Ted Leonsis gives a vote of confidence to Flip Saunders and Ernie Grunfeld
by Mike Prada on Apr 7, 2011 3:50 PM EDT
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PrintTed Leonsis went on 106.7 The Fan today and had some nice things to say about Ernie Grunfeld and Flip Saunders, making it seem like both might be back next season. In an interview with the Sports Junkies, Leonsis said he was "thrilled" with Grunfeld and "very happy" with Saunders. Audio is here, and a brief transcript is here, via the master transcriber, Dan Steinberg.
You guys know me long enough, I am pretty loyal. I believe we're in it together. And as long as we are on the same page, I think that there's harmony in the organization. And right now, Ernie certainly is executing what we want to do. And I'm thrilled with that. I said we want to tear the team down and be young and have upside and have cap space. Check.
I'm very happy with Flip, because he is teaching in an environment of we want you to compete, we want you to play hard, we want you to bring it, because the line between success and failure in pro sports is really small. And effort and teamwork and camaraderie and heart and grit are important. And we'll tolerate youthful mistakes, but we want people to really want to be here and play here and like playing for one another and being respectful to the fans, and I'm seeing that. I'm really seeing that.
A word of caution, though: don't make too much of this when thinking about both men's futures. Leonsis was asked a question and he answered while being very careful to say he doesn't discuss the job status of his employees directly. It's certainly a good sign for Grunfeld and Saunders, but to do anything other than offer both men their support would have been very out of line.
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Unless he plans on rebuilding the rebuilding
I would expect these two to stay put for at least one more season. It’s nice to have a five-year plan, but if you re-start it every three years you won’t get anywhere.
by Pryme on Apr 7, 2011 4:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't think there is any rebuild going on
I think they are going to add players. I think they know what the team is. They are starting to win and that is where you start. This team is winning without some of its core pieces in place because they are sidelined at the moment. I think it bodes well for a team that can put some "w"s up and still have more players coming in next season. I don’t see any rebuild. i see adding players.
by hambonejackson on Apr 7, 2011 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
it is still a rebuild...
missing pieces remain to be found and hard decisions remain to be made….
I do hope Harrison Barnes opts to stay in the draft this year, as I think he could be a critical piece for the Wizards. If he goes back to Chapel Hill, the Kanter lovers may get their wish.
If Harrison Barnes goes back to UNC for another year...
Kanter moves up a slot….
In a perfect world, the Wizards would have their pick of Barnes, Derrick Willims, Kanter, or Perry Jones…. but keep in mind, the Wizards could be picking anywhere from 1st to 6th… And depending on which teams slot in front of the Wizards, they could be looking at having a choice between Van Vesely or Terrence Jones….
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
THAT would suck
Just gimme 1 of the 3: Kanter, D Williams, Barnes…. I don’t care which one anymore
What happens if we get the #1 pick and draft Irving (definite early entry)?
Who do we ship him off to?
I'm hoping Ernie does something creative with the Atlanta pick....
Package it to move up?….
A BOYD trade with a Lottery team looking to get under the threat of a hard cap? (Cleveland? Toronto? Utah?)
Swap for a bad team’s unprotected 2012 pick… (Hello, is this David Kahn? David, I have a proposition for you………………..)
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
by Rook6980 on Apr 7, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah I hear you.
I agree. Cleveland had some interest in Blatche this year, you think we could package Blatche and the ATL pick for Cleveland’s #8 selection? I am not sure who we would take back in the deal, but it would certainly clear some room for us to take Kanter with our lottery pick, and maybe a guy like terrance jones at #8.
I dont either
But given the choices he may be the best guy, assuming:
-Derrick Williams is gone
-Harrison Barnes is gone or doesnt enter
-Enes Kanter is gone
-Perry Jones (who I am very wary of) is also gone
I’m also starting to warm up to Terrance Jones. I’ve gotten a chance to watch him throughout the season and he is a matchup nightmare. Reminded me of a poor man’s LeBron James. He isn’t anywhere as fast, but he is still faster than guys bigger than him and too big and strong for those smaller than he is. There is also his fantastic rebounding.
I don't know too much about him
but I watched a handful of Kentucky games this year and Terrence Jones never really stood out. He seemed to disappear a lot. Same goes for Perry Jones at Baylor. Obviously there is a lot of potential there with both of them. But it’s tough to tell if these two will pan out.
by PhenomenalSwag on Apr 7, 2011 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
They both lack that killer instinct
But for what you’re saying, in the Final Four game, T. Jones got things going early and then you didn’t really notice him. When you looked at the box score at the end of the game, he had some good numbers though (11pts, 15rebs), weird.
