to keep this thread around.

Agree.

Now that Porter's traded and Grunfeld's fired, Terd can focus on the important things. All urinal cake and condiments checked, in succession, with the same hands.

Read on Twitter

Firing Grunfeld was good, but the communications surrounding Grunfeld's dismissal have done little to reinforce my confidence in Leonsis as leader of the franchise.

[pcbothwel]

9 years after i created this thread.

RIP Flip.

I think we need to keep this thread around.

Agree.

Now that Porter's traded and Grunfeld's fired, Terd can focus on the important things. All urinal cake and condiments checked, in succession, with the same hands.

Read on Twitter

Firing Grunfeld was good, but the communications surrounding Grunfeld's dismissal have done little to reinforce my confidence in Leonsis as leader of the franchise.

Ehhh... You get a good enough President and GM, you can compensate. You need an owner that isnt impulsive, embraces progress/technology, and spends money... Ted at least does that.

You dont think about the Celtics owners.. you think Ainge
You dont think about Micky Arison, you think of Pat Riley
You dont think of Tanenbaum, you think of Masai

You get a smart, strong willed President... he is the leader

[montestewart]

I think we need to keep this thread around.

Agree.

Now that Porter's traded and Grunfeld's fired, Terd can focus on the important things. All urinal cake and condiments checked, in succession, with the same hands.

Read on Twitter

Firing Grunfeld was good, but the communications surrounding Grunfeld's dismissal have done little to reinforce my confidence in Leonsis as leader of the franchise.

Ehhh... You get a good enough President and GM, you can compensate. You need an owner that isnt impulsive, embraces progress/technology, and spends money... Ted at least does that.

You dont think about the Celtics owners.. you think Ainge
You dont think about Micky Arison, you think of Pat Riley
You dont think of Tanenbaum, you think of Masai

You get a smart, strong willed President... he is the leader

Agree with that, but until the Wizards actually gets one, he is the leader

[BigA]

Who was the Washington post writer a few years that was saying eg and ted were great and they had proved all their critics wrong? Mike Wise? Has anyone trolled him on twitter throwing his words back in his face?

I don't remember milellie111 writing for the Post. Or maybe Mike Wise is milellie111....

[BigA]

So this thing where Ted says they'll be back in the playoffs next year. First, does he realize that this is pretty unlikely unless he's willing to fork over a half $billion or so in luxury tax or they land Zion or Morant? There just isn't enough talent on the team. Second, does he understand that trading future assets for band aids and short-term fixes is precisely what Ernie's been doing and is the reason why they're in the spot they're in?

[Ruzious]

At some point, Ted's got to change the goal from just trying to make the playoffs - considering more than half the NBA teams make the playoffs - and this ain't hockey - where any playoff team can contend for the Cup. His goal is literally to be mediocre. And apparently, he either feels the fan base is okay with that or... he doesn't care what the fan base wants.

[payitforward]

What I'd like to know is, given his words about "a culture of accountability," why doesn't he fire himself?

Hire a new guy, give him some sensible economic parameters, & take himself out of the loop. That way, he won't need that "...next-generation, more collaborative environment where" he "can hear lots of voices."

Instead, he can work on the kinds of things he's gifted at -- like Snag Films & Groupon. They must need urinal cakes at their offices, no?

[Illmatic12]

So this thing where Ted says they'll be back in the playoffs next year. First, does he realize that this is pretty unlikely unless he's willing to fork over a half $billion or so in luxury tax or they land Zion or Morant? There just isn't enough talent on the team. Second, does he understand that trading future assets for band aids and short-term fixes is precisely what Ernie's been doing and is the reason why they're in the spot they're in?

Leonsis never said a single thing about trading for short-term fixes . Where are you getting that from?

What I'd like to know is, given his words about "a culture of accountability," why doesn't he fire himself?

Hire a new guy, give him some sensible economic parameters, & take himself out of the loop. That way, he won't need that "...next-generation, more collaborative environment where" he "can hear lots of voices."

Instead, he can work on the kinds of things he's gifted at -- like Snag Films & Groupon. They must need urinal cakes at their offices, no?

It's a myth that Leonsis was "in the loop".. he's generally known as a hands off owner.

[Illuminaire]

Leonsis never said a single thing about trading for short-term fixes . Where are you getting that from?

Simple logic.

The team is not good enough to make the playoffs right now - therefore, changes are necessary in order to meet that goal.

The team's cap situation is so dire that it is very unlikely that free agents alone would effect enough positive change.

If the team has to improve, and free agents can't get the job done... what is left? Trading. However, the team can't trade it's most talented players if the goal is making the playoffs - then they would lose talent! Instead, they would have to trade something else in order to bring in talent.

If you can't trade talent, your other options are cap space and potential. The Wizards can offer a small amount of cap space via their exceptions, but not even enough for a mid-level player. That won't move the needle. So they'd need to trade based on potential, whether that is via young players or through draft picks.

After all of these options are examined, the only path left is trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans. You know - the same asshat bandaid nonsense that Ernie pulled for 16 years, finally resulting in a broken franchise deficient in talent, assets, and chemistry.

Does it all make sense now?

