Tied with the hapless Los Angeles Clippers for the worst record in the NBA at 10-38, the Washington Wizards are quickly becoming a laughingstock of a franchise. The funny part is, the 10-38 record isn't their biggest problem in my eyes -- it's their decision makers in the front office.
Hiring Eddie Jordan way back when (he's since been canned) was the first indicator of Washington's organizational stupidity. I've been a New Jersey Nets fan all my life, and I was very familiar with Eddie Jordan during his tenure as an assistant coach of said Nets. Jordan always garnered a reasonable amount of media attention, despite the fact that he was merely an assistant, and I never understood that. I probably saw him interviewed over 50 times, and he always managed to sound generic, limited, and just plain dumb.
And yet, the Wizards bit on the hype surrounding Jordan's coaching "ability" (I cringe even using that term in a sentence with his name), and made him their leading man. We all saw how that went, bunch of first round playoff exits and an embarrassing start to this season. The one-and-dones in the postseason were unacceptable because Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler equals a truckload of talent in the traditionally weaker Eastern Conference. Eddie Jordan just couldn't find a way to communicate with his stars and get them to play cohesively, and under control.
OK, so Jordan is mistake #1. Number two is bringing back both Jamison and Arenas via free agency re-signings this offseason. Couldn't Washington's front office tell that this dynamic simply wasn't going to work? Sure, Arenas has been injured this year, but it's not as if that should be a totally unexpected development -- the guy missed plenty of games last season. So you bring back a selfish guard in questionable physical condition. Nice work.
Then you ink Jamison. Antawn is one of those players who impresses you in the box score and has a world of talent, but he's just not a winning player. He's a chucker who takes ill-advised shots and hasn't quite figured out how to use his ability to improve the teammates around him. He and Arenas together are like oil and water. This offseason was the time for the Wizards to go in a completely new direction, and they failed to do so. The result is not surprising.
Now let's talk about -- and when I say "talk about," I mean "bash" -- their interim head coach Ed Tapscott.
Who?
No wonder he can't get any respect from his players. I think he's the guy that bags my groceries at Stop and Shop.
Regardless, it's the Wizards' front office that placed Mr. Tapscott in this position. A position to fail, no doubt. And failing is exactly what Ed is doing.
Tonight Washington lost by 16 to a Memphis Grizzlies team that has struggled to find an identity and play with any sort of end-to-end consistency. Tapscott started this lineup, according to Yahoo Sports: PG-Mike James, SG-Caron Butler, SF-Dominic McGuire, PG-Antawn Jamison, C-Darius Songaila.
Why the hell are James and Songaila starting? The Wizards are TOTALLY out of playoff contention, so why aren't intriguing young players like Javaris Crittenton, Nick Young or JaVale McGee getting the opportunity to start and play major minutes?
It makes absolutely no sense. Crittenton is an explosive athlete with good slashing and finishing ability. Young is a high octane scorer with a seemingly endless repertoire of offensive deliveries. McGee, lastly, is a lanky big fella with great hops and tremendous upside.
James and Songaila are old journeymen. What are you gonna get by playing them?
Nothing. It's like betting the triple with three favorites.
Meh, I've thought enough about this disgrace of a franchise. My heart goes out to you, Wizards fans.
Keywords: Andray Blatche, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Darius Songaila, Deshawn Stevenson, Dominic McGuire, Ed Tapscott, Eddie Jordan, Gilbert Arenas, JaVale McGee, Javaris Crittenton, Mike James, Washington Wizards, Wizards, Wizards are an embarrassment, Wizards decision makers, Wizards front office, Wizards organization
