Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis laid out in his 10-Point Plan his high-level approach to building a successful franchise.  With the team carrying the league’s worst record and lacking in successful planning; it’s a convenient time to revisit the following tenets of the Plan:

4. Commit to building around the draft. Invest in scouting, development, and a system. Articulate that system and stay with it so that all players feel comfortable-- know the language-- know what is expected of them-- read the Oriole Way*. It worked and it is a great tutorial. Draft players that fit the system, not the best player. Draft the best player for the system. Don't deviate or get seduced by agents, media demands, or by just stats or hype. Envision how this player will slide into your system.

5. Be patient with young players-- throw them in the pool to see if they can swim. Believe in them. Show them loyalty. Re-sign the best young players to long term high priced deals. Show the players you are very loyal to them as compared to free agents who achieved highly for another team. Teach them. Celebrate their successes. Use failures as a way to teach and improve. Coaches must be tough but kind to build confidence.

Ted’s plan worked very well for the Washington Capitals, a franchise that was resurrected irrelevance and made into a perennial contender.  The Capitals drafted well and built well upon an infrastructure of young talent.

Applying this strategy to professional basketball, it’s clear that Leonsis would ideally like to mirror the Oklahoma City Thunder model.  This team has drafted remarkably well and made savvy acquisitions.

 
It’s natural for people to look for excuses when things aren’t going the way they should be. For fans of the Washington Wizards those reasons range from curses to injuries to a general manager history loaded with an occasional good move but far more blunders through both trades and the draft. That's Bob Ferry, John Nash, Wes Unsled, Michael Jordan, and Ernie Grunfeld for those of you keeping score at home.

After the latest loss to the Pacers I thought to myself, I wonder what happened to all those draft picks. Having gone through Ernie’s picks two things popped out. First was the fact that Washington does not do a good job of developing their own talent, but that’s not just an Ernie thing. If you go back to Bob Ferry this franchise has a history of swings and misses.

The second thing that caught my eye was that Ernie doesn’t do well with Euro’s. At all. It’s almost as if he has an itch for drafting guys who have no chance in hell of making the league. Linguistic fetish maybe?

When your record as the head of basketball operations is 288-463 (.370) and your draft record is littered with the people listed below how can fans buy into that the owner is doing what is in the best interest of the franchise?  

Fans can’t even buy into the hope of our young players because our young players can’t even get on the floor. When you’re number 6 overall pick and your number 18 overall pick have a combined 9 DNP, Coach’s decisions there is a problem.

If it’s the player, then it’s on the man who picked them too. But how many times are we going to continue to blame the players? For a franchise that in 52 seasons has missed the playoffs 26x, I guess blaming the players is the easier way to accept losing.
 

pacers 89 wizards 81
12/30/2012 - Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights

    AT      

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 FM/1500 AM
Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

bulls 87 wizards 77
12/30/2012 - United Center, Chicago, IL
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights

 AT    

Saturday, December 29th, 2012
8:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 FM/1500 AM
Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

wizards 105 magic 97
12/28/2012 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights

(Photo Courtesy ~ Ned Dishman)

 AT       

Friday, December 28th, 2012
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 FM/1500 AM
Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

After yet another heartbreaking loss late in the game to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, the media gathered as usual in the press room awaiting Randy Wittman’s press conference. In a room that has seen a decrease in the number of representatives, I had a side conversation with one of the writers. I mentioned that I could probably tweet Randy Wittman’s quotes in advance and just skip that part.

I wasn’t too far from the truth.

“We made too many critical mistakes because we’re not alert down the stretch.”

“[Bradley Beal has] gotta give some more…figure out ways to score when his jump shot’s not falling”

“It will help to have Nene’s minutes go up.”

It’s become the same show with different faces at this point. And in a loss in which the Wizards were in it until the final minute of play, it has just become all too familiar.

Last summer, prior to Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld receiving a two-year contract extension, there was a fleeting rumor that Washington was interested in the services of Danny Ferry.  Ferry had recently resigned as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, following the team’s firing of coach Mike Brown, and before the team’s star Lebron James very publically announced that he would be moving on to a new team.