Grunfeld's Golden Era is Over

When the Wizards fired Flip Saunders on January 24^th, President Ernie Grunfeld made the following comment, “We have been transparent in how we would evaluate our team this season and we were disappointed in the lack of development of our players at this point in our rebuilding plan.” The Wizards continued their organizational house cleaning that began during the 2009-10 season, Saunders’ first with the Wizards. Expectations did not come to fruition for Flip Saunders or the organization over the past few years and the current version of the Wizards is far different from the one that made basketball relevant again in DC only a few years ago. Ernie Grunfeld was the man responsible for the renaissance of professional basketball in DC, but he is also the man to blame for the rebuilding project that DC fans are currently witnessing. Players have been traded and coaches have been fired over the past few years, but it remains a mystery how Grunfeld has escaped this demise unscathed. 

The Golden Years

Hibachi!

Grunfeld presided over the first Wizards playoff victory in 23 years when the team defeated the Bulls 4-2 during the 2004-05 season. This soon turned into a string of four consecutive playoff berths for the DC franchise. At the start of Grunfeld’s tenure, he had the foresight to sign 2^nd round draft pick Gilbert “Agent Zero” Arenas. Arenas burst onto the scene in DC and fans got to witness the birth of a superstar. After the first taste of playoff success in DC, Grunfeld did not try and pull a Dan Snyder and try to break the bank in free agency. He did not cripple the team by overpaying for talent (Larry Hughes) and made savvy trades in order to turn the Wizards into a competitive franchise (5^th pick for Jamison and Kwame for Butler trades). 

DC fans watched the Wizards franchise peak in the early part of 2007 as the team went 22-9 over December and January and head coach Eddie Jordan was selected to coach the Eastern Conference all-star game. Arenas turned into one of the games young superstars and when he wasn’t hitting game winning 3 pointers on a nightly basis, he was busy outdueling Kobe Bryant in LA with a 60 point, 8 rebound, 8 assist performance and Steve Nash in Phoenix to the tune of 54 points. Unfortunately this basketball re-birth came to a quick and painful end on April fool’s day of all days. On April 1, 2007, Butler fractured his hand in a game against Milwaukee and then 3 days later Gerald Wallace went tumbling head first into Arenas’ knee and effectively ending Arenas’ season and the hopes of Wizards’ fans everywhere (all 10 of them). The Wizards still managed to back into the playoffs with a 41-41 record but drew Lebron and the Cavs for a second straight year. Playing without their top two players the Wiz were soundly defeated 4-0 for their second consecutive first round defeat. 

Thanks for ruining my career Gerald

The Wizards last made the playoffs in 2007-08. Despite losing Arenas for most of the season after 8 games, the Wizards went 43-39 and drew the Cavs in the first round for the third consecutive year. Despite being the chic upset pick by many NBA prognosticators, the Wizards still had no answer for Queen James. The Queen finished off the Wizards in Game 6 at the Verizon Center with a triple double and the Wizards were sent packing yet again.

Ernie’s Big Gamble

After a dreadful and injury plagued 2008-09 season, Ernie Grunfeld pushed all of his chips into the middle of the table during the 2009 off-season when he traded the teams number five draft pick in order to get players that could help the team “win now.” This traded netted the Wizards two role players in the likes of Randy Foye and Mike Miller. Despite coming off a 19-63 season, Grunfeld believed that the Wizards could compete in the Eastern Conference with their big 3 of Gilbert, Caron, and Jamison (if healthy). A common refrain from the team at this point was “We were in 1^st place in the east in 2006-07 before Caron and Gilbert got hurt. As long as we stay healthy we will be able to compete again.” Unfortunately, Grunfeld did not factor in the fact that the Eastern Conference had improved tremendously over the years (Cleveland, Orlando, and Atlanta) and the team still did not have anyone to contain Lebron (DeShawn Stevenson did not count at this point of time). Also, after two injury plagued seasons, Arenas would never be able to regain the quickness and explosiveness he displayed when routinely hitting game winning shots and 60 point performances.

