Tommy or Ted? What Went Wrong & Why?

[payitforward]

18 months ago, the Washington Wizards were at the bottom of the barrel & the end of their rope. Ernie Grunfeld had, in effect, destroyed the organization & been fired. Ted Leonsis had made a huge show of hiring "experts" to help him find the very best of the best basketball executive to take over -- & then failed utterly. To his great surprise, no one wanted the job. What better evidence that this outfit was a complete & utter mess?

Having, in effect, no other choice at all, Ted was forced to promote EG's 2d-in-command, Tommy Sheppard to run the Wizards. You can be sure that he was not happy to make this move.

The team was awful, we had serious roster & salary problems -- there were only 4 players on the team whom we really wanted: Wall, Beal, Brown & Bryant. One other guy, Mahinmi, was so radically overpaid that we were stuck with him for the season. & Wall was out for the year.

Sheppard, who'd already been responsible for our acquiring Bryant (& probably Brown as well), proceeded to act decisively & extremely effectively overall. He added Wagner, Bonga & Bertans for nothing, he drafted Rui -- maybe not optimal, but at least someone who can play in the league -- & Schofield (first mistake: a poor pick -- but the 2019 R2 was weak overall), & he also found an undrafted gem in Garrison Mathews.

For the rest, he filled out the roster just about as well as was possible given what he had to work with. I think anyone would give him an A+ for his work that off-season. Even bringing on IT -- it shows he was willing to roll the dice, given the empty cupboard we had.

Thus in 2019-20, only 4 players took the floor for the Wizards who had played for us before Tommy took over! & 3 of them had only played 1 season for us (Brown, Bryant & the marginal journeyman Jordan McRae).

We were terrible -- to be expected! -- but it was fun to see a bunch of young guys on the court. There was something to hope for.

Unfortunately, as the season went along, we began to hear statements like, "this year is for player development; next year we're back in the hunt."

There was nothing in what Tommy had done which made that seem at all a practical idea. In the hunt for what? Yes, we were going to get Wall back, along w/ another R1 pick, but still.... Overall, we were going to be a very young, very raw team in 2020-21.

I immediately assumed that this idea was coming from Ted not Tommy -- why would a new GM act as if his work to rebuild should be subject to judgment in a single year? It made no sense!

My conclusion seemed even more likely when, at last year's trade deadline, we passed on an offer of a R1 pick this year in return for Davis Bertans -- whom we'd acquired for nothing. Wow! That's a GM win! But, we didn't do it....

Then came this off-season, which had 2 aspects -- the draft & free-agency.

Obviously, the draft is part of a continuous team-rebuilding process. You don't draft guys, b/c you think they will make you a lot better in their rookie year!

We did well in the draft -- we were lucky in Avdija falling to us, & we were smart in that we actually took him! R2 gave us an opportunity to get rid of Schofield, last year's mistake. It cost us, no doubt, but we still got a good prospect in R2 -- Winston.

Now... given a free hand a good GM could have cleaned up in this year's R2 & among the undrafted. But... I refer you back to that "back in the hunt" noise. The idea was propagated -- again, I charge Ted with this -- that we could rebuild from Ernie's wreckage in a single year.

So... instead of concentrating on gleaning talent from the draft to fuel our future, we proceeded to sign Lopez, Neto & Gill -- all for a single year! These were not moves to build the Washington Wizards as a team with a positive view going forward. These were "be respectable now" moves. & I put them on Ted Leonsis.

Ditto -- & worst of all -- we re-signed Davis Bertans for a huge amount of money & for way too long -- which, of course, we were forced to do, b/c we hadn't taken the R1 pick for him!

Then came the John Wall debacle. I am convinced by Doc's argument that giving Wall & a R1 pick for Westbrook was a directive from Ted Leonsis.

In short... I'm not giving responsibility for the current mess to Tommy Sheppard. I'm giving it 100% to Ted Leonsis & no one else.

Am I right? Wrong? What am I missing?

