The Washington Wizards lost their sixth straight game Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers, and their second straight game against an NBA Draft Lottery contender. That is cause for concern. In my opinion, this recent losing streak is more than a good reason to terminate head coach Randy Wittman, even if there are just 23 games left in the season.
But according to CSN Washington's J. Michael, Wittman's job is still safe right now:
Wittman, Im told, isn't in jeopardy. I would explain but here but not enough time or wanna deal w/the outrage #WizardsTalk @CSNWizards #NBA
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) February 28, 2015
Certainly these situations are fluid & can change but I'll hedge my bets on him staying as of now #WizardsTalk @CSNWizards #NBA #WizSixers
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) February 28, 2015
There are certainly reasons why terminating a head coach this late in the season isn't a sound move. First, how much can an interim head coach at this point of the season? Second, has Wittman really lost the Wizards' locker room -- and more importantly -- has John Wall tuned him out? According to TV play-by-play announcer Steve Buckhantz, Wall is far from that point.
Even if the Wizards' locker room hasn't fractured, there are still many concerns, whether it is the overall age of their roster, their lack of developing draft picks who aren't Wall or Bradley Beal, or their apparent reluctance to accept the basketball analytics movement. And the reality is that the Wizards aren't just losing to top tier NBA teams like the Hawks or Warriors as of late. They've now lost two straight games to bottom tier teams like the Timberwolves and the 76ers, where they finished both games in lackluster fashion.
And if that wasn't enough, Monumental Sports just jacked up the price of most Wizards season tickets for next season by a significant margin. If Wittman's job is indeed safe like Michael indicated -- and this downward spiral continues -- I don't know how much confidence that gives fans, especially season ticket holders to renew for next season.
The expectation of this Wizards team is to win 50 regular season games, earn at least a Top-4 seed in the playoffs, and make a run for the Eastern Conference Finals, or maybe even better. These goals are still attainable, but it's going to be an uphill battle after this losing streak.
I'm still cautiously optimistic that the Wizards can accomplish at least some of these goals. But unfortunately, I lost confidence that Wittman can take them there this season.