Worst Offseason in NBA History??

[dt3]

Some are going to say this topic is worded too strongly, others are going to say the whole idea is just ludicrous. 3 years from now when this team has missed the playoffs for a third straight year fans will finally be able to look back and see how quickly Ernie Grunfeld went from Front Office genius to the man who ran a once promising young team into the ground. As crazy as it might sound I really cant think of a team that set itself back further than the Wizards did last year.

The problem is its not 100% Grunfeld's fault. The problems run much deeper than just him and the current regime. These problems run all the way back to Jordan/Kwame, to big Wes, to the curse of les bullez. All of the people who let this team become the perennial loser the Washington Wizards/Bullets were throughout the 80s/90s need to share in the blame for this disaster.

Grunfeld put together a team that was young, exciting, and had the potential to grow into a real contender. Grunfeld's #1 priority should have been taking this team to the next level, instead his goal was to keep it medium, keep going after that low seed playoff bid and take as few risks as possible. If Grunfeld had swung for the fences would we be better off now? Could we possibly be any worse?? Either way, if we would have went down we would have at least went down swinging.

As soon as the trading deadline passed and Jamison was still on the roster we all should have foreseen this coming. How could a GM that is known for wheeling and dealing let an asset like a 16 mill expiring contract slip by without capitalizing?? Pau Gasol was traded for Kwame Brown's expiring and 2x 1st round picks... you dont think Memphis would have rather taken Jamison and some 1sts (with that squad they would have been 20+ anyways)?? Imagine a move that not only got us the big man we needed to pair up with Gil but also the point forward to play scottie (mike miller) to Gil's MJ. Rather than making the type of moves that got EG to where he was today he was handcuffed. Handcuffed by the failures of past regimes and the fear of returning to the cellar.

How can you justify giving a solely offensive player that could barely be considered a top 10 guard, never the less a top 10 player, a maximum deal (it WAS a max deal, we will get more into that later). We gave Gil a king's ransom and you think that would be enough. But no if we want to have the honor of overpaying him we also have to overpay his buddy. Another defensive liability that would be LUCKY to get 50% of his contract if he hit the open market again this year. On top of overpaying for Gil, overpaying for AJ, Ernie got strong armed into keeping a lame duck coach, Eddie Jordan, around for another 16 games.

Unfortunately they dont seem to have learned anything from these past mistakes either. We have already thrown away one season and we plan on throwing away the first half of next season trying to reacclimate Gil into the rotation and (hopefully) learning the system of a new head coach. If this team was truly dedicated to winning they would have brought Avery Johnson in the second EJ was shown the door. Give him 3/4 of a season to whip this team into shape and install a whole new defensive philosophy. By the time Gil is ready to return next year he would have no choice but to fall in line. Even if we do bring in a defensive minded coach in the off season he is going to have a much tougher challenge getting this team to buy in. When our younger players (ie nick young, javaris) are getting their *** beat in training camp and they look over and see the 100 million dollar man (gil) not buying in do you think they are going to?? No chance.

So what do we do now?? Do we dare stand up against Gilbert and tell him he isnt playing this Saturday (or any other point for the rest of the year)?? Do we (once again) give into his demands and risk going from 25% in the lottery to 8% (3 wins brings us from first to fifth)? Even if we do keep him on the bench and then beat the odds and win the lottery our "prize" is going to be a power forward who I expect to measure in at 6'8" or below. All these people who think Blake Griffin is some cant miss prospect are kidding themselves. Dont get me wrong I think he is a quality player but he is no Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard. Does anyone think a stronger David Lee is the difference right now between us and the Celtics, Cavs, or Magic?? How do we justify paying Jamison 12-13.5-15 million a year and being our 2nd/3rd man off the bench.

My hope (and if I havent lost you yet this is where I probably do) is that we dont win the lottery. We get the 2nd, maybe 3rd, pick and some major progress is made in regards to the contract buyout of a certain spanish heart-throb. With Gil running the point of this team we will never get any further than his hot/cold streaks brings us. With Rubio at the 1 we can quickly turn the core of the team around from Gil, Caron, AJ to Gil, Rubio, McGee. I honestly believe (with the right system) McGee/Rubio could turn into the next Amare/Nash. Rubio is such a perfect fit because not just any PG could fit into this puzzle. We need a PG with Rubio's size/length so he can match up on the 2 and let Gil stick with guarding the 1. Until we bring in a player that can get other players involved this team is going to live and die on Gil's jumpshot. As wet as it may be we all know it can only get us so far.

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Did you know??

Going on the assumption that Gilbert will play in 4 games this year he will earn 1.6 million dollars per game over the 07/08 and 08/09 seasons (26.7 total). What we will pay Gilbert for 2 games would basically enough to pay Roger Mason's salary for the entire year.

