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.

Otto Porter Bobblehead No. 2

This is blog post number two of the four I've promised before I shut this thing down for a bit in disgust at the Wizards 2017-2018 performance. Two more to follow this one then I'm off for the summer-ish.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know I've lamented the lack of team-issued bobbleheads available to us hard core fans pretty much every year I've been writing this thing. While the Dallas Mavericks are off handing out double digit quantities of bobbleheads each of the last two years or the Golden State Warriors are offering up a half dozen or so per season, the Wizards are a little stingier. Or maybe a lot stingier.

By Wizards standards, the last few years have been pretty good. The one and only one in season giveaway was supplemented over the last four seasons by a chance to join the G Wiz Kids' Club and pick up a second team issued bobble to double the fun in any one season. Sure the Kids' Club costs $20 but I'd rather pay an extra $20 for a second bobble than go without. This year? No such luck.

The Wizards one and only bobblehead this year (and it was issued in late late March so apologies for not getting this out earlier) was Otto Porter. Why not, right? He's the latest Wizard to receive a max deal. The least the team can do is spend a few more dollars on a miniature likeness of him to mark the occasion. This is not the first Otto bobble issued by the team (and hence the title of this post); Otto made his debut in this department two seasons ago when he became the designated Kids' Club bobblehead. Let's see how we feel about this latest version of Porter, Jr.

First and most obvious, Otto is sporting the Wizards' City Edition kit that Nike rolled out as the fourth uniform for the team. It's the all-white one with "The District of Columbia" and the red piping outlining the shape of the Washington Monument on the shorts and below the armhole on the jersey. That's fitting considering the rest of the unis the Wizards used this year were pretty much duplicates of last year's outfits, although I should note we still don't have a bobblehead wearing the blue jerseys.

The uniform seems pretty well detailed, right down to the faux marble on the sides of the jersey/shorts and the extremely tiny but way excellent District of Columbia flag on the shorts waist. There's also the gold tag on the back of the jersey neck to signify the Wizards / Bullets at some point in their history won a title and in an extremely impressive nod to authenticity, the jersey actually has the seams at the shoulders in Nike's template which messes up the piping around the armholes on every jersey in the NBA.

If there are two items to quibble with here, it's that there is no Nike swoosh on the front of the jersey and the numbers are not quite right. The lack of swoosh is ironic considering the designers of the bobblehead went so far to use the unique seams that Nike uses then they somehow fumbled the swoosh. Maybe it was a licensing thing. As for the numbers, they have a three dimensional look due to the shading on the left side and top of the numbers. The real on court unis do not have this look, although the replica jerseys for sale at Capital One Arena do, oddly enough. Maybe it's an after correction to the real numbers on the real jerseys, which read just fine up close but are completely invisible from the upper deck. Despite these two blips, this bobblehead gets high marks from me in the detail department for the uniform authenticity.

Real numbers with no shading; bobblehead numbers with shading.

As for the rest of the bobblehead (the non-jersey part), I think it's pretty good for a freebie. The Chinese workers who crafted, assembled and painted this thing managed to get it to it looking pretty much like Otto rather than using some generic black man bobblehead. I also like the detail on the laces of the shoes, although after praising the craftsmanship there, I note that the floor paint is somehow creeping up the edges of Otto's sneakers. Oh well. It's free remember.

It is worth noting that this bobblehead makes a significant stylistic departure from the other bobbleheads handed out by the team over the past almost 20 years. They are using stickers for the numbers and jersey logos on Otto's doll. With the exception of the five mini-bobbleheads handed out during the 2005-2006 season, that's the first time the team has done this. All the other bobbleheads I own have numbers which are part of the casting process, meaning the digits are part of the body of the bobblehead. 

Cast painted numbers for Kelly Oubre, Jr.; decal for Otto Porter.

