SBNation.com User Blog: disgrunted

Fire the Front Office

disgrunted — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:00:29 -0000

Here is a simple idea and simple request. At a time when the first step to solving the Wizards' problems seems pretty obvious, a simple idea and request should be sufficient.

In this post, I ask everyone to submit the same post: a post that simply says four words -- "Fire the Front Office" -- and nothing more. Let's see how many people we have who agree with that sentiment. I'll start it off with the first post.

Here is a simple idea and simple request. At a time when the first step to solving the Wizards' problems seems pretty obvious, a simple idea and request should be sufficient.

Bullets Forever D-League Mancrush Poll

disgrunted — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 01:16:04 -0000

We Wizards fans are an emotional bunch. When we fall, we fall hard. It doesn't take much -- probably due to our low self-esteem, unfortunately. That's why we gravitate towards fixer-uppers, drifters, and underachievers. But don't question our love -- it is true, deep and as over the top as a 12 year old girl's crush on the kid with the dimples and curly blond hair. (Have I hit 75 words yet so I can post this dang poll already?!!)

Poll

What D-League Wizards call-up is the Big to our Carrie Bradshaw?

James Singleton - the original. Mature, handy around the house. Yeah, I wore my Big Game James t-shirt to bed on Valentine's Day. What's it to ya?

16 votes

Alonzo Gee: Tall, dark and handsome. Won't everyone be jealous when I walk into the party with Alonzo on my arm!

3 votes

Othyus Jeffers -- With those arms, he can pick me up and carry me like at the end of An Officer and a Gentleman.

33 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

Support the Washington City Paper Legal Defense Fund

disgrunted — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:24:37 -0000

I'm sure you all have followed the story this week about Daniel Snyder suing the Washington City Paper. I won't go into the details of the situation or why Snyder's allegations are bogus and his actions are reprehensible -- you can read that stuff elsewhere. Instead, I will argue why we, the members of the BulletsForever community, have an obligation to support the Washington City Paper.

Dan Snyder does not like to be criticized -- who would? But he has shown he is willing to take extreme actions to stop that criticism. During the 09-10 season, after fans started bringing signs critical of him to games, stadium officials confiscated signs as fans entered the stadium. And then in November 2010, in response to Dave McKenna scathing critique of Snyder in the Washington City Paper (http://mirror.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/40063/the-cranky-redskins-fans-guide-to-dan-snyder.html), Snyder's attorney wrote a letter to the City Paper threatening to put the Paper out of business.

Why does this matter to the BulletsForever community? Based on the flimsiness of Snyder's allegations, I believe that Snyder's real goal is to intimidate those who dare to criticize him. Not just the City Paper, but every small paper, magazine, blog, or writer tempted to criticize him. You don't think that every writer or blogger writing a negative piece about Snyder will now think -- even if only for a split second -- "Will this get me sued?" And if that happens, I bet a lot of writers will pull their punches, at least a little bit.

If Snyder owned the Wizards, Mike Prada and SB Nation would be affected and threatened, and so would this blog community. Fortunately, our Wizards are owned by Ted Leonsis, not Snyder. But we still have interests here. Any attack on the press is an attack on all of its readers. By declaring war on the City Paper, Snyder has declared war on all of us. So, we need to respond.

Everyone should respond in the way that is most meaningful to him or her. I am responding by writing this post, and contributing to the legal defense fund that the City Paper has established. You can read about it here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/legaldefense.

By standing up to Snyder, we are standing up for a free and unintimidated press, and standing up for ourselves.

My Rant against the "Trade Blatche" Crowd

disgrunted — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:29:38 -0000

I started posting here at Bulletsforever almost two years ago, and as I have said before, it saved my sanity. Like many of you, I presume, I don't personally know anyone who can talk about the Wizards in as much depth as I can, so I can only find such people online. The first place I went was the Washington Post's Wizards Insider. It was o.k. for a while, but frankly, many of the posters there were downright asinine. In my freshman year in college, my roommate was quite a loser. There was at least two occasions when I was sitting on my side of the room studying and he was on his side, lying in bed in his underwear with a lighter, trying to ignite his farts. That's how I would describe my days of posting on Wizards Insider -- me trying to have a decent conversation, and many others trying to light their farts.

Posting on Wizards Insider was driving me crazy, but then I found Bulletsforever. The intelligent conversations we have here were/are such a relief. It's not always intelligent, and I think Mike needs to skim the pool perhaps a little more frequently, but it is quite good as internet chatrooms go thanks to the efforts of Mike and his editors and contributors.

