goodbye eddie

a few minutes ago, news broke about eddie jordan being fired as the head coach of the wizards. while i could see this developing, i am not sure if this is the right move. first of all, i have a lot of respect for ej and think that he had proven himself to be an intelligent coach who was able to make decent adjustments and have as good of control of an nba team as you can expect. he always carried himself in a professional manner and oversaw the most consistently prosperous seasons the wizards have had in almost 30 years. with that said, the wizards have continually failed to advance far into the playoffs and are off to a dismal 1-10 start to the season.










hey you! over there! did you just call me sinbad?










part of the blame should be placed on the wizards missing their best player in gilbert arenas as well as the very underrated brendan haywood, who really made the team defense work. with that said, the wizards do have 2 all star players in caron butler and antawn jamison, so one would expect the team to hopefully hover around 500 while they waited for gil's return. they have some ok role players, but maybe the issue was that the team's identity relied so heavily on hibachi and the tmnt that it left the team with 2 very good players trying to do everything while the rest of the team stands around, unsure about their role and focus. if this was a factor than yes, eddie jordan can be held accountable for their current failures.






i might have hands of stone, look like a teenage mutant ninja turtle and be really slow, but my defense is key for this team.







another thing to consider is the role of the gm, ernie grunfeld, who while making some excellent moves and draft choices and proving to be the first qualified gn the wiz have had since i can remember, he has constructed this team and should also be held accountable. again, this team is so reliant on their big 3 and the salary distribution shows it. the problem with this plan is that the 3 all stars are all either at the peak of the career or past it (in the case of jamison and possibly post-surgery gil). they have not shown the ability to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs since the squad has been together and they are arguably getting worse as a group. so when grunfeld gave arenas 100 + million over 7 years, there's no where else to go. i love arenas. he is my favorite player in the league and i have his bobblehead, but looking at this logically, that contract might have just sealed the deal for more years of mediocrity. this is the squad for now and the next few years. the same squad that has proven to be good but not good enough. the team as it stands will never be able to compete with the top teams in the east.

so where does that leave us now? after a 1-10 start, it is justifiable to fire the coach, even though he might be a good coach. it just wasn't working and it's always easier to get rid of the coach than the player. now ed tapscott is going to take over as the interim, but do we really think the team will play better now? what is this team's identity?

let's hope for the best

the nba season kicked off a few weeks ago and the wizards are pretty bad. the black president is still hurt and the reports on his return date are kind of all over the place. as much as i dislike him, the absence of brendan haywood leaves a huge hole defensively in the middle. the wizards started the season 0-5 but just picked up their first victory last night against the jazz and there was one player who really stood out, rookie center javale mcgee.

i watched him play some this preseason and thought, this kid could be good. after a few real games, here is some of my quick-hitting analysis:

• true 7-footer
• has what looks like a 10 foot wing span
• very good athlete for his size
• hustles
• blocks shots like louis clips coupons
• aggressive offensively
• good footwork
• his mom was in the wnba
  

so yeah, i am excited about javale and his potential. i did not expect him to have an impact this early, but he has certainly stepped up.

here are some of his college highlights:



his arms are so exaggeratedly long that he kind of looks like a praying mantis on the court. caron butler thought about giving him the nickname "lemonhead". he calls himself "the big secret". i like all 3 options.








i've got long arms












the resemblance is striking











shhh!











i remember when he was drafted. i welcomed him into my life as the newest wizard, but then i started reading all of the "expert" analysis on the pick. i remember seeing terms like "reach", "unpolished", "not ready", and "questionable choice". i bought into the hype and assumed that this was a blown pick. but once i saw him in action during the preseason, i sensed his potential. i hyped him up to my friends, most of whom don't really care about basketball, during the first zards game. and just last night he finally showed what he could do and was what i believe to be the catalyst for the wizards first victory of the season. now eddie jordan needs to put him in the starting lineup, or else give him some major minutes.
i hope this is not him passing the ball, but rather, his preferred method for catching passes.

also, i just added him to my fantasy basketball team. he better produce. the wizards could be in for a long season...especially if arenas does not come back 100%. at least we can witness mcgee's growth and development into a key member of this team.