Wizards Season Ticket Holder Roundtable

Over the last six plus years I've been writing this blog, I've talked, tweeted, texted and otherwise corresponded with a number of Washington Wizards season ticket holders. Some of these are one time encounters; others have evolved into regular communications or even developed into friendships. With the Wizards in the midst of another slow (I'm being kind here...) start, I thought it might be a good time to get some input from some of them about the current state of the team and what they would do to straighten things out. Assuming they agree that things are a little crooked right now, that is.

I've adopted a format used by ESPN in their 5-on-5 series. In other words, five questions answered by five different people who supposedly know a little about what they are talking about. Here goes my first (and maybe last, who knows) attempt at getting a little bit of input from four fellow season ticket holders about the state of our favorite pro basketball team. For perspective, I'm including the section at Capital One Arena where each of us sits and the current tenure as a season ticket holder. I'm doing this on the first question response only. Also, apologies in advance for the all-male panel on this one.

1. What is most wrong with the Wizards?

Patrick (Section 421; Season 4): The mismanagement of the roster during the John Wall era like the absurd contracts offered (e.g., unnecessary player options, Otto's contract), the midseason trades, the trading of draft picks. You could even make a case that the hiring of Scott Brooks was attributed to roster mismanagement as the hiring was supposedly to lure Durant to the team.

Taylor (Section 115; Season 17): This team needs a leader in the worst way… a leader who holds himself accountable, as well as others. The Wizards have been at their best in recent years with credible veteran leaders: Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Nene. Paul Pierce. It’s become clear that the team’s current players don’t have the experience to set an example and guide the team to regular season success, much less post-season success. At least not yet. How much longer can we wait?

Marcus (Section 104; Season 5): They don't seem to really care all that much about playing basketball. The team believes that they have the talent to turn it on and off at any time. The hunger is missing, but the bravado isn't. I think a lot of that falls on the coaching and the leaders on the team. The leaders have to lead and set the example. Paul Pierce's words ring true: do they just want to be good or do they want to be great? They are also one of the worst  defensive teams I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to be a personnel issue. If you look down the roster at each position, they have the talent to defend. It goes back to the point of they just don't seem to care. They don't communicate on defense and teams easily pick them apart. On the bright side, this should be the most "fixable" aspect of the current team.

Stephen (Section 108; Season 5): My response is based on having to come up with only one thing the sticks out and if corrected would have the most impact on increasing wins and reducing Twitter misery culture.  Failure to execute is most wrong. Failure to execute is caused by many things such as lack of focus, taking plays off, not trusting teammates, coaching, culture, egos, injuries, new teammates, new schemes, the other team, etc. I actually like the talent on this team and feel they should be able to compete at the number four spot in the East right now if they would have executed in more of the October and November games instead of underplaying.

Jonathan (Sections 109/415; Season 19): "Team" is most wrong with the Wizards. This roster appears to be a bunch of individuals who do not function as a team. They are sometimes variously lacking in effort, self-accountabilty, trust, sacrifice for the greater good and inattention to results (i.e. winning the game). Unfortunately, everyone is at fault here. Ernie brought this group together, hired a coach who struggles to find different ways to motivate and there appears to be no leadership in the locker room.

2. You own the Wizards for a day. What do you fix?

Patrick: I think every well-informed fan of the franchise would answer this question unanimously. Replace the GM. As the Twitter hashtag enthusiasts would say: #FireErnie.

Taylor: You mean what do I fix, other than the team name? Hmm. Is it breaking the rules if I spend my billions on a time machine to go back and prevent the Ian Mahinmi signing, which was predictably a disaster? I mean, with win shares ranking 205th, 149th, 229th, and 53rd in the league in four seasons with the Pacers, who could have predicted Mahinmi’s win shares with the Wizards would rank 230th, 269th, and (on pace for) 272nd, given that he’s an aging player at an outdated position? Can you imagine how different the Wizards’ path, and perhaps the Celtics’ path, would have been if we’d signed Horford instead of Mahinmi, or if we’d even saved that cap space? But I digress. Grunfeld has generally failed at drafting, failed at free agent signings, and excelled at trading (when draft picks aren't involved). So he needs to get as much as he can for Oubre (we’re not going anywhere this year and there’s no way we can afford to re-sign him), and then I’d fire Grunfeld as soon as the trade deadline passes. There needs to be a new tone from the top. As they say, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Culture matters.

