One team played defense down the stretch, relying on sound man principles and getting the job done. The other resorted to a gimmick zone and couldn’t stop anyone.
That’s the bottom line.
via Wizards lose … again – Bullets Forever.
I’m of the opinion that a book needs to be written by this team. Maybe by Mike Jones. Maybe by Mike Prada. Maybe by Kyle Weidie. But someone needs to document this Wizards season.
They finally have their components back, and all being paid a King’s ransom. Think about how much money they have invested in this team. How massively disappointing is this? To have put that much money in and gotten this kind of performance?
They brought in a new coach. A good coach. Maybe a great coach, offensively. They all spoke of sacrifice and leadership and always, winning, winning, winning. The golden principles that are supposed to lead to salvation. For nothing.
They lost their owner.
And now this team is the new posterchild for losing. Forget the Nets. We can forgive them, attribute growing pains. Forget the Knicks (a game and a half out of sixth in the East!), who are simply dealing with past sins. Forget the Timberwolves, because they weren’t wrong, they just didn’t know what they were doing (STILL LOOKING FOR MORE POINT GUARDS. ALL YOUR POINT GUARDS ARE BELONG TO US). Hell, Golden State has at least put forth some idea of effort.
But this team? It doesn’t care enough to try and create effort to execute the plan that was flawed to begin with. This is Pat Conroy’s “My Losing Season” epic. There’s an epic sense to this failure, systemically, personally, for the fans, the management, the players, everything.
It’s made more crushing from the fact that there was such excitement, such hope. After such a miserable slide due to injury last year, they couldn’t be as bad, right? They couldn’t be.
(Side note: The thing that really inspires pity is the constant talk of “Looks like Gilbert’s back” every game. I’ve read it maybe twenty times. He’s not back, because he’s not making a difference. He hasn’t created any fear. He’s just another guard who shoots. When he makes the difference? Then we can talk of him being back. )
But they are. And it’s wrong. It’s all wrong.
You’re looking at detonation. You’re looking at trading away the central core. You’re looking at the end of the road for an entire era that was never really born. In a way, LeBron killed it. And I know that hurts. But when he spoke to Gilbert at the line, something changed. Nothing was right after that. It was just disaster after disaster, be it the quiet unfortunate kind (the playoff elimination sans Gilbert), the abject demolition (the injury 08-09 season), or this year, the death of hope.
This needs to be watched, and we’re fortunate we have such great writers covering this team, day in and day out, even though you can feel how much it kills them. This is a story that needs to be told, even if there is no lesson. Expected greatness? Pass, I’m full on that. The tragedy you never saw coming? That’s the story you have to read, even if you’re left with nothing but emptiness after.
Rate this post!
[...] Matt Moore says a book should be written about the Wizards. _ [...]
sure blame lebron but there was nothing in washington to kill even before he psyched out arenas at the line
Excellent piece, man. You’re only mistaken on one thing, which is: Quiet as it’s kept, Gilbert never did make all that much difference. He was the supposed leader, yet for him it was never about making the team a TEAM; it was all Gilbert all the time. He shot way too much for a point guard (especially considering his low percentage). He never played defense, and your supposed leader has to set the tone for that. Bottom line: Did he ever win a playoff series? Thing is, he doesn’t understand that it’s all about winning in this league and great players elevate their teams, they don’t just put up numbers. (Speaking of numbers, Gilbert has a good scoring average this year and decent assists…but a terrible shooting percentage, way too many shots, too many turnovers, usually a bad plus/minus.) Today there was a piece online about who are the biggest wastes of talent ever. The guy described McGrady and Derrick Coleman as “stat monsters with no idea the game has to be played at both ends.” Gilbert’s a poor man’s Iverson or Starbury. Too bad he doesn’t understand that.
Great piece Matt.
I disagree with your watershed moment though. Really, it was Gil’s first injury, not the LeBron thing. Remember, the Wizards were slated to have a better record in 07 (first in the crappy East!) until that happened.
really, I would be so sorry for the Wizards, if it weren’t for Arenas. I really like all of their other players, but the constant, unwarranted egoism of Arenas made me hate his team. And especially him. Now, he was a very good player, a superb scorer, but with his blog, his 1287638716381 shots and constant commenting, he was repulsive. for me. still, very nice players on the team, I hope they can get it back together without Agent Ego
You know what though, clearly you dont watch Raptors basketball cuz let me tell you something, Raptors if you havent checked already are on a 5 GAME WINNING STREAK. And soon enough they will close in on Miami, we own their tiebreaker. So we’ll see which mediocre team finishes ahead. RAPTORS, HEAT or FRIGGIN WIZARDS, c’mon please.
[...] 10-20, with more than a record’s reason to be distraught, i.e., read this piece on Hardwood Paroxysm by Matt Moore, people ask me if it’s hard covering the team. I say [...]