Bullets Forever, a Washington Wizards community

"Well, he doesn't play for me. He plays for the coach, so I'm not reacting to those situations at all," Grunfeld said. "He is under contract, and if he wants to get paid, he has to play. I don't have much reaction about that situation."

"It's a difficult thing in the NBA. You're always looking for ways to improve. But I think we have plenty of players on the team. Now it's up to them to perform up to their abilities. You obviously evaluate as you go along and you'd really like to evaluate with a full deck for an extended period of time. And we really haven't had that full deck."

The NBA has had six coaching changes since the start of the season. What gains can a bad team expect to make by firing a coach?

Mannix: I asked a few NBA front-office officials this same question and they all had the same answer: You have to look at it in a case-by-case basis. So, let's do that.

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Washington: The Wizards (believe it or not) have yet to abandon their hopes of making the playoffs. Ed Tapscott told me that he and GM Ernie Grunfeld are hoping that by making defense a priority, the Wizards will be able to salvage the season.