Marcus: I wish my first move didn't have to be the one that should have happened years ago, but I would get a new GM in place. This franchise definitely needs a culture change and it "starts at the top" as Deuce Beal's father says. And hopefully that GM can move that Otto contract but that's up to them. I'm just the owner. No meddling. Also, while I'm owner I'm going to fix one of my biggest pet peeves of Capital One Arena: I'm upgrading the scoreboard. As you look around the league, arenas really have immersive scoreboards that have very detailed stats about game play. The "first HD scoreboard" from 2007 is definitely showing some age.  I'm very tired of having to crank my neck and squint up in the top corners of the building to see the basics of points/rebounds/assists on a small grainy display.

Stephen: The coaching staff. Hard to swallow Scotty’s contract, so I would get some discipline minded coaches to assist him with taking back the locker room.

Jonathan: I think the obvious answer here is find a new general manager, which I would totally do. But I'd also find a way to engage or re-engage (as it were) with season ticket holders because I think that is as broken as the squad on the floor is. Over the years, benefits have been stripped away while ticket prices have increased. We used to have occasional pre-game chalk talks with Ted Leonsis but he seems to have stopped doing those. I don't feel valued as a season ticket holder and that starts with the top of the organization. I feel I could decide to not renew and nobody in the organization would care. After 19 seasons of shelling out money for one division championship, I'd love to feel more valued than that. I'd start by building bridges to the team's most loyal paying customers.

3. Otto, Brad and John. Start one, sit one, waive one. Who do you start, sit and waive?

Patrick: Start Wall, Sit Brad, Waive Otto. Wall is still the most dynamic and valuable player on the team. I am a silent Otto apologist, but I did not support the matching of the Nets offer.

Taylor: The answer of who to start/sit/waive is fairly clear, even before salary cap implications are considered. Both Beal (25) and Porter (25) are younger than Wall (28). At this point, Beal and Porter frankly seem to have better character than Wall, and Beal may also have more upside. While I’ve rooted for Wall and give him credit for dragging the team out of the post-Arenas doldrums, this is his 9th year in the league, and it’s just not happening with him. He’s become aloof, sometimes surly, and has never engaged with the fans other than his brief “This is MY city!” game-winning hop onto the scorers' table in 2017 – only to be eliminated from post-season contention in the following game. If Wall goes to another team? Maybe everybody eats again. Talented point guards are in abundance these days. Beal is streaky, but compared to Porter, he has the highest ceiling and could potentially blossom into a leader. So: start Beal, sit Porter, and waive Wall – especially since he’s not proven himself to be a leader, he costs twice as much as either of the others, and his game will likely suffer the most with age.

Marcus: The waive is pretty easy. See ya, Otto! The next two are tough but I'm sitting Brad and starting John. John is still the heartbeat of this team. He has taken a lot of heat recently but he's still one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. When he's thumping his chest, flexing his arms, and throwing up the occasional gang sign, there isn't a better show in the city. Also, Brad would be one heck of a sixth man, right?

Stephen: Start Otto; he needs the work. Sit Brad; he could use the rest. Waive Wall; that supermax deal handcuffs ability.

Jonathan: I'd start John, sit Otto and waive Brad. Maybe it's an emotional decision for me but I still think John Wall is the best player on this team and he's done so much for the organization and the community; I'd love for him to fall in love with defense and stop complaining so much. Call me naive. I hate that Otto Porter is on a max contract, especially with the player option (thanks, Brooklyn) but it is what it is. When Otto is playing well, it's a bonus; when he's not, at least he's not hogging the ball or taking possessions from someone else. I think Bradley Beal is an aloof guy who feels no personal responsibility for his own poor play or that of the team and that just drives me crazy. I'd have no problem rooting for a Beal-less Wizards team.

4. What's the best part about being a Wizards season ticket holder?

Patrick: Prior to this season, it would have been the ability to get tickets at a cheaper price, but the reselling prices have been so cheap this year. I do enjoy the opportunity to engage with the players and coaching staff and the other neat events that are held each season.

Taylor: For years, the best part of being a season ticket holder was the community of my neighbors in Section 115. They’re still great, but probably only a third of us remain, either having given tickets up or having been frequently re-located on game nights by the mixed blessing offered by the Wizards’ Fluid Ticket Program. My next favorite benefits are the Milestone Awards and Playoff Ticket Pricing. I mean, a ticket to the NBA Finals in my section would have been just $146 this past year, less than the cost of a Warriors or Cavaliers (with LeBron) game! Sadly, however, I’ve never gotten to enjoy NBA Finals pricing or even Eastern Conference Finals pricing, and the Milestone Awards happen only once every five years.