I'm torn on how I feel about this. Stickers or transfers or whatever they are represent a cheaper solution because they require less skill in painting. They can also, I suppose, delaminate from the body or peel away; paint won't do that. On the other hand, they are sort of error proof, providing the decal is affixed skillfully enough. Right now I'm still old school and liking the painted numbers. We'll see what future years bring here.

Finally, I have to comment on the box. Lately the Wizards have been advertising the career accomplishments of the actual player whose bobblehead is stuffed inside the box. Maybe they should have skipped it on this one. The career highlights for Otto? Drafted number 3 overall, All-Summer League First Team, first career double-double in 2015 (DOUBLE-double, not triple-double), career high 34 points in 2016 and signed a max deal in 2017.  I would have gone with something else here but maybe I'm just hating.

Overall, I love this bobblehead. Big picture, it looks like who it's supposed to look like and the craftsmanship is way above average. I can't wait to introduce my second Otto bobblehead to my first and the rest of the team just as soon as I get my life in order after my first house move in 14 years. Memo to the Wizards for next year: I still can't field a team because you keep giving me the same dudes in bobblehead form. I got multiple Otto Porters, Bradley Beals and John Walls along with a Kelly Oubre, Jr. I gotta bring in my Marcin Gortat action figure to get a starting five. Please please please make someone else next year. And consider more than one. Call the Mavs or Warriors for some advice if you need it.

What A Mess!

This is a long post. I apologize. Get an extra beer for this one.

It's been a couple of weeks since the Washington Wizards were bounced from the 2018 NBA Playoffs and I'm still furious. For me, the entire 2017-2018 NBA season was a complete waste of time, effort and money for this franchise and as an 18 year season ticket holder, I'm disgusted pretty much with this entire group. And by that I mean from the last guy on the bench all the way to ownership. I think most other fans of this team who are in any way emotionally connected with seeing the Wizards succeed are too. Except maybe the folks who are in charge of the team who purport to be fans too.

I've been writing this blog for about six of my 18 years as a hard core member of the Wizards faithful and I've never been so low. Not even after the two 19-63 seasons I've suffered through. In fact, I'm so annoyed, discouraged and devastated over this season that this summer I'm actually checking out. It's too late for me to get my money back for next season (unless I can leverage what I am sure will be no SummerFest this year - despite the promise on the Wizards website - into a full refund) so there's not much I can do except express my objections to this last season in this blog post and then stop paying attention to this franchise for a while.

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to write this post detailing all the ways I think this Wizards franchise is broken, write three more blog posts to wrap up the year and then stop. For a while. I'd like to be done with these four planned posts in May then you won't see anything out of me on this blog for either June or July and maybe not August. No thoughts on the draft, no thoughts on free agency (I know, right? What free agency?), no thoughts on team names or mascots or logos or anything like that. Nothing. I'm that pissed off right now. The Wizards have sucked the enjoyment out of being an NBA fan. I'm so down I can't even watch Clevealnd Cavaliers playoff games just to see them lose.

Here are my top 12 objections to the mess I've stood by, paid for and watched on the court of Capital One Arena from mid-October to the end of last month. Enjoy my rage! Ultimately this post will probably make me angrier because I know nobody at the Wizards cares.

1. Overconfidence

The Wizards started this year claiming they were the best in the Eastern Conference. Based on what, you may ask? Honestly, I have no idea. I guess the fact that they lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs last year? How bad is it for this franchise and the players on this team that after coming close to getting out of the second round of the playoffs (that means they won just one of the four rounds required to win a title) constitutes success to think you have arrived?

Bradley Beal was the early season advocate of the Wizards being the best team in the East during the first couple of months of the season and in true Beal fashion he based those calm, confident declarations on no results whatsoever. Eventually, even the Wizards on court futility caused Beal to stop saying that the Wizards were the best team in the East. Once he did that I was pretty sure this sort of silliness was going to end. Until...Markieff Morris claimed the Wizards were better than the Toronto Raptors. After the team had lost to the Raptors four games to two in the first round of the playoffs. I guess in this age of Trump as president we can convince ourselves anything is true if we say it confidently enough.

