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With Wizards Going Nowhere, Gilbert Arenas Probably Should Sit the Rest of the Year

Posted: Dec 26th 2008 9:16AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Wizards, NBA Injuries, NBA Rumors

Wizards bosses claimed that the early-season replacement of Eddie Jordan with Ed Tapscott came because the franchise management believe the playoffs could still be reached. At 4-23, Washington is now five games behind Charlotte for 14th place in the East. I think we can rule out the playoffs at this point.

Nevertheless, Tapscott is riding his veterans. JaVale McGee and Javaris Crittenton earned DNP-CDs for the Christmas game in Cleveland. Youthful Dominic McGuire didn't get some time to flourish or wilt until not-youthful DeShawn Stevenson requested to be benched. There's no hope for this season, and the team hasn't yet given the kids a chance to show they can be successful next season. Lose-lose, mates.

As such, this rumor from the Washington Post's Ivan Carter makes a load of sense.

They are only whispers but I'm hearing chatter that Gilbert Arenas and the team is seriously pondering whether to bring him back at all this season.

Continue Reading With Wizards Going Nowhere, Gilbert Arenas Probably Should Sit the Rest of the Year

DeShawn Stevenson Asks to Be Benched

Posted: Dec 23rd 2008 10:57AM by Brett Pollakoff (author feed)
Filed under: Wizards

1 COMMENT

With the Wizards getting off to a horrific 4-21 start, it's clear that some changes need to be made if this team is to even think about pulling itself together and winning some ball games. Since they've already switched out their head coach, all that's left is to start tinkering with the lineup. And DeShawn Stevenson has decided that he'll take on that responsibility himself.

Stevenson is second in the league in consecutive games started with 275, behind Tayshaun Prince's 380. But shooting a career-low 31.7 percent from the field this season, DeShawn has requested to come off the bench in hopes of getting his swag back.

"In a real team gesture he basically told me: 'Hey Tap, I'm struggling a bit, why don't you let me come off the bench and see if I can't get my swag back going against some second-line guys,' " Tapscott said of Stevenson. "I thought it an enormously gracious thing to say.

That is a pretty strong team gesture, especially coming from a guy like Stevenson, who has been known to pull more than a few stunts to grab his share of individual attention. But a deeper issue here is the question of why DeShawn had to bench himself if he was playing this poorly? Ed Tapscott is likely to keep that "interim" tag permanently if he needs his players to tell him when it's time to make a change in the lineup.

Ed Tapscott Says the New Look Wizards Will 'Grind You Up', Talks About Young Wilbon

Posted: Nov 26th 2008 8:45AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Wizards, Eastern, NBA Media Watch

0 COMMENTS

Ed Tapscott is nothing if not enthusiastic. However, as Ziller noted recently, that may not keep him hanging around Washington all that long, regardless of how much clapping and yelling he does.

But one thing is for certain -- while Tapscott is running the Wizards, they will grind you up; at least that's what he told Steinberg the team's signature would be.

I want ours to be this is one of the hardest working teams, and one that executes. We grind you up, and we execute....We play hard and we execute, because we can control that. Those are the things we can control. Don't ask guys to do things they can't control, you ask guys to do things they can control. So that's how we want to change our approach, we want to develop a signature, and so if that's our signature after some time here, then we will meet with some more success, I really believe that.

Also interestingly in the Q/A was the note that the last time he coached -- at American University -- the beat writer he had busting his chops was none other than WaPo iconite Michael Wilbon. Who will also grind you up, Ed, only in full column form.

The one problem I do see with the whole "grind you up" thing is that, well, grinding and whatnot seems to indicate some semblance of defense. And while Tapscott may legitimately believe that he can get this team to play some D, recent history would indicate otherwise. So, yeah, color me skeptical on how well whatever style shift is coming will work. On the bright side: Blake Griffin!

Wizards Won't Hang With Ed Tapscott Long

Posted: Nov 24th 2008 1:15PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Wizards, NBA Rumors

1 COMMENT

The rumors are light right now, but Eddie Jordan's sacking and the resultant ascension of exec-level Wizards man Ed Tapscott to the head coaching job seem more like an intermediate procedure than a final decision on who will run this team for the rest of 2008-09. Tapscott has a coaching career behind him, but he left the sidelines in 1990 and has been on the management side since.

The Washington Post's Ivan Carter describes Tapscott's most recent role as being considered an extra assistant coach who traveled with the team, but nothing in Tapscott's accordion file indicates he wants to be back on the sidelines for good. The interim role seems more like Ernie Grunfeld filling a hole with a trusted deputy.

That said, will the Wizards try to pull a big-name free agent coach?

Continue Reading Wizards Won't Hang With Ed Tapscott Long

Eddie Jordan Is Reportedly Out in Washington Following Team's Awesome Start

Posted: Nov 24th 2008 10:45AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Wizards, NBA Gossip, NBA Media Watch

4 COMMENTS

There was a dead certainty that some changes would be occurring in the Washington Wizards' organization following the team's 1-10 start.

And because it seemed unlikely that Ernie Grunfield would fire himself, and it was already too late to start trying to trade Gilbert Arenas or Antawn Jamison and because Caron Butler is the truth ... well, it stood to reason that the first scapegoat would be Eddie Jordan. According to the Post's Wizards Insider, that has now come to fruition.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the Wizards have relieved Coach Eddie Jordan of his duties. Jordan was informed of the decision this morning.

Ed Tapscott, who had carried the title of Director of Player Development but traveled with the team and essentially served as an extra assistant coach, will take over coaching duties, starting with a practice that will begin today at 11 a.m.

Again, I don't know if it's deserving -- Jordan has done a pretty fine job of coaching up what is a quasi-limited roster since he's been in Washington. And additionally, he's currently missing about $110 million worth of said roster ... but yeah, the team is in the basement of a very winnable division, Gil and Brendan Haywood are talking about not coming back this year if the playoffs aren't an option, and someone has to get blamed. If the reports are accurate, looks like that guy is Jordan.