The Wizards are essentially eliminated from the playoffs, so they've set a new goal for the final nine games of the season: finish in ninth place. Via Michael Lee of the Washington Post:
"That's kind of what we've talked the last three weeks. There's different ways to keep motivation. I want these guys to think that this is still a playoff race," [Randy] Wittman said as the Wizards prepare to host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at Verizon Center. "I think if we could to that, it would be a hell of an accomplishment for these guys, to be 4-28 with all the injuries we had to miss the playoffs by one spot."
The Wizards are currently in 10th place in the East, three games behind ninth-place Philadelphia and a half game ahead of 11th-place Toronto.
Shooting for ninth seems counterproductive in a league that rewards teams that either win big or lose a lot in the draft, but Wittman said he wants to simulate a playoff experience so that the team is prepared next year if they're fighting for seeding.
Let the tanking debate begin.