[TGW]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, although I would disagree with just a couple of things:

I wouldn't have given Sheppard an A+ for his first offseason of moves...maybe a B- at best. He made moves that any semi-competent GM could make given the team's circumstances. I would say the Bertans trade was by far his best move, but his other moves ranged from average to downright terrible. I thought the Isiah Thomas signing was pathetic and it was clear that the goal was to cobble some players together and not actually build a winning culture.

Aside from Deni and maybe Neto, this offseason was a complete disaster.

But I think you nailed it on the head...the team has no direction. They don't know what they want to be, and Sheppard was foolish to think he was talented enough to make this a good team just by adding a couple of vets and unproven young players.

[nate33]

The problem is Ted.

What went wrong is the looming issue of Bradley Beal. Beal (understandably) doesn't want a long rebuild. But given our talent base, a long rebuild is what is necessary. A conversation is necessary between Beal and management. Either opt in on that 2022-23 season of your contract and give us more time to rebuild properly, or be traded. A half-assed reload isn't going to work.

[Frichuela]

The problem is Ted.

What went wrong is the looming issue of Bradley Beal. Beal (understandably) doesn't want a long rebuild. But given our talent base, a long rebuild is what is necessary. A conversation is necessary between Beal and management. Either opt in on that 2022-23 season of your contract and give us more time to rebuild properly, or be traded. A half-assed reload isn't going to work.

Agreed. Problem is I do not see Ted and Tommy doing what you are rationally suggesting. It’s more likely they will do nothing until is too late or we get little (or no) value for Beal.

[No-Man]

I think the issue is Ted but a) Sheppard seems very not innovative and straight up average and b) the Rui pick is a big mess, not just okay esp with the guys that were available

[payitforward]

The problem is Ted.

What went wrong is the looming issue of Bradley Beal. Beal (understandably) doesn't want a long rebuild. But given our talent base, a long rebuild is what is necessary. A conversation is necessary between Beal and management. Either opt in on that 2022-23 season of your contract and give us more time to rebuild properly, or be traded. A half-assed reload isn't going to work.

Now to argue -- slightly -- against myself ( ), we were expecting Wall to return fully healed & play well. Many of us here had high hopes for this year: remember the thread comparing this team to the 2016-17 team?

So, Wall's gang signs, Ted's reaction to them, & the ensuing trade did change the situation in a not insignificant way. If we assume those were the operative causes of a trade that so far looks to have been a disaster, that is. Still on Ted of course -- which is my main point.

& of course, the above put more pressure on the Beal issue as well. In all, a hell of a mess!

[payitforward]

I think the issue is Ted but a) Sheppard seems very not innovative and straight up average and b) the Rui pick is a big mess, not just okay esp with the guys that were available

No one has to convince me that the pick of Rui was a mistake. It was (for about the 1000th time, writing that does not mean that I "hate" Rui Hachimura).

But, I don't know what you mean by Sheppard not being "innovative." Nor do I think that acquiring Bryant, Bonga, Wagner & a R2 pick for nothing is "average" in any sense.

The guy's been on the job for 18 months. He's had very little to work with -- i.e. nothing much to trade & a minimum of financial flexibility. As I wrote above, when he took the job...

the... Wizards were at the bottom of the barrel & the end of their rope. Ernie Grunfeld had, in effect, destroyed the organization & been fired. Ted Leonsis had made a huge show of hiring "experts" to help him find the very best of the best basketball executive to take over -- & then failed utterly. To his great surprise, no one wanted the job.

I'm not sure what you would expect to be seeing now. There's no evaluating Tommy Sheppard without considering what he was handed to work with.

[NatP4]

I’ll never get over the fact that Boston had picks 14,20,&22 in that draft. We could have made a number trade downs and picked Brandon Clarke, or just straight up picked Clarke at 9, who will always be a better player than Rui. Imagine having Tyler Herro&Brandon Clarke right now.

That, and the Lopez signing are the ones that really bother me the most. The Schofield pick was stupid, but I believe we purchased that pick which was a pleasant surprise and good process. I still applaud the Wall trade even though it looks bad right now. There was a lot more to it than on court reasons.