However, the worst aspect of Wizards fans is, in my opinion, that they always need to have a whipping boy, someone whose every move is mercilessly and illogically criticized, and whose character they savage. I don't know what it is about some Wizards fans that they have this need to criticize and flame someone like that. Work that out with your therapist. But it is ugly, and for me, it takes away the fun of following the team. Haywood, of course, will be a first ballot Wizards Whipping Boy Hall of Fame entrant. Arenas, Kwame, and Gheorghe have all had their turns. And now this year, it has become Blatche. I have come here much less frequently since the whole "Trade Blatche" movement began because it simply is a lot less fun.

Nothing I say here will convince the diehard flamethrowers that (1) Blatche doesn't deserve this treatment; (2) no one deserves this treatment; and (3) if Wizards fans turn on a player like this every season, unless that player has the thickest skin imaginable, it will impact the team's success on the court, so I am appealing to all others. I certainly don't mean to suggest that fans shouldn't criticize Wizards players -- I do that all the time. All I mean is that Wizards fans shouldn't turn on players like this. And here is why I think the "Trade Blatche" crowd has it all wrong:

1. The Wizards are rebuilding and cannot afford to dump talented young players because the fans have turned on them or they are developing too slowly for impatient fans' tastes.

2. Winning teams need low post scorers. Chicago landed Boozer this summer after about 8 years and 3000 articles were written about how Chicago needed a low post scorer. Blatche is a good enough low post player that as soon as Jamison was traded, the Wizards chose to run the offense through Blatche. Blatche is a good enough low post player that he often commands a double-team. Here's a little exercise for you: Search for and list all the players in the league not on rookie contracts who (1) make less than Blatche; (2) are around Blatche's age or less; and (3) are good enough low post players that they command a double team. For starters, there aren't many players in the league who are good enough to command a double team, so this list will be short. So, if you want to trade Blatche, also describe how the Wizards should get one of the guys that meets criteria 1, 2 and 3, because there is no one else on the Wizards roster who can fill that role. If you've got some good options, I'm all ears.

3. Isn't this season about player development, and shouldn't Blatche be allowed to develop? Oh, you say, but Blatche is in his 6th year. He should already be developed, and his shot selection shouldn't be this horrible. But think about this: prior to the Jamison trade, Blatche's role was one of a complimentary player. The team certainly wasn't running the offense through him; his job was to get the ball to Jamison, Butler, Arenas, etc., and chip in here and there. Once Jamison was traded, Blatche became the go-to-guy in the post for the first time since high school. Think about that. Because he didn't go to college, Blatche didn't have any experience being a go-to post player. To do as well as he did last season was remarkable. Blatche played 31 games last season after the Jamison trade, and has played 28 games this season. He is 59 games into his career as a go-to post player. As a result, he is making all sorts of bad plays. Why is that surprising? If you think Blatche should be polished after 59 games as a go-to post player, then the Wizards should cut Trevor Booker right now; Booker was likely Clemson's go-to post player for at least three of his four years at Clemson, so he has 90 games of go-to post player experience, and he is light years away from Blatche in that department.

4. Blatche doesn't take as many poor shots as you think. As Randy Wittman indicated the other night, the coaches want Blatche taking mid-range jumpers. It's part of the offense. Plus, this season is not about winning and losing. It is about player development. If Blatche fully develops such that all his talents have been honed and fully exploited, what will his game look like? He is not going to be a power, dunk on your face skywalker. Instead, he will indeed be a finesse player: his game will be comprised of creative post moves, nice drives to the basket, maybe a hook shot, and deadly midrange shooting. So he needs to keep making all those moves and taking all those shots if he is going to develop. It could get ugly, of course, as could John Wall racking up games of 10 turnovers, but you're not going to move Wall to 2 guard because of the turnovers, are you? Blatche needs to continue learning how and when to use all his weapons, even if we are screaming at the t.v. in the meantime.

5. Long term, Blatche's role might not be as a go-to post player. He is playing that role now (1) out of necessity (no one else on the roster can do it, which is why he plays so many minutes); and (2) because he has shown some potential in that role. Long term, he might fit better in a different role, and his salary is small enough that it makes financial sense for him to play a lesser role. That's the way of the world on rebuilding teams. Sometimes young players are put into roles out of necessity or as an experiment that might not suit them long-term. So if you think Blatche sucks in his current role, you might be right, but that's no reason to trade him.

6. The most popular non-thinking fan's criticism of Blatche: He's lazy. He's not fleet of foot and he's no Karl Malone in the weight room, I'll give you that. He has been caught standing around on defense a few times this season, and was justifiably ripped for that. But the only way that a big guy can develop the array of post moves that Blatche has at his age is through a lot of work. Maybe the way he works or the direction in which he words needs to be improved, and his coaches are partly responsible for that. But the guys works. He's going to be in the NBA for 10+ years. You don't accomplish that if you are a slacker.

I could go on, but it's Fridaaaay!! and you guys get the point. Let's tone it down, and try to see all sides. Being a fan of a rebuilding team takes some patience. Let's find ours.