Grunfeld gambled that the addition of Foye and Miller could keep the Wizards competitive in the Eastern Conference; however this gamble failed miserably and soon blew up in Grunfeld’s face after the Gilbert / Javaris debacle. The Wizards recently posted the following records:

Year	Division	W	L	%
2008–09	5th	19	63	23%
2009–10	5th	26	56	32%
2010–11	5th	23	59	28%

The team that Grunfeld thought could contend in the Eastern Conference in 2009-10 was soon blown up and resulted in a team that became reliant on unproven bench players such as Nick Young and Andre Blatche. Grunfeld did have the good fortune to have John Wall and the number 1 pick fall into his lap during the summer of 2010, but he should not have the ability to squander Wall’s time in DC. The majority of players present in DC during its 4 year playoff run are no longer around and neither are the head coaches who presided over the team during Grunfeld’s reign as President. Flip Saunders took the head coaching job in DC with visions of playoff appearances. Instead he was handicapped by an injury plagued roster that was quickly disbanded and turned into a full fledged rebuilding project. Flip was fired due to his inability to develop the players on the current roster; however it is only fair that the man who put together this current group of players should be fired as well. The golden age in DC is long gone.

How am I still employed?

Stickland's Injury: The Turning Point for UNC

When UNC’s combo guard Dexter Strickland tore his ACL last week against Virginia Tech, the common question came up as to how the team would be able to replace their best perimeter defender and back-up point guard. ESPN writer, Jason King wrote: “Make no mistake: This is a huge blow for the Tar Heels and their quest for a national championship. Strickland is far from the most talented North Carolina player. But he's one of the most important.”

Strickland was averaging 27 minutes a game and scoring an average of 7.5 points on a career high 57% shooting. Never being known as a shooter during his UNC tenure, Strickland increased his shooting percentage 9% from 2010 and basically eliminated 3 pointers from his repertoire (0-1). Strickland was far and away the most athletic player on the team and was a blur to watch in the open court. His speed and jumping ability were things to behold as numerous defenders found out over the past year:

 While Strickland was considered UNC’s top perimeter defender and provided a steady hand when called upon to take over point guard duties for Kendall Marshall, the insertion of sophomore guard Reggie Bullock into the starting line-up could give the Tar Heels a stronger possibility of cutting the nets down in New Orleans.

One of the key developments for the 2009 title team was the pre-season injury to Marcus Ginyard. This injury allowed Danny Green to move into the starting lineup and allowed Roy Williams to put another shooter on the court. Green shot the lights out during the year and in turn provided Ol Roy four legit scorers in his starting line-up, along with Deon Thompson. Strickland’s injury will open up more playing time for sophomore Reggie Bullock and freshman PJ Hairston, who are both known as

scorers. While UNC is currently 1st in the nation in points per game at 85.1 and 15^th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating (113.9), they have often struggled with getting points in the half-court (i.e. Scoring 4 points over 10:25 during the FSU game). The Tar Heels lineup previously included only two true scorers (Barnes and Zeller), along with a great set up man in Marshall. While Henson and Strickland both improved their offensive games going into their junior seasons, neither one could be considered a reliable scorer. Adding Bullock to the starting lineup will give UNC another perimeter threat which will in turn free up Zeller in the post. Between Marshall and Strickland, the starting back-court had only hit 9 three pointers all year. It’s tough to win a championship when you can’t rely on your starting back court to score points.

Where Strickland’s loss hurts the most is at the back-up point guard position. Freshman Stillman White is now considered the back-up point guard and unfortunately he cannot be counted on to contribute key minutes in ACC play just quite yet. If Marshall gets hurt or in foul trouble, the Tar Heels will be in trouble, but that did not stop the 2005 or 2009 team from winning a championship. While the previous two championship teams could not rely on their freshman back-up pg’s, they did have experienced combo guards to step in for a few minutes each game. In order to overcome this deficiency, Williams and the coaching staff will have to closely monitor Marshall’s rest time (i.e. taking him out before a TV time-outs). Marshall’s minutes will need to increase, but hopefully well planned rest time and a steady improvement by White will allow the team to overcome the loss of Strickland.  

Strickland has been one of the Tar Heels’ hardest workers during his 3 years on the Hill, however his season ending injury could turn out to be a blessing in disguise come the NCAA tournament. This group of players has been known to go through long scoring droughts on a regular basis and when the NCAA tournament comes around any type of scoring lull can easily result in an early tournament exit.  Coach Williams will have to actively manage Marshall’s rest around TV timeouts and Bullock and Hairston will need to step up and prove that they are worthy of the increased playing time. However, with the addition of an extra scorer into the starting line-up the Tar Heels will have prepared themselves for another Final 4 and possible championship run.