[Mojo Amok]

After all of these options are examined, the only path left is trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans. You know - the same asshat bandaid nonsense that Ernie pulled for 16 years, finally resulting in a broken franchise deficient in talent, assets, and chemistry.

Does it all make sense now?

That seems an extremely unlikely course of action given the Wizards salary constraints and the typically well-compensated nature of the players that hit that market. They more or less pulled the inverse of that by dumping Porter and the cheap versions of win-now players on the trade market aren't likely to distance themselves in quality from the sorts of guys that could be acquired in free agency without giving up assets.

Far more likely is that Ted is not being 100% sincere and that they'll put together a thrifty team that looks fairly competent going into the season if you squint and swig a bit. His position might be more like "to those considering season ticket purchases, I assure you that we will not offer an intentionally depressing entertainment experience until - worst case - halfway through the season."

The main card they play this offseason is probably to court decent but not highly coveted forwards with a "we can showcase you on a short term deal" pitch.

[montestewart]

After all of these options are examined, the only path left is trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans. You know - the same asshat bandaid nonsense that Ernie pulled for 16 years, finally resulting in a broken franchise deficient in talent, assets, and chemistry.

Does it all make sense now?

That seems an extremely unlikely course of action given the Wizards salary constraints and the typically well-compensated nature of the players that hit that market. They more or less pulled the inverse of that by dumping Porter and the cheap versions of win-now players on the trade market aren't likely to distance themselves in quality from the sorts of guys that could be acquired in free agency without giving up assets.

Far more likely is that Ted is not being 100% sincere and that they'll put together a thrifty team that looks fairly competent going into the season if you squint and swig a bit. His position might be more like "to those considering season ticket purchases, I assure you that we will not offer an intentionally depressing entertainment experience until - worst case - halfway through the season."

The main card they play this offseason is probably to court decent but not highly coveted forwards with a "we can showcase you on a short term deal" pitch.

I'm not necessarily predicting this, but another option would be "trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans," and balancing the salaries with Mahinmi, Howard, or one of the current FAs resigned.

Leonsis may be hands off. To me, he's still a bad owner until he proves otherwise, because his "hands off" approach gave us 9 or 10 additional years of Grunfeld.

[Illmatic12]

Leonsis never said a single thing about trading for short-term fixes . Where are you getting that from?

Simple logic.

The team is not good enough to make the playoffs right now - therefore, changes are necessary in order to meet that goal.

The team's cap situation is so dire that it is very unlikely that free agents alone would effect enough positive change.

If the team has to improve, and free agents can't get the job done... what is left? Trading. However, the team can't trade it's most talented players if the goal is making the playoffs - then they would lose talent! Instead, they would have to trade something else in order to bring in talent.

If you can't trade talent, your other options are cap space and potential. The Wizards can offer a small amount of cap space via their exceptions, but not even enough for a mid-level player. That won't move the needle. So they'd need to trade based on potential, whether that is via young players or through draft picks.

After all of these options are examined, the only path left is trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans. You know - the same asshat bandaid nonsense that Ernie pulled for 16 years, finally resulting in a broken franchise deficient in talent, assets, and chemistry.

Does it all make sense now?

Ehh.. Washington's salary situation is not nearly as dire as you're saying. Moving Porter's deal actually opened up a lot of breathing room moving forward

After this season Mahinmi's contract will be off the books, and they'll have a clean slate other than Wall+Beal + all of our future 1st round picks including a top 8 pick this season. Click the spreadsheet in this link and see for yourself .

Read on Twitter

All this "trading young for old" stuff sounds like you just have PTSD from Grunfeld. A clever GM will certainly be able to fill out the roster with draft picks and exceptions. And given the quality of GM talent who have been linked with this job, I have no doubts that Leonsis will have a selection of qualified candidates to choose from.

Watch on YouTube

[payitforward]

...Leonsis may be hands off. To me, he's still a bad owner until he proves otherwise, because his "hands off" approach gave us 9 or 10 additional years of Grunfeld.

Bingo!

[payitforward]

...the only path left is trading young players for old, or draft picks for unwanted-but-solid veterans. You know - the same asshat bandaid nonsense that Ernie pulled for 16 years, finally resulting in a broken franchise deficient in talent, assets, and chemistry.

Does it all make sense now?

The guy rumored to replace Ernie doesn't seem to operate in this way. As well, I don't think a new GM/President will be under any pressure to get back in the playoffs next year.

He'll be under pressure to change course, to make things different, & to foster a "culture" people like. But he won't be under pressure to win any time soon.

Nor should he be. Nor could a new guy put us in a position to win anything meaningful soon. This team is extremely low in talent. We've also denuded ourselves of R2 picks.

Moreover, Ted has had a good look at what the Ernie methodology produces. He's not an idiot; he's going to want something different -- he's going to hire someone very different from Ernie.

[penbeast0]

Ehh.. Washington's salary situation is not nearly as dire as you're saying. Moving Porter's deal actually opened up a lot of breathing room moving forward...

Only if we don't sign Portis and Parker to the money we would have paid Porter. With Ernie, that's what I thought would happen but now . . . ? That's what we call hope.