2. Bad Losses

In chronological order: at the Lakers, Phoenix, Miami, at Charlotte, Portland, at Utah (not necessarily to a bad team but 46 points!!), at the Clippers, at Brooklyn, at Brooklyn (not a typo; two different times). at Atlanta, Utah (without Rudy Gobert in a "revenge" game), at Dallas (0-2 vs. the Mavs this year), Minnesota, Denver, New York, at Chicago, Atlanta, at Orlando.

Some of those don't seem so bad right? Miami? Wizards lost by three after scoring 29 in the first half. Portland? Wizards were up 17 in the fourth. At Charlotte? Wizards were up 7 with two and a half minutes to play. At the Clippers? Lost by 1 to a team starting Sindarius Thornwell and Wesley Johnson. Minnesota? Wizards were up 7 in the fourth and let the Timberwolves end the game on a 25-13 run. Now they seem bad, right? Sure, the loss in Utah probably was going to be a loss anyway but the team quit before it even started playing. All told this year, the Wizards lost at least one game to 8 of the 10 worst teams in the NBA.

3. Poorly Constructed Roster

In an age of small ball, multiple shooters to space the floor and athletic wings who can play multiple positions on offense and defense, the Wizards have stayed traditional. It paid off this year in the form of the eight seed in the East. Stretch four? Maybe. Stretch five? Uhh...no. The Wizards entered the season with $35 million committed to three mostly traditional non-stretch five centers. The exited it with five point guards and just one shooting guard on the roster. Cool. Who does this?

Other roster blunders? No draft picks the last two years and no undrafted rookies means no cheap labor with huge upside. Jodie Meeks contributed minimally this year but fortunately for him he has a player option next year worth more than $3 million. Guess who's picking up his player option next year? Well, yes, Jason Smith too, who's got one for almost $5.5 million. Jodie Meeks and Jason Smith aren't making almost $9 million combined anywhere on their own. Fortunately for them, they don't have to look for jobs next year. On the flip side, Mike Scott was a great free agent pickup this past offseason. Unfortunately for the Wizards, he has no contract for next year which likely means he's gone. Unfortunately for Wizards fans, the guy who created this whole mess won't.

4. Nobody Cares

Yep, I know I already said this. By nobody here, I mean primarily the players and the owner, although considering the job that's been done this year and in the past couple of years by everyone in between, it's not a huge leap of faith to understand how much those folks care also.

As a player, how much can you care if you lose to the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks (minus Kristaps Porzingis) at home? How much can you care if after losing to the first two of those teams you declare that you still feel your team is still the best in the Eastern Conference? How much can you care if you keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again and after each game describe how you have to fix your mistakes? How much can you care if you lose at home to the Atlanta Hawks missing their two best players when you really need a win to save playoff seeding? Or you lose to the Orlando Magic in the last game of the season when they deliberately sit their starters in the fourth quarter? No Wizards player said they don't care this season; they didn't have to.

After a disappointing season, I would expect the captain of the ship, the owner, to offer some words to season ticket holders about how this year's performance was not good enough, that he and the rest of management haven't done enough to put a successful team in place and that changes will be made if required to get this team pointed in the right direction. We didn't get that. Instead we got "our team showed this year we have the pieces to make [a championship] happen" and "we have a lot to be proud of." We do? What's that? An eight seed, one Division Title the previous season and a first round exit?

Leonsis then goes on the crow about how good the TV ratings were, noting game 5 of the Raptors series was the highest rated game in 10 years. I get it now. He cares. Ratings=money. I guess as long as ratings are good, we can declare a success.

But the biggest indicator of how much ownership doesn't care might be the tweet above. I can't believe Ted is telling Wizards fans (because that tweet addresses all Wizards fans whether he likes it or not) that he's not concerned about the team's struggles or future. 

I'm telling you...nobody cares.

