After taking a few weeks off to keep the focus on the draft, the start of free agency, and Summer League, Pollin' is back in action. As you can see from the title, this week we'll be tackling an issue that still provokes strong response from both sides.
Many felt that Eddie Jordan was underservedly fired after the team stumbled out of the gates to a 1-10 start without Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood. Especially when you consider that he led the Wizards to the playoffs for four straight seasons, many felt that he should've been given the benefit of the doubt in a down year.
Alas, Ernie Grunfeld didn't share the same viewpoinnt and after firing Jordan didn't take long to settle on a replacement in Flip Saunders. Going strictly by win-loss records, Saunders' 59.7% win-loss percentage is a clear upgrade over Jordan's mark of 44.4%. But as Exhibit G pointed out in April, you can't evaluate win-loss percentages without taking a look at the whole picture.
Flip Saunders never had to deal with the amount and severity of injuries that Jordan did in his tenure with Washington. He also had more talented rosters with guys like Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, and Rip Hamilton at his disposal than Jordan did in Washington or Sacramento. Once you factor in the injuries and the relative talent, the disparity in wins and losses shrinkens.
The question you have to wrestle with this week is which coach you would rather have leading the troops this upcoming season. Would you rather have Flip Saunders with his fresh voice and proven track record, or Eddie Jordan, who knows the team better and has never truly gotten the chance to show what he could do with a healthy roster?