The Big Red Blowout

In a battle of Red-West unbeatens, Jabari Parker and Simeon put the smackdown on Bogan. The gym was packed early in this 4pm showdown and Bogan started the game with a three pointer to take an early 3-0 lead. The Bogan crowd came to life, but this would be the last time Bogan led all game. Jabari Parker came down immediately and banked in a three from the right wing and the route was on. Simeon led 18-6 after the 1^st quarter and 34-12 at the half. Bogan shot 4 of 29 from the field and 3-13 from the free throw line in the first 16 minutes. After getting chewed out at halftime, Bogan came out firing in the second half and scored 27 points in the 3^rd quarter. The Simeon lead was cut to 12 several times, but Simeon had an answer each time. Simeon won 68-57 in what was a very misleading final score.

Notables seen at the game: Kansas assistant coach, Curtis Townshend, and a representative from a prominent NBA sports agency.

Jabari Parker – There is not much else to say other than the fact that Jabari is well deserving of his number one ranking (2013). Parker started the game off by banking in a 3 pointer from the right wing, hitting a soft 6 foot turnaround jumper, and throwing down an “oh-my goodness” type alley-oop that had the packed house jumping out of their seats like they were watching an And-1 video.  The alley-oop pass was pretty poor, however Parker caught the ball by his right waist and dunked it over a helpless defender. Parker’s other baskets came on breakaway dunks, fadeaways from the post, and one on one moves.

Stats: 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks

Positives: Jabari displayed a nice array of moves throughout the game. He proved that he could take his man off the dribble and get to the basket, while also showing off his ability to shoot the step back jumper, and execute in the post with advanced array of moves. Parker’s favorite move was isolating his man on the right wing, crossing over to his left and either driving to the basket, or hitting a step back jumper if the help side defense stepped into the lane. Parker also showed off his length by blocking 5 shots during the game.

Negatives: Not much to say here, but Parker went 1-4 from the foul line with 2 of his misses coming on the front end of one and one’s. Parker was able to get to the rim against the Bogan defenders, but seemed to lack a bit of explosiveness that would be expected from the top junior in the country.

Overall, Parker was extremely impressive and displayed a well-rounded game. His #1 ranking in the class of 2013 is well deserved and should be considered for as the possible #1 player in the whole country.

Kendrick Nunn – An explosive two-guard, Nunn showed off his game with some impressive dunks and deep three’s. Nunn is considered a bit undersized for a SG, but his toughness and athletic ability more than makes up for that fact.

Stats: 20 points and 8 rebounds

Positives: Got to the basket at will and used his strength and athletic ability to finish with powerful one hand dunks or amidst contact in the lane. Nunn showed off a nice stroke from deep with several threes.

Negatives: Nunn is a lefty and at times over-reliant on his strong hand. Needs to work on his right hand dribbling ability going forward.

Overall: Nunn was extremely impressive throughout the game. Might be a bit underrated at #43 (Scout).

The Big Man Battle of Chicago

 Whitney Young and Curie battled on Sunday night in a game which featured a plethora of top notch 2014 talent. Division 1 assistants (UNC, OSU, Wisconsin, Illinois, FSU, etc) and fans came to witness the big man battle of sophomore studs Jahlil Okafor (#3 – ESPN) and Cliff Alexander (#13 – ESPN). While these big men had their moments, it was Curie’s guard play of Devin Foster and Malcolm Hill-Bey who overcame the efforts of Whitney Young’s other 2014 star, Paul White (#17 – ESPN). Curie won the game 59-47 behind Foster’s 20 points, however for this first high school installment the focus will be on the play of the 2014 stars.