5. The Salary Cap Situation

I've been a staunch defender of Ernie Grunfeld as the President of Basketball Operations for the Wizards over the years. But if there's one glaring unforgivable blunder, it's the salary cap situation the Wizards are in right now.

Here's the backstory. In an effort to rebuild the team around John Wall, the Wizards go young and cheap and manage to clear the books of a ton of salary for the 2016 offseason so they can sign a marquee free agent to a maximum deal. It's a plan they have spent years working out and it works out. They actually clear enough salary cap space to make a huge splash in free agency. 

One of the first rules of planning is that if something changes to subvert your plan, change the plan in a forward thinking way. Two things went wrong for the Wizards in 2016. First, there are really no marquee free agents outside of Kevin Durant, who's already said before free agency starts that he's not even going to consider Washington. Second, a new television contract kicks in, the salary cap skyrockets and tons and tons of teams have enough cap room to offer maximum contracts to free agents. How Wizards management didn't find out this was going to happen before it happened is beyond me. Isn't this the sort of stuff yu pay people to know? Whatever.

So what do the Wizards do to change their plan? Nothing. They strike out swinging on the next two free agents after Durant (Al Horford and Nicolas Batum if you must know) and then spend all their money on third tier guys for long term deals. The haul? Zero starters, including one guy (Andrew Nicholson) who's not even in the NBA any more. Know what the Wizards roster is going to look like next season? Pretty much the exact same as the eighth place team in the East this year. Know why? Because they are over the cap and the players they signed in 2016 are still on the team. It's like the Wizards didn't understand anything about the salary cap, which might actually be true.

For his efforts here, Ernie Grunfeld received a two year extension, presumably on the premise that the Wizards at the start of this season were now the best team in the East, which as we well know by now wasn't ever true. The Wizards are pretty much boxed into having to trade someone this summer with some legitimate upside. I hope Ernie realizes this.

6. Scott Brooks

When he was hired as the Wizards head man, most folks saw Scott Brooks as a huge upgrade over his predecessor, Randy Wittman. I mourned in my own way the departure of Randy Wittman. I appreciated Randy's straightforwardness and his ability to get the Wizards to play defense like they hadn't played in years, putting two teams into the top 10 of the NBA in defensive efficiency. While I hated to see the Wizards let the coach with the highest playoff winning percentage in team history leave, I also understood there was only so far Randy was going to get us.

Who thinks Brooks is taking us further? I'm serious. Ignoring the fact that Randy got the Wizards into the second round of the playoffs twice and Scottie's only done it once, what gives us hope that Brooks has this coaching thing solved? The team is still prone to inefficient and ineffective late game offense when Bradley Beal or John Wall dribble the ball for 16 of the 24 seconds on the shot clock. Both Beal and Wall play a ton of minutes. He refuses to make changes to his starting lineup (or any rotations really) when things aren't going well. He's shown a reluctance to play younger players, preferring to get predictable results with little upside rather than taking a chance and finding a gem. And the team is no longer the defensive juggernaut they were under Randy Wittman.

Still think I'm delusional about this subject? Tell me Randy was working with a better lineup than Brooks. You can't. Also Brooks is making about 3-4 times what Randy was making in his last year. You ought to get what you pay for. It's pretty clear in some games, particularly late in games, that Brooks is a step slow. I don't know what he can do to get some help this offseason, but he needs to find a way. I'm not advocating going back to Randy Wittman as coach but look, something  has to change about Brooks' approach to the game. Different assistants maybe?

I stubbornly maintain that Randy Wittman is my favorite Wizards coach of all time. Brooks was on his way to passing Randy until this year. He's now got work to do.

7. Otto Porter
If there are folks out there dying to tell us how great Otto Porter is as a basketball player (and there are), they point to how efficient he is as a player. Efficient game. Efficient defender. Efficient shooter from two (50%), downtown (44%) and the charity stripe (83%). Third on the team in points per game, second on the team in rebounds per game, first on the team in steals per game, second on the team in Player Efficiency Rating (PER). Efficient, efficient, efficient.