"DAGGER" [or insert your own joke]

disgrunted — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:16:26 -0000

"DAGGER" [or insert your own joke]

Awwww....

How will Grunfeld build the new Wizards?

disgrunted — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:18:19 -0000

There haven't been many posts on this blog lately, for many reasons: no especially electric new developments, Mike's off building his D.C. media empire, etc. So, I thought I would roll out this subject for discussion.

In recent weeks and months, we've discussed what the Wizards SHOULD do going forward. But let's discuss what we think Grunfeld WILL do, for better or worse. We know the statements Leonsis has made, and thus the sort of direction and expectations he has for Grunfeld. We know Grunfeld's history, the types of teams he has built in the past, and the types of players he tends to favor. We know the Wizards have the #1, #30, and #35 picks this June. We know Leonsis wants to get more picks. We know the Wizards have cap room. We know Grunfeld is able to make trades. And we know who the coach is.

So, who does Grunfeld pick with the #1, #30 and #35 picks? (And who should he pick instead?) What other picks will Grunfeld get (if any), and who will he pick with that pick or those picks? What free agents does he sign this summer? What trades does he make this summer and this season? What is his long range plan? And do you approve or disapprove?

Grunfeld determined to trade Arenas?

disgrunted — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:42:02 -0000

Grunfeld determined to trade Arenas?

I was going to dismiss this as a hit piece by a know-nothing national reporter, then I saw who wrote it. Ruh-row.

UPDATE: Two sources at the Wizards' pre-draft camp in Chicago strongly denied the report, according to Frank Hughes of SI.

Gilbert Arenas writes an op-ed in the Washington Post

disgrunted — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:39:08 -0000

Gilbert Arenas writes an op-ed in the Washington Post

I understand the importance of teaching nonviolence to kids in today's world. Guns and violence are serious problems, not joking matters -- a lesson that's been brought home to me over the past few weeks. I thought about this when I pleaded guilty as charged in court and when I accepted my NBA suspension without challenge.

That message of nonviolence will be front and center as I try to rebuild my relationship with young people in the D.C. area. I know that won't happen overnight, and that it will happen only if I show through my actions that I am truly sorry and have learned from my mistakes. If I do that, then hopefully youngsters will learn from the serious mistakes I made with guns and not make any of their own.

Why the Wizards can't seek to void Gilbert's contract

disgrunted — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:53:49 -0000

Even though I chose the headline I did, there are a lot of conclusions you can draw from what I write below, each rather troubling. The statement issued by the Wizards today after Stern announced Gilbert's suspension initially struck me as odd, but it took a while for me to realize how odd and problematic it was. There has been lots of criticism of Gilbert's actions and comments since the gun incident, but the Wizards organization's statement today is just as unwise, coming from people who should know better. The Wizards' statement is so bad that it might become evidence in the criminal trial for Gilbert, used by Gilbert's attorney to discredit any negative testimony offered by Ernie Grunfeld or anyone from the Wizards organization (as I explain below). Yeah, that's pretty bad.

In its statement, the Wizards organization stated that it, "fully endorse[s] the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas." That statement was illogical and problematic for many reasons, including the following:

- Arenas is the team's franchise player. He is a central figure in the team's marketing, and the team's customers buy tickets in large part to see Arenas. You "fully endorse" the league's decision to deprive your customers of your main attraction? Even if the team isn't going to support its player, shouldn't it support its customers? Is a season ticket holder revolt coming?

- The Wizards organization has a financial interest in Gilbert being suspended. It does not have to pay him during the suspension, and (if I have this wrong, please correct me) since his salary during the suspension will only be counted 50% toward the salary cap and luxury tax, the Wizards save 150% of Gilbert's salary during the suspension. That's $296,000 per game, or roughly $600,000 per home game. I don't know if Gilbert's suspension can be sufficiently long to help bring the Wizards under the luxury tax threshold, but if so, the Wizards can avoid the tax, AND share in the distribution of the collected luxury taxes.

- The Wizards have a great financial interest in Gilbert's contract being voided, and this is where it gets really interesting. As many have discussed, if the Wizards can void Gilbert's contract, they not only can save money, but can start rebuilding more quickly. But more importantly, they can sell the team for more money. We've seen it before -- when an owner is looking to sell his team, he seeks to cut payroll before the sale. In any business, the lower the future liabilities of the business, the more the business is worth, and the more it fetches in a sale. Someone out there will know much more about this than me, and if so, please post your thoughts below, but when a business is being sold, to price that business you usually take key business data, such as sales, earnings, etc., and multiply by a multiple. The multiple varies by industry and other factors, but I think is usually is between 2 and 6 or so. So, if the Wizards can get rid of the remