The Washington Wizards are not a good basketball team. They have a pretty good point guard, a bunch of shooters, a rookie with a hot Central European girlfriend and a guy named Trevor. I can appreciate all of these things. Still, they’re not very good. They’re so bad that they’re likely going to get their second coach fired in less than a calender year. Randy Wittman replaced Flip Saunders, who was fired after the Wiz started 2-15, but was never thought of as a long term replacement. As Michael Lee from the Washington Post writes, Wittman doesn’t know what his future in Washington looks like, but he’s not letting that get to him.
“Asked if he allows himself to ponder his future with the Wizards, Wittman said: “I don’t. Right now, we want to try to end this on a positive note, heading into next year and I don’t think anybody has any idea of what’s going to happen after this. I can’t worry about those things. Whatever happens, happens.”
That was a very Stan Van Gundy-esque comment. Wittman knows he’s a long shot to coach the Wizards next year, so he’s just going about his business and trying to win basketball games. As Lee writes, Wittman has made some bold moves despite his care taker status as coach. He benched Andray Blatche and told him to get in shape. He also publicly said that breaking his team’s bad habits is like breaking someone of a nicotone addiction. Still, Wittman’s hard line approach has drawn praise from the franchise’s young center piece.
“Coach Witt is a great coach to me,” John Wall said. “From Day One, he’s been straightforward and honest. He told you eye to eye what he thought of you and what he wanted you do to. If you didn’t like it, and didn’t play right, he’ll sit you.”
Wittman is toast, though the team’s problems aren’t his fault. Besides Wall, Trevor Booker and a couple others, they have a ton of either really young, raw players and some knuckleheads. They need to amnesty Blatche, continue to develop Wall & Jan Vesely and work from there. Long term I like where the Wizards are going as long as we’re giving them another five years to get their franchise right. First things first, they need a coach with a long term future as well.