Know why Otto's so efficient? Because if there's a shot he doesn't like, he generally doesn't take it. He engages correctly when the time is right which is awesome. I'd love a team full of Otto Porters. The problem? Otto Porter is the highest paid player on the team. He has to take more risks, drop that efficiency and have a greater effect on the game. During the playoffs, he slipped to the fourth leading scorer behind Mike Scott. I get that Wall and Beal are going to get their shots but 8 shots per game during the playoffs for the man making more than anyone else on the team don't cut it.

8. Free Agents

Two years ago, Al Horford chose the Boston Celtics over the Washington Wizards. He blamed it on the fans. Yes, the fans. Like the Wizards fans. Yep, you and me. I think there's something else going on.

Two years ago, the same summer that Al Horford signed a max contract in Boston and the Wizards answered with millions and millions for Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith, the Philadelphia 76ers had just finished a season in which they won just 10 games. This year they won 52 games, a mark that the Wizards haven't hit since 1979. 

What does that have to do with free agency? Well, in the scrap pile that is buyout season in the NBA, the Sixers, winners of just 10 games two years ago, picked up Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, two legitimate rotation players. The Wizards got Ramon Sessions. Now I'm not knocking Sessions. He filled in nicely as Tomas Satoransky's backup. But it's telling that when John Wall came back from injury that Sessions couldn't even get in a game. And after the Wizards signed Ty Lawson before the playoffs, Ramon couldn't even get dressed for some games. Yes, the same Ty Lawson who couldn't get an NBA contract before the season started. Why can Philly sign quality free agents mid-season and the Wizards can't?

I'm thinking Horford choosing Boston had more to do with confidence in this team's direction than the fans. Call me crazy. I'm also thinking the Wizards have zero chance of attracting a ring chasing veteran that's got some life left this offseason. Call me crazy there too if you must.

9. John Wall

I hate to say anything negative about John Wall. He's my favorite Wizards player of all time and the Wizards best player of all time (Wizards, not Bullets, folks). But we can all improve, right? 

If I had two wishes for John Wall this offseason it would be this. First, live up to the challenge Kobe Bryant gave him (and which he accepted) to make NBA All-Defensive First Team. I get that the knee injuries probably held him back this year from being all he could be on the defensive end but we need more. John could be a serious defensive stopper in this league. He's got all the physical tools and is one of the best shot blockers in the league. All it takes from here on out is effort. No more letting guys go by and trying to poke the ball away from behind. When it works, it's great; when it doesn't, you just let your man go right by you forcing someone else to rotate or just allowing an easy bucket.

Second, get some ball skills coaching. I've seen a number of Wizards bloggers imploring John to get together with Drew Hanlen who's worked with both Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre to improve their skills. Last summer, John embarked on a barnstorming tour of closed gyms visiting and working out with other NBA superstars. John is one of the scariest point guards for opponents to defend. Imagine him with an improved handle. If there's one thing that drives me nuts about John's game (other than the matador defense cited above), it's the bad turnover. Some folks have told me you can't have an aggressive John Wall without them. Why not?

10. Two Way Contracts

This fall, the Wizards will finally field a G League (formerly NBDL or D-League) team. When they do, they will become the 27th franchise to do so. Not the last of adopters, but awfully late, right?

Over the past few years, I've waited for this to happen and watched player after player be shipped off to who knows where to play with other teams' systems and develop not much at all. Or at least not in a way that would benefit the Wizards. Maybe next year will be different.

Of course I thought that about our two way contracts this year. In case you missed it, this was the first year the NBA allowed two way contracts. What does that mean? A player signed under a two way contract spends the majority of his time in the G League but is able to be called up to the NBA level by one team and one team only. It's a way teams can identify developing talent relatively inexpensively which could help them in the future. 

In the past, the Wizards have treated the G League like an obligation and not a benefit. They have engaged in the most minimal ways and predictably, they have reaped pretty much zero benefit. I was shocked when the team was a relatively early adopter of the two way contracts, locking up their maximum two shortly after the draft. But my mid-season Michael Young was gone and it took until game 82 for Devin Robinson to get in a game.

Will it change when the team has a G League team of their own? There are no indicators that it will. But the Wizards have to change here. It seems organizational from top to bottom.

11. Season Ticket Costs

I know I've ranted plenty about this subject in the last few months but I have to bring it up again. Considering everything I've written about in this post so far, do we really think the Wizards deserve to raise ticket prices by up to 20%? What are they selling, exactly? Unless something serious changes this summer, we've gone in one year from a team in the top two or three in the Eastern Conference to a team that has been passed by Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Indiana with younger rosters with more upside and more cap flexibility.

I get that Wizards tickets can sell better now than five years ago. I get that John Wall and Bradley Beal form a backcourt duo that people are willing to pay to see. But if they don't win it won't last long. People will become bored and lose interest in the same old Wizards. The best way to get fans in seats in my opinion is to build loyalty and a can't miss experience for season ticket holders. To me, that means a more competitive team and cheaper tickets that can't be re-sold. I floated this idea before on this blog and I'm still all in on this concept.

Charging me 20% more next year is close to criminal. But as I've already said, nobody cares.

12. Missed Opportunity

This is my last point on this post. If there was a year, however improbable it might seem, that the Wizards might have made a run at the NBA Finals, it was this one. Now, keep in mind, I'm not saying win the NBA Championship. I said NBA Finals and that's probably it. Think about it, at the beginning of the season it seemed like Cleveland this year was not the lock they have been in the past few years to come out of the East; Boston after major trades may have needed a couple of years to gel; and nipping at the heels of the top teams in the East (which presumably at the beginning year included the Wiz) were the maybe-really-good-in-the-future-but-not-ready-this-year Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. It seemed like the Wizards if they were really serious could have sneaked in there.

Now, I get that with the Eastern Conference Finals about to tip off this weekend and both Cleveland and Boston looking like there's no way the Wizards could beat them that things don't look quite like I described them in the paragraph above. But what if the Wizards had really made a serious run from the beginning. Yes, John Wall's injury derailed some things but the team was losing to Phoenix and Dallas and Brooklyn (twice) before Wall went down. Flip 13 of those 17 bad losses I've listed above and the Wiz are in second place.

Too rosy an evaluation? Maybe. What I've written above still wouldn't have overcome the poorly constructed roster and the fact that free agents don't want to sign in Washington and John Wall's injury. But we'll also never know because of the overconfident, don't care way the team including the coaching staff went about this year. These opportunities don't come along that often. Look at the next two years for the Wizards: they are stuck with the same general manager who got them into this mess with the same coach who has struggled with late game execution with the same lineup that's a year older (which is a bad thing in some spots) and no ability to sign free agents for any kind of salary. How was last year not the golden opportunity? The Wizards are faced with a situation where they are going to have to do something different to fundamentally avoid repeating the same mistakes and they have shown no tendency to do that in the past.

Maybe I'm being too harsh but to me the plan that Ted and Ernie came up with a few years ago has failed. What now? You're putting the hopes of fans in the care of the same people and expecting different results. It's a measure of how despondent I as a fan feel that I could come up with 12 things that I don't like about the current situation. I could have kept going. At one point I had 14 but just felt that would make too long a post. This situation needs some serious help. It's on everyone in the organization. Prove to the fans that you are charging more money next year to watch this mess that you care.

Sam Cassell feeling the mood of Wizards fans. Although the Wiz did win this game.

The Washington Otto Show

I apologize in advance for the title of this post.

For the last 15 or so years, I've pretty much scheduled most of my life around the Washington Wizards schedule. Yes, I've had season tickets for 18 years now but the first few I was a bit less fanatical than I am now. Or was a few years ago is maybe a bit more accurate. In a typical year, that schedule involves something like the following sequence of events.