I haven’t followed the wizards long enough to have perspective on Ted and the ownership situation. I became a fan in 2010 when they drafted Wall. Maybe that is why I am always criticizing the coaching or GM.

[NatP4]

When Tommy took over, the Wizards had an injured Wall, Beal, Brown Jr, RFA Satoransky, and Thomas Bryant. That's it. No other players worth keeping. No extra assets or draft picks moving forward.

2 years later, we have Westbrook, Bonga, Mathews, Wagner, Bryant, Beal, Brown Jr, Avdija, Hachimura, Bertans, and Winston and we are down a protected future 1st round pick from 2023.

Tommy did not hire Scott Brooks.

[J-Ves]

Ted is the main problem. Sheppard clearly has an eye for young talent but has yet to put a coherent team together. Either way both of them will be with the Wizards for years to come.

[payitforward]

When Tommy took over, the Wizards had an injured Wall, Beal, Brown Jr, RFA Satoransky, and Thomas Bryant. That's it. No other players worth keeping. No extra assets or draft picks moving forward....

Not only no "extra... draft picks" but we were down a bunch of picks. In fact, when Tommy came on, every single one of our R2 picks for the following 5 years was gone. Ernie had traded away all of them.

We bought a 2019 R2 pick. We picked up #37 in 2020 in the Sato sign and trade w/ the Bulls. We have one more coming in that deal. The Bulls also owe us one in 2023 to complete the Otto Porter deal. & now OKC owes us one in 2024.

OTOH, as you mention...

...we are down a protected future 1st round pick from 2023....

[No-Man]

The Wall trade was a mess but I am putting that one on Ted too

[queridiculo]

I am not particularly impressed by Sheppard, but my expectations of him weren't high to begin with.

In any serious organization he probably should have gotten a nudge to spread his wings and fly 8-10 years ago, instead he Peter'd into the position by outlasting the incumbent.

So who's to blame? Obviously the guy that put him there to begin with, Ted.

It started with his fateful decision to retain the GM following the ownership transition, lingered with his decision to hold onto him well past his due date and continued with his bungled GM search last year.

He's responsible for the hiring of Brooks, set the tone for the clueless 2016 offseason, and has his fingerprints all over the Wall trade.

[queridiculo]

To his great surprise, no one wanted the job. What better evidence that this outfit was a complete & utter mess?

I don't believe that for a minute.

There are 30 GM jobs in this league and any given season there are rarely more than two positions available, much less in a desirable market.

Connelly had made it clear to Nuggets ownership that he'd love to have a conversation with the Wizards and it has been reported that this was his "dream" job.

So what changed?

Connelly called Leonsis a visionary following the interview when he took himself out of the running. Was that a backhanded compliment about Leonsis strange leadership structure?

While deep into the process of resetting the culture and vision of the Washington Wizards, Ted Leonsis grew restless.

It wasn’t that the search for his next basketball executive had stalled into tedium — as many Wizards fans had suspected after one month passed into another without a hire. Leonsis came to the conclusion that he didn’t want to mirror the leadership format the Wizards had used for decades. Instead, Leonsis wanted to create a unique organizational structure without parallel in the NBA — and for 3½ months, he mined other industries to learn how to construct the model.

Leonsis, the chairman and chief executive of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, announced Monday the creation of Monumental Basketball, a division that will place the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Mystics, the G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA2K video game team District Gaming under the same banner and brain trust.

“If you’re going to make a big change, if you’re going to change the identity of a company and bring in new management, that process can take well over a year,” Leonsis said, speaking from his background as an entrepreneur. “But in sports it kind of was: ‘You met someone for two hours. What’s the problem? Give him the key.’ It just wasn’t sitting with me well. That’s why I asked for help and asked other enterprises and other teams how they do it.”

With the new construct, Leonsis has formed a basketball board in which multiple opinions will be welcome.

You cannot democratize the decision making process and expect any GM worth his salt to want to be part of it.

