What's a fan to do? There's a tide of general resentment lacking a sure target since Flip Saunders' firing. The Ten Point Plan isn't under fire and it isn't like Ted is charging an arm and a leg for tickets. And who knows, maybe he's inciting the blogosphere to take heat off the team. Apologist insanity aside, Randy Wittman is playing what he's got (Rashard Lewis must be played 20 to 35 minutes a game or every volcano in the world will erupt simultaneously) though I said it before and I'll say it again, it isn't possible to give a full season's worth of Knute Rockne speeches and you damn well shouldn't have to. One can only get pumped up so many times before tuning out the noise. It is impossible to sustain emotional overdrive with the best part of the season still ahead and no clear indication help is on the way.
It's easy to be pessimistic. If we look to the Thunder rebuild, John Wall can't stack up with Kevin Durant (since no one can). There is no Nick Collison. We have no other homerun draft pick to put next to John. If we look to the Celtics rebuild, Javale McGee's trade value won't stack up with Al Jefferson's on his best day. And that's if Ernie Grunfeld is ready to pull off a trade coup that will make Danny Ainge sit up and blink. Twice.
If the fans heard Ernie was ready to pull off a deal for Stephen Curry and Ekpe Udoh involving our lottery pick and Javale McGee, where would we be at? If we heard the Wizards were going after Ryan Anderson, Omer Asik and Chase Budinger in FA, letting Nick Young walk? That's just one cockamamie thought, but I'm posing it for the purposes of asking whether or not there's any hypothetical scenario outside of highway robbery where Ernie Grunfeld redeems himself before his contract is up.
Direct all eyes to (what I believe is) the trade deadline on March 15th. Less than six weeks away.
The sentiment that we, the fans, overvalue our own players has been getting more run than usual. This roster cannot play balanced basketball, and unless Ernie is planning to go lie on a beach somewhere, he must make a move. Because no self-respecting GM could let this go on with so many 'actionable' assets and we're probably going to get back less than we expect.
Ernie has been at his best when he's holding the leverage. His pattern of behavior is easy to spot. With the Wizards failing to make wine out of water, Ernie will not be dealing from a position of strength. To be fair, we are approaching a make-or-break moment we've been anticipating ever since John Wall fell into our laps. Ernie Grunfeld is a survivor, but can he build a winner?
It's easy enough to suggest the Wizards tried to reinvent the wheel for the rebuilding paradigm. That the Thunder 'model' was 'catch lightning in a bottle...repeat.' That constructing the roster was institutional tanking on a scale never before seen in the NBA.
In the end, my mind keeps coming back to Darrell Green's comments Dan Steinberg transcribed about the Redskins tradition. How there was no connection to the Redskins tradition because there aren't people left who remember it, who lived it. I'm not certain, but if the longest tenured staff were of the medical variety, how would those of you who remember the curse feel about the current Wizards tradition?
But this season is about new traditions and the new Wizards and current staff are trying to create the foundation of a dynasty where the future of every single player and coach is in doubt. Like trying to build a sand castle in the surf. Get this franchise some help, Ernie. Not addressing the holes on this team really is trying to reinvent the wheel. NBA teams need certain things, like shooting, to be successful, and you damn well should have known better.