 
• Training camp, maybe with a trip down to Richmond or somewhere else;
• Preseason a.k.a. a total waste of money (still think preseason games should be free for season ticket holders);
• Meet the Team party (can't miss this one each year);
• First half of the regular season, hopefully with a roadtrip in there sometime before it starts snowing;
• All-Star Break (good time to go on vacation or actually to the All-Star Game);
• Trade deadline (taking the afternoon off work is ideal here);
• Second half of the regular season, hopefully with a warm weather roadie;
• Playoffs, if I'm lucky;
• NBA Draft, if Ernie doesn't trade out;
• Free agency, in which we never sign anyone good;
• Summer League in Vegas.

Once you got all that down, you just repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

One other event that used to appear on this schedule for at least five of those 15 years was the Washington Auto Show, because it seemed like an annual occurrence that someone from the Wizards would be over at the convention center (either the old one or the current one) for a couple of hours during that event saying hi to folks and signing autographs. I first made my way over to this event in 2006, when Brendan Haywood, Jared Jeffries and Jarvis Hayes put in an appearance one Sunday afternoon. The next year it was Antawn Jamison who also showed up in 2010. Brendan Haywood made it back to the Show in 2008 along with Caron Butler and the dynamic duo of JaVale McGee and Nick Young filled in the gap in 2009. Dominic McGuire was supposed to be there in '09 but never showed; either that or I just left before he made it. Not sure which one, although I made it long enough so that there was enough dead time to see some dude pay Nick Young for his couple of hours sitting in a chair.

 

After 2010, nothing. Not a thing. And I check this stuff pretty religiously.

 

Well, nothing until this year, when Otto Porter will be sitting at some sort of table signing whatever fans can put in front of him tomorrow night from 6 to 8 pm, although remember we are talking about NBA players here so let's say it will really be like 6:15 to 6:30 before it actually gets underway. He'll apparently be joined by the Wizards Girls; best mascot in the NBA, G Wiz; and Gheorghe Muresan. The Auto Show is taking place over at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 801 Mount Vernon Place NW.

Why is this even worth blogging about? Well, if you are an Otto Porter fan or just a Wizards autograph collector, it's a great opportunity to get some signatures on some swag from Otto. But sometimes, these things are not that well attended and it's actually a good time to have a quick conversation with these guys, which is something the average fan can't do very well very often. This opportunity was especially true during the McGee / Young year when there was literally about nobody there. If only I could have pondered having an intelligent conversation with either of those guys...

 

So, if you have something you really want to ask Otto, maybe tomorrow is a good time to make your way over to the Auto Show and ask away, providing the crowds aren't that big. I'm likely headed over there myself if my schedule allows. If there are a ton of people there, you can always just get some stuff signed and then head home or to check out some cars.

If things are really quiet, you might even be able to get a picture of yourself with Otto. There was a photographer there in 2007 taking pics of people with AJ. If they do this again, hopefully your pic looks better than my fattest pic ever wearing a shirt the size of a small tent with some hair that I don't know what was going on shown below. I appreciated the opportunity three years later to tell Antawn that I'd be happy if the Wizards traded him (the team was in the midst of a 26-56 disaster back then) but just not to Cleveland. He laughed. Then 18 days later the Wizards traded him to the Cavaliers.
 

Road To The Finals 2017

Three years ago, Panini America introduced a new insert series into their annual NBA Hoops basketball card release which chronicled the prior year's NBA playoffs. They issued a unique card, serial numbered to a decreasing number as the playoffs progressed, for every single NBA playoff game of the prior year. They have continued to do that every year since that time.

I love these cards. It's a way for me to look back on each game my beloved Washington Wizards played last postseason. The only bad thing is the story ultimately ends in heartbreak.

Four years into this thing, I've collected one card from every playoff game the Wizards have played in the past four years. Of course, I only had to buy them three of the four years because, well (ahem!) they didn't make the playoffs in 2016. Here's this year's batch which represents the Wizards best playoff run in my first 17 years as a season ticket holder. In case you care, I also wrote about the 2014 and 2015 issues.