[BigA]

Time will tell. Maybe you're right. Strong viewpoints are good for the discussion here. A couple quick things:

(1) On the "Worst Offseason in NBA History" characterization, I'd argue that any offseason that involved (a) Signing Jared Jeffries for the MLE when you're over the lux tax threshold, or (2) Trading for Eddie Curry, would a priori be worse than Ernie's 08 summer.

(2) Avery Johnson may well come back and be a good or a great coach somewhere, but something in my gut tells me he's Scott Skiles without the charm. That teams will turn on him before he can get them to win.

(3) I think Blake Griffin will be better than David Lee. Again, time will tell.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

dt3, I have been vocal from day one that Grunfeld paid too much for an injured guard who played poor defense.

Really disagree with you on Griffin. I think he's Barkley mixed with Karl Malone good, potentially. Charles Barkley's a tad under 6'6". Griffin's at least 2-3 inches taller--around the same height as Malone. I really like David Lee but I think Griffin's way faster and more explosive a leaper. I'm hoping the Wiz get that top pick.

As for coaches, we've got a "Potential Coaches" thread. In that thread I've expressed my thoughts on Johnson. I'm with BigA on Avery. Players will revolt on that guy an he's not Gil's kind of coach at all.

As for your thoughts in general, I'm totally with you on EG spending a ton to remain in the middle of the pack. He could have done a lot of things differently. Defense was totally neglected in tying up all that money between Gil and AJ. Worse, IMO, was losing out on Thibodeau. The only thing I'll say in Grunfeld's defense is that Gilbert was supposed to be good to go early in the season. EG couldn't axe EJ as long as Gil and Caron and probably even Jamison were supportive of EJ.

In retrospect, changing coaches and not resigning Gil and AJ would have had this franchise in better shape, but nobody had a crystal ball then. My only defense of Grunfeld's moves.

[nate33]

I don't understand why we couldn't pull off a trade for Gasol. It is my understanding that other teams offered more than what the Lakers did too. But let's just assume that we couldn't get Gasol for whatever reason.

Going into this offseason, our choices were to keep Jamison and Arenas, or do nothing at all. There wasn't an option to sign somebody like Elton Brand because we didn't have the cap space. Given the choice of Arenas and Jamison, or nothing at all, I can totally understand why EG decided to resign his players. I'm sure if he let them walk, there'd be a whole legion of fans heckling EG for letting two all stars walk for nothing.

The bottom line is that EG wasn't in the greatest of positions. Arenas and Jamison are second-tier stars. It's a no brainer to resign a superstar like Dwight Howard or Chris Paul to a max contract. Even at a max salary, they are underpaid. But when you are faced with resigning a second tier guy like Arenas or Jamison, it's a tough decision. If you do resign them, you risk overpaying for mediocrity. If you let them walk, you set your team back two or three years and force yourself to rebuild all over again.

EG did the best he could with a relatively bad hand.

[DCZards]

Decent stuff, dt3, but I take issue with some of it.

1. I'm glad the Wizards didn't immediately make a knee-jerk move and hire Avery J. I'm not sure he's the answer. The Zards need to look at all of their options at HC.

2. Not letting Gil play (assuming he's healthy) because you're worried about your lottery position would be crazy, imo.

3. If the Wizards want a long, tall, athletic PG to team with GA his name is Tyreke Evans...not Ricky Rubio. Evans is the next superstar at that position. In fact, don't be surprised if Evans is drafted ahead of Griffin, if he comes out.

4. I like David Lee a LOT, but Griffin will be much better.

5. Mike Miller is no Scottie Pippen!

6. A healthy Gil is easily a top ten NBA guard.

[yungal07]

In fact, don't be surprised if Evans is drafted ahead of Griffin, if he comes out.

Um....wha?

[MJG]

In fact, don't be surprised if Evans is drafted ahead of Griffin, if he comes out.

Um....wha?

Probably just wanted to make sure people were paying attention.

[ZonkertheBrainless]

yeah it's totally EG's fault that GA wouldn't listen to his doctors and screwed everybody over...

:eyeroll:

[LyricalRico]

In fact, don't be surprised if Evans is drafted ahead of Griffin, if he comes out.

Um....wha?

Yeah, that's pretty much like saying "I would rather have signed Kevin Ollie than Gilbert Arenas". But what did you expect from the only guy who still supports EJ (the coach who wanted Ollie over Arenas)?

[doclinkin]

In fact, don't be surprised if Evans is drafted ahead of Griffin, if he comes out.

Um....wha?

Yeah, that's pretty much like saying "I would rather have signed Kevin Ollie than Gilbert Arenas". But what did you expect from the only guy who still supports EJ (the coach who wanted Ollie over Arenas)?

I 'still' support Eddie Jordan. Most of the roster still supports the guy. The team's record supports him. The likely roster moves will probably support him as well.

I'll happily re-fight the whole past couple seasons again if y'all want. But what's the point-- at some point even the diehard haters ought to be gracious enough to just move on.