TJones seems to be on my radar lately
But for the Wiz to choose him, Blatche and McGee have to show that they can dominate their positions. if they start disappearing during games, I just don’t see what choice this team has but to draft another big. They don’t need 7 day Dray or McGee still playing like he is a rookie. They need 82 games big man.
by hambonejackson on Apr 8, 2011 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Let me be clear again lol
T Jones if:
-Derrick Williams is gone
-Harrison Barnes is gone or doesnt enter
-Enes Kanter is gone (especially even though Ive never seen him play a meaningful game)
-Perry Jones (who I am very wary of) is also gone
I understand
But TJones at the 3 is like another 4..Potentially he could dominate his position.
by hambonejackson on Apr 8, 2011 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions
I hope he turns into an early pick next year
I am not as interested in moving up this year, because the draft is pretty friekin’ weak.
Next year however, a lottery pick has a ton of value if all pans out. Not to mention our first pick next year will optimistically not be top 3.
Screw rational basketball analysis. I <3 Jordan Crawford.
Stress fractures are inevitable when you kick as much ass as Trevor Booker does.
by returnofswagger on Apr 7, 2011 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions
What are you saying about adding players vs. a rebuild?
A rebuild is about adding players and getting rid of others.
We don’t really know who’s in the core except for John Wall. Everyone else is playing for their career.
Ted talked a lot about the CBA with the NHL
and talking about the hard cap in their league. I hope Stern doesn’t nail him again because he is the best owner of the new bumper crop of newbie owners in the league.
Flip
Overrated coach, I always thought he got the least juice out of his oranges. He made sense for last years veteran team with Arenas, Butler, and Jamison, but to develop young talent I think the Wiz should go in a different direction.
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Saunders developed Minnesota in the late '90's to 2000's successfully from a rebuilding to a contending team
so that gives me reason to say that he knows how to do this.
Phil Jackson on the other hand really never had a nearly completely young and inexperienced roster with the Bulls or the Lakers. His rebuild was with the Lakers from the post Caron trade in 2005 to their championship in 2009, but again, the centerpiece of the trade was a Top 3 NBA player in Kobe, like he had with Jordan.
by thewiz06 on Apr 7, 2011 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
thats y i say
we bring back eddie jordan! i think he used to get the most out of our oranges
No, he got the most out of our nuts
He harvested them.
Lets bring back Antwan, Gill, Caron, DeShawn, Michael Ruffin, Brendan Heywood.
i mean. just sayin………………………………………….
Twitter: @GatorNeedHisGat
by skinbo on Apr 7, 2011 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Of all these guys
I’d want Caron the most. How would you guys react if we managed to sign him as a free agent? Butler said that he’s open to coming back to DC.
I think, for the most part, they have both done a very good job...
If someone had told me in January last year that the Wizards would be able to completely gut the roster…. get rid of ALL the veteran contracts… re-stock the team with young players (12 players under 26 years old…. 7 drafted in the first round)… Obtain 4 additional first round draft picks (Seraphin, Booker, Crawford, Atlanta’s 2011 pick)…. reduce the salary by more than $40 Million per year and free up potentially $20 Million in cap space… and get rid of one of the most toxic contracts in the League …. ALL IN ONE YEAR ??!?!?!? I would have thought they were on drugs…
Obviously there is a lot more to be done…. They need to draft well in the upcoming 2011 draft… They need to make decisions about Nick Young, Yi Jianlian, Josh Howard, Hamady Ndiaye, Othyus Jeffers, Mo Evans.Cartier Martin, and Mustafa Shakur. They’ll need to decide what to do, if anything, with their cap space (sign FA?, BOYD?).
But Ernie has really positioned this team well for the future.
AND Flip Saunders has done a pretty good job as well… Nick Young has continued the development we saw from the second half of last year… John Wall has progressed steadily throughout the year…. Trevor Booker made huge strides this year… JaVale McGee seems to be coming around….. and even Kevin Seraphin has taken some baby steps…
It’s one thing when you have one or two Rookies or second year players on the roster that need some teaching – but it’s entirely different when the whole roster is nothing but kids – and Flip and his staff have done a masterful job of helping to facilitate the development of those young players.
Based on what I’ve seen over the last year, I feel confident that Grunfeld will make the right decisions this Summer…. and I feel that Flip Saunders is the right Coach to develop this team. I’m stoked about the progress so far – and I think the team is at least a year ahead of schedule…
Playoffs in 2012-2013…… Contending in 2013-2014
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
by Rook6980 on Apr 7, 2011 7:24 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
What about next season?
Competitive games, 30-35 wins?
Yes to Nick Young. No to Yi. No to Josh Howard. Yes to Hamady N’diaye. Yes to O Jeffers (minimum). Yes to Mo Evans (minimum). No to Cartier. Yes to Mustafa (minimum)
by PhenomenalSwag on Apr 7, 2011 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Mo Evans
I would be willing to pay him a little more than minimum on a short term contract (2 years) to keep his services. He seems to have a good veteran presence in the locker room and plays both ways. As we stand Lewis is the only other vet and I never got a leadership vibe from him.
Fingers crossed for back to back #1s
Yea, I guess the minimum would be skimping on him a little.
Couldn’t be more than 2 years though, it’s too bad he’ll be 33 next season.
by PhenomenalSwag on Apr 7, 2011 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Summer Concerns
My major concerns are that Ernie
1) Spends the lottery pick on a tweener who is a highly athletic, offensive stud but lacks the motivation, IQ, physical gifts to be a legitimate defender in the NBA. I don’t think a championship team can afford to have a core player who isn’t at least moderately good on defense.
2) Sells the 2nd rounder (33rd/34th pick), which has been his m.o. and to me reflects a lack of creativity also evident in his role player FA signings over the year.
3) Spends cap and a roster spot on Yi.
He has made some winning moves this year, so my Ernie concerns are about how I expect him to perform in the situations he will face this summer (drafting in lottery, deciding who to keep of the players he has brought in) rather than my evaluation of his performance in situations (different from the ones he will face this summer) that he somewhat successfully faced this past year (flipping assets, bringing in players, drafting in mid-to-late 1st (the Booker, Seraphin picks were discretionary, Wall wasn’t)).
I don't think we'll be selling picks straight up for cash this year.
We are well below the cap, we just need assets.
by PhenomenalSwag on Apr 7, 2011 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Trying to read between the lines. I’ve seen over a dozen cases where Ted and Ernie tout the Wizards assets: cap space, two 2011 1sts, talented young players. I have not seen a single instance where the 2nd round pick has been mentioned. Okay, okay, it would be strange for them to go around hyping a second-round pick. But…it will be 33rd/34th and considering all the times they have talked about the Wizards assets and the depth into which they have gone, I wonder if the 2nd round pick has not been mentioned at all because the Wizards don’t intend to use it.
If they don't draft a player with that pick
then they will trade it. Perhaps they’ll trade out of the second round, and take a second rounder next year. Perhaps they’ll package it and the ATL pick and trade up to the late lottery. Or perhaps some other variation.
One thing that I can guarantee you they won’t be doing is giving up assets. That includes trading prospects or not fully developed players, or selling draft picks.
I bet we could trade 33ish pick for something in the high 20’s straight up to a team that doesn’t want a guaranteed contract on the books.
by MR on Apr 8, 2011 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah that's a good point.
Is there a significant talent dropoff between picks 25-35 this year?
Good question. I'm not the guy to answer it.
Wonder how many slots up we’d need to move to make it worthwhile.
by MR on Apr 8, 2011 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Well it would be worth it either way if we get another asset in such a deal.
A second rounder in the 2012 draft would be enough to make it worth it.
That seems like a lot to ask.
A high second for a low first and a second next year?
by MR on Apr 8, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I do have a good feeling about this team next season
So much of it depends on Blatche and McGee, a pair of players I want to do a movie about. They find a suitcase filled with money and they are going to Aspen to return it to a beautiful woman. So they quit their jobs and head to the open road in a dog grooming truck. I suppose that is my impetus for this team to draft Kanter. Who knows about Blatche and McGee and what they will do next season.
i would like to think next season is about learning how to win as opposed to simply letting players develop.I think learning how to win together needs to be the next step. I hope their winning streak is the beginning of taking that step.I was not upset at all about the Indiana game. Lets see how they do against the Celtics.
by hambonejackson on Apr 7, 2011 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Ted posted on his blog about his interview this morning
with junkies and basically reiterated what Mike said.
He also added this….
I also want to add value on my recent comment regarding "The new big three." Each and every NBA team seems to need three options to score and win in the league. Of late that is what we had developed: Three players that were scoring at high rates and filling up the stat sheet with big stat lines and numbers. Really big numbers. Just look at the stats. Wall, Crawford and Blatche. Very impressive set of games.
Our other big scoring options – Nick Young and Rashard Lewis – are out and injured. So we have no choice but to rely on big numbers from these three young players and they have been delivering. Big time. But we and I have zero intention to make and market our team around "a big three" theme. I hope you didn’t take away that notion from my comment on my blog.
FWIW
btw- please fix the blockquote function…
Ted backtracks as fast as Wall runs forward
Glad he did.
By the way
Check out his first line — “I want to add value on my recent comment.” “Add value”? Where do these business types go to learn all this jargon? Sometimes in meetings at work I can’t stop myself from laughing at all the stupid phrases used.
I hope you didn’t take away that notion from my comment on my blog.
How could we take it that way Ted? I mean you only said it. Right?
Screw rational basketball analysis. I <3 Jordan Crawford.
Stress fractures are inevitable when you kick as much ass as Trevor Booker does.
by returnofswagger on Apr 7, 2011 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Now McGee is going to try to score every time he has the ball
I want to tell you about our big 3 who are not our big 3 and if I ever mentioned our big 3 I don’t it taken out of context from our big 5 who we are no more marketing than our big 3 who are not our big 3. Don’t get me wrong. Note to self* write retraction tomorrow.
by hambonejackson on Apr 7, 2011 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
He sounds like a guy who spends too much time on the internet
writes something on his blog and immediately starts searching for people who commented on what he wrote. Then is surprised and offended if they don’t love every word. Can’t blame him. I do that too.
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