Marcus: The connection to the team, the familiar faces around you, and getting to watch the best players in the world every night. I love the game of basketball and have been a lifelong Wizards fan. I am just as excited to watch the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings on a Tuesday as I am to see the LeBron train (and bandwagon) come into town. Also, shout out to my usher, Antonio, in Section 104. He's the best in the business.

Stephen: DC12 Club events and the access to the players.

Jonathan: For me, it's the opportunity to interact with the players. Some of my friends think I'm stupid for collecting autographs but it's something I do and the Wizards giving me the opportunity to stand in line and get stuff signed is awesome. They used to do more of this: years ago they used to have receptions for 10+ year season ticket holders. My friend Mike and I had a half hour or so discussion at one of these events with Josh Howard about diet and exercise and keeping focused on what was important about doing your job as a professional athlete. The opportunity to do that was very insightful. FWIW, I'm not sure anyone else at the thing knew what Josh Howard looked like.

5. If you could do one thing to improve season ticket holder benefits, what would you do?

Patrick: It's honestly difficult to choose just one thing because, even though this is only my fourth year as a season ticket holder, I feel like the benefits have gotten worse during my tenure. I don't have any creative answers right now but I think the fluid ticket program could be improved. I don't like the limitations that were implemented this season. For example, I believe we should be able to return as many tickets as we want (not just for 10 games) and we should be able to use the returned funds on other things, not just the tickets. Allow us to spend it elsewhere like at the team store or on concessions. Oh yeah, and I'm still salty about the surprising end of the Monumental Rewards program. While Monumental is raking in the cash, I don't believe they have done enough to keep me around next year.

Taylor: Like any paying customer, I’d like more transparency and consistency. Just when I feel like I’m getting used to a program, it’s cut or disappears. Season Ticket Holder Advisory Board? Unceremoniously disbanded with no explanation. Autograph sessions? There's no player list sent out beforehand to allow us to match memorabilia to the event (just say "tentative" in the invitation if specific player appearances can't be guaranteed). Free bonus tickets? Gone as inventory dwindles. Monumental Rewards Program? Terminated with no real announcement, along with the points I’d spent effort accruing. Fluid Ticket Program? $100 credit eliminated, and there is now a burdensome 48-hour pre-game restriction blocking ticket returns in that window. The sad part is I'd be more understanding about most of these changes if their rationale was communicated overtly and honestly, instead of in a way that comes off as on the sly, in hopes that no one will notice. As a result, in recent years, my relationship with the Wizards has felt much more like an impersonal business relationship and much less like #DCFamily. 

Marcus: This is the easy answer for a season ticket holder, but the prices should really be lowered about 10 to 15%. That is  the biggest hindrance to building out a fanbase and all that it ends up doing is pissing off the real "diehards". The market that Ted thinks the Wizards should be at versus the reality of that market is not close. When I see tickets being sold around me for 50 to 60% less than what I paid, it is discouraging and makes you wonder why you pay for season tickets. (And no, the Lebron and Warriors game do not make up the difference). Also, the fluid ticket program used to be a real true benefit but they have  destroyed it in the last couple of years. Getting rid of the VIP options and forcing you to return tickets more than 48 hours in advance have made the program not worth it. Would love to see you be able to use some percentage of the fluid ticket program returns at concessions, but that's just a wild dream that I know would never come true.

Stephen: Bring back the rewards program with real value. Allow season ticket holders to use for food and beer, Wizards swag, player experiences, and seat upgrades.

Jonathan: Bring back the occasional VIP experience to the average season ticket holder. Over the last few years, it seems like Ted Leonsis has done everything he could to scale back any sort of VIP access to those people who aren't (a) paying tons of money for it or (b) guests of the players or staff. This was a benefit that used to be complimentary at our ticket rep's discretion (typically once a year). Then access moved to Monumental Rewards program before that got eliminated. Then the Fluid Tickets program allowed a little more costly access before access got totally restricted this year. I used to feel really valued being able to do this a couple of times a year. It's especially frustrating sitting in Section 109 because there are a bunch of player and staff guests who get seats in 110 who have VIP access every game. I'd also give away more bobbleheads; I realize that's two things.

I appreciate the time each of these folks took to answer these five questions. I was looking for a random sampling of opinions from season ticket holders and I think I got it. Most of all, I appreciate the fact that all four of these guys said yes without hesitation even though half of them have never met me in person. We'll have to change that last part. I at least owe everyone a beer here I think.