Jahlil Okafor – Okafor ran the floor with a grace and agility usually unseen in a player his size. Okafor had no problems keeping up with the guards on either team and could flourish in an up-tempo college system. Okafor reminds me of a young version of Sean May (although in better shape) with his strong post moves and good hands around the basket. 

courtesy of Chicago Sun Times

In the first half Okafor had two power dunks and a contested in traffic lay-up after establishing a strong post presence in the middle of the lane. Okafor rebounded the ball well during this time and kept the game close with his defensive presence. In the second half, Okafor started with another two hand dunk and then went right at Alexander the next time down the court. Upon catching the ball on the right post, Okafor used his pivot to face up on Alexander and took one dribble with his left hand, utilized a spin move, and went up for a 5 foot bank shot. The shot attempt was a bit off the mark, but the move was a thing of beauty and unfortunately something the crowd would not see the rest of the game. As Curie extended their lead, the Whitney Young guards forgot about Okafor and he slowly disappeared from the game. In the 4^th quarter, Okafor had one shot attempt blocked from behind by Alexander and several shots swatted out of his hands by the Curie guards as he brought the ball down low before going back up with his shot.

Stats: 9 points (3 dunks, 1 contested layup, 1 free throw) and 8 rebounds

Positives: Great agility and strength for only a sophomore. Had several advanced post moves and can finish in traffic. 

Negatives: Shot 1 of 5 from the free throw line. Despite this percentage he did show good form and I would expect him to eventually shoot between 60-70%. Several times Okafor brought the ball down to his knees after offensive rebounds allowing Curie’s guards to strip the ball out of his hands. Needs to work on rebounding and going back to the basket without bringing the ball down. 

Overall, this was not one of Okafor’s best games, but it is easy to see why he is ranked #3 in the country and is getting looks from almost all of the top teams in the country.

courtesy of Chicago Sun Times

Cliff Alexander – While Okafor reminded me of Sean May, Cliff Alexander resembles a poor man’s Amare (meant as a compliment). Alexander used his length and quickness to try and offset Okafor’s strength and power. While he did receive help at times guarding Okafor, Alexander did a great job in the post by fronting Okafor and not allowing the Whitney Young guards a passing lane. Alexander finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds despite the quick triggered referees. Alexander was a non-factor in the 2^nd quarter sitting out the first 5 minutes, but made his presence felt right off the bat in the 2^nd half. Alexander began the half with a thunderous dunk and then went right at Okafor the next time down. Upon catching the ball on the left hand low post, Alexander made a quick spin to the basket which resulted in an And 1. This move showed off the quickness that Alexander possesses and got the crowd off its feet. Alexander was in foul trouble throughout the game and did not receive a whole lot of touches in the post as Curie’s guards were dominating their counterparts. 

Stats: 10 points, 7 rebounds, two blocks

Positives: Quickness and length. Alexander used both of these attributes to frustrate Okafor on the defensive end and challenge him on the offensive end. Showed off an improved post game and solidified his top 25 ranking.

Negatives: Picked up early fouls and was a non-factor in the second quarter. Alexander needs to work on his 12 foot jump shot in order to pull his man away from the basket in order to show off his god given athletic ability. Also needs to work on establishing a stronger post presence. There were several instances where the Curie guards were looking inside, but did not want to risk a turnover due to Alexander's post-up position.

Overall, in limited minutes, Alexander held his own / outplayed Okafor. It would not surprise me to see Alexander rise up the rankings during the spring and summer AAU circuit.

Paul White – Paul White’s game and confidence have grown leaps and bounds over the past year. White was very assertive and showed off a nice handle, athletic ability, and desire to get to the basket. He handled the ball for Whitney Young approximately 40% of the game and had several nice assists including a one hand pass from half court for an easy lay-up. White was in attack mode all game and got to the basket frequently. White did connect from just inside the arc at the end of the game, but this was his only outside shot attempt. White was extremely impressive to watch and with his length and body type will most likely be compared to Tayshaun Prince down the road.

Stats: 12 points, 4 rebs, 4 assists, 4 blocks

Positives: Dribbling ability, body control, quickness

Negatives: Outside shooting. White connected on a deep jumper late in the 4^th quarter, but for the most part he did not look to score outside.

Overall, White’s game has grown up quickly and if he continues to improve year over year he will continue to be mentioned as one of the premier wing players in 2014.  

With two top 25 sophomore on their team, Whitney Young needs to iso White and Okafor on the same side of the court and let them play a 2 man game. The big man battle of Chicago did not fully materialize this past Sunday night, but there should be many more high school and AAU match-ups in the future between these two top 25 players.