[Ruzious]

Yeah, EJ is a coach; not a GM, and he wanted a pure PG to work his offense. Gil was anything but that, at the time. Eventually, he was sold on Gil, and he let Gil be Gil - and develop into an all-star. Eddie Jordan's job was to coach - not be GM - and while he did some things poorly - overall, he was an above average NBA coach.

[Benjammin]

Yeah, EJ is a coach; not a GM, and he wanted a pure PG to work his offense. Gil was anything but that, at the time. Eventually, he was sold on Gil, and he let Gil be Gil - and develop into an all-star. Eddie Jordan's job was to coach - not be GM - and while he did some things poorly - overall, he was an above average NBA coach.

For the love of all that is good and pure in the world the last thing I want to do is re-open the internecine blood-feud surrounding EJ. However, since this is a message board that is predicated on discussion and commentary, I must respectfully disagree with the esteemed Ruzious' opinion that Eddie Jordan was an above average NBA coach. Perhaps on the basis of making the playoffs for some years running (in the vastly weaker Eastern Conference) one could argue his "above-averageness". I believe his W-L record with the Wiz and overall was decidedly average. He was a very good offensive coach (albeit with a difficult system to run and stock talent for), while according to results a very poor defensive coach. Again, I do not see that combination as an above average NBA coach. He had a good rapport with his players and they generally played hard (if unfocused on the defensive end). Maybe he will get another opportunity in the NBA that will demonstrate his "above average-ness". If that happens, I will happily admit that I was wrong.

[Ruzious]

Yeah, EJ is a coach; not a GM, and he wanted a pure PG to work his offense. Gil was anything but that, at the time. Eventually, he was sold on Gil, and he let Gil be Gil - and develop into an all-star. Eddie Jordan's job was to coach - not be GM - and while he did some things poorly - overall, he was an above average NBA coach.

For the love of all that is good and pure in the world the last thing I want to do is re-open the internecine blood-feud surrounding EJ. However, since this is a message board that is predicated on discussion and commentary, I must respectfully disagree with the esteemed Ruzious' opinion that Eddie Jordan was an above average NBA coach. Perhaps on the basis of making the playoffs for some years running (in the vastly weaker Eastern Conference) one could argue his "above-averageness". I believe his W-L record with the Wiz and overall was decidedly average. He was a very good offensive coach (albeit with a difficult system to run and stock talent for), while according to results a very poor defensive coach. Again, I do not see that combination as an above average NBA coach. He had a good rapport with his players and they generally played hard (if unfocused on the defensive end). Maybe he will get another opportunity in the NBA that will demonstrate his "above average-ness". If that happens, I will happily admit that I was wrong.

You're in it to lose it, Ben. Look at last season's backcourt, and tell me how the team under-achieved last season. Who was their best guard last season? And name any playoff team in the history of the NBA that had a backcourt with less ability.

[ZonkertheBrainless]

If you consider our roster as being better than 41-44 wins, than EJ was a lousy coach. But it's hard to make that argument with the lack of defensive ability on AJ and Gil's part, and all the injuries, so yeah, he was an average coach. He was able to get better than average offensive production and looks to have gotten less than average defensive production. So he was mediocre.

With EJ as the coach the players all had a good time and enjoyed playing with each other, but they sucked on defense. I think EJ's firing sent a message to the team to get serious. We'll see next year how that turns out.

[Benjammin]

Ruz, you stated that EJ is an above average NBA coach. I believe his body of work at best would support the thesis that EJ is an average NBA head coach. It would be best if we would agree to disagree since this poor horse has been throttled mercilessly for months.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think EJ was an average W/L coach and an above average players' coach.

In the lockerroom and with the players EJ was liked. If not for the injuries he'd still be coach. Had not the injured Wizards run into Lebron''s team three times in the playoffs the Wizards would have advanced to the second round at least once. So, bad luck did him in more than bad coaching.

However, I will always regard EJ as horribly biased in favor of his offensive slyle and really very foolish not to see how much better Haywood was than any other uption at C.

Etan and Ruffin and Darius at C just made me sick. EJ lost games against Cleveland sitting Haywood an entire playoff series. Worst playoff coaching I've ever seen. Repeatedly, Jamison would get tired by the fourth and Cleveland's bigs would be all over the boards over guys like Songaila at C, yet EJ never adjusted to that but to go smaller. Exceptionally poor defensive coach who never seemed to notice defensive stats or rebounding or any advantage size would bring.

Best coaching EJ did was shoarthanded last season to make the playoffs. Thus, I'll say he was an average coach.

[Ruzious]

Ruz, you stated that EJ is an above average NBA coach. I believe his body of work at best would support the thesis that EJ is an average NBA head coach. It would be best if we would agree to disagree since this poor horse has been throttled mercilessly for months.

Well played, Ben.