For the first time in 38 years, the Wizards (I'm including Bullets years in this calculation) finished the regular season with home court advantage in round one of the postseason. Their opponent? The Atlanta Hawks, the same team the Wizards lost to in the second round of their prior playoff appearance in 2015. The result? Much different. Two years ago, the Wizards lost at home in game six on a Paul Pierce buzzer beater that wasn't. This year? Well, let's say turnabout is fair play.

I have a couple of fond memories of this series. First I remember how whiny Paul Millsap was in the first two games in Washington as Markieff Morris absolutely stuffed him in game one. And I don't just mean on the court; I mean off the court too. A little physical play from Kieff turned Millsap into a no contact player. What's up with that? 

The Wizards did a great job holding serve in this one but after five games it really did look like a series that would go every game to the team on their home floor. Until John Wall's sublime 42 points in the Wizards 16 point in game six in Atlanta. The only thing better than Wall's performance was his press conference after the game. 

Sitting next to Bradley Beal at the post-game press conference, a grinning smiling John explained his back and forth with the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones, hip-hop artist Quavo and rapper Gucci Mane towards the end of the game when John was just unstoppable. When asked by a reporter what was "going on", John responded with a perfect "What was going on? I told 'em I was going to get 35 or more and we was going to win. And we did that." Best postgame press conference ever from the Wizards.

John gets two appearances on the first round Road to the Finals cards. Joining him are Bradley Beal and Otto Porter on the other two. On to Boston.

The Wizards and Boston Celtics spent the regular season last year beating each other at home. The Cs played two games in Washington and got beat both times. The Wiz went up to Beantown twice and came back with losses. In between the start and end of the last regular season, there was a poke in the nose, some bad blood and a game where the Wizards dressed in all black for the Celtics' funeral and beat the stuffing out of them at Verizon Center. 

Based on that season head-to-head history, all the Wizards needed was a single win up in Boston and they had the series. I thought they had it in the very first game. 16-0 Wizards. Then 22-5 Wizards. Man, this series was going to be fun! A game one upset and three Ws at home and we got the Eastern Conference Finals. At halftime it was just a five point game in the Wizards' favor. At the end of three it was a 15 point game the other way. Game one lost.

Maybe game two? Another strong first quarter had the Wizards up 13. Surely they learned from game one right? Maybe. Despite letting the Celtics to within one point in the second quarter, they carried a five point bulge into the fourth and were up five with three minutes to go before the game got tied up in the fourth. The Wizards were done in overtime, losing by ten in just five minutes of action.

The Wizards got back into it with home wins in games three and four despite the Celtics dressing in all black (not able to pull it off) but also lost Kelly Oubre, Jr. to a suspension in game five back in Boston for being sick and tired of taking elbows from Kelly Olynyk and not getting foul calls. Game five in Boston was no contest. Avery Bradley killed the Wiz. John Wall's game six dagger at the end of regulation followed by a leap up onto the scorers' table that I completely missed because I was celebrating tied it up at three apiece.

So after a six game back and forth series despite losing every game in Boston I had to think the Wizards had a chance on the road in game seven. If there were two games the road team might have won, the Wiz were the visitor in both in games one and two.

Wasn't to be. Know why? Kelly Olynyk.

Let me say that Kelly Olynyk has absolutely no business being on one of these cards. But he is because the Wizards, as they have often done with this guy, refused to take him seriously as a scoring threat. In each of Olynyk's first four seasons in the league, he's scored at least 19 once in a game against the Wizards. His best scoring game of those four years? Game 7 when he went for 26 points. This game was close...until it wasn't. The Wiz were down three with less than a minute to go in the third. Then Olynyk hit five field goals and two free throws in the fourth. How the Wiz let this guy do this is beyond me. Playoffs over. Better luck next year. Or maybe not. I'm just hoping for three rounds of cards next year.