GMs are autocrats, that's the entire allure of the position and which GM in his right mind wants to get bogged down in the minutiae of e-sports and all that other crap when they're more interested in actualizing their vision of how a pro basketball organization is built.

Leonsis sees himself as the CEO of Monumental Sports and has built an organizational structure that caters to his need to be involved in all aspects.

[pcbothwel]

I’ll never get over the fact that Boston had picks 14,20,&22 in that draft. We could have made a number trade downs and picked Brandon Clarke, or just straight up picked Clarke at 9, who will always be a better player than Rui. Imagine having Tyler Herro&Brandon Clarke right now.

That, and the Lopez signing are the ones that really bother me the most. The Schofield pick was stupid, but I believe we purchased that pick which was a pleasant surprise and good process. I still applaud the Wall trade even though it looks bad right now. There was a lot more to it than on court reasons.

I haven’t followed the wizards long enough to have perspective on Ted and the ownership situation. I became a fan in 2010 when they drafted Wall. Maybe that is why I am always criticizing the coaching or GM.

Ughhh... Brandon Clarke is a 24 y/o backup on a 3-6 team with a TS of 48% and shot mechanics that would make MKG cringe. I was a huge fan of his coming out... but Memphis fans would trade Clarke for Rui every day and twice on Sunday.

[NatP4]

I’ll never get over the fact that Boston had picks 14,20,&22 in that draft. We could have made a number trade downs and picked Brandon Clarke, or just straight up picked Clarke at 9, who will always be a better player than Rui. Imagine having Tyler Herro&Brandon Clarke right now.

That, and the Lopez signing are the ones that really bother me the most. The Schofield pick was stupid, but I believe we purchased that pick which was a pleasant surprise and good process. I still applaud the Wall trade even though it looks bad right now. There was a lot more to it than on court reasons.

I haven’t followed the wizards long enough to have perspective on Ted and the ownership situation. I became a fan in 2010 when they drafted Wall. Maybe that is why I am always criticizing the coaching or GM.

Ughhh... Brandon Clarke is a 24 y/o backup on a 3-6 team with a TS of 48% and shot mechanics that would make MKG cringe. I was a huge fan of his coming out... but Memphis fans would trade Clarke for Rui every day and twice on Sunday.

Clarke averages 23 minutes a game with a 63% TS for his career.

I would gladly accept that Memphis trade.

[montestewart]

You think potential GMs look at Terd and think, "Incompetent micromanager"?

Read on Twitter

I wasn't in favor of Sheppard hire, but you hire GMs and let them do their best. Fire them if they underperform. Leonsis appears incapable of making quality hires and firing underperforming GMs and coaches, but seems otherwise generally to be a hands off second guesser owner with unrealistic and impatient expectations, who meddles just enough at just the right time to make sure any big move works against the franchise.

Sheppard's tenure seems a mixed bag, but he hasn't been here all that long, and doesn't even have his own coach hire. What we have now with the Wizards is very familiar. For years, we could blame it on Grunfeld, but he's gone, and Arenas is gone, and Wall is gone, and it won't be any big surprise if very soon Beal is gone (with too little too late in return). Terd is still here. Hence, the continuity.

[DCZards]

To his great surprise, no one wanted the job. What better evidence that this outfit was a complete & utter mess?

I don't believe that for a minute.

There are 30 GM jobs in this league and any given season there are rarely more than two positions available, much less in a desirable market.

Connelly had made it clear to Nuggets ownership that he'd love to have a conversation with the Wizards and it has been reported that this was his "dream" job.

I also never believed that "no one" wanted the Zards GM job. Yes, the two most highly publicized candidates--Connelly and Ujiri--turned the job down. But there's a good chance that Danny Ferry or Troy Weaver would have taken the job if it was offered to them, and I'm sure many other potential candidates would have as well.

He's an article from May 2019 that addresses the issue:

https://www.bulletsforever.com/2019/5/2/18526956/washington-wizards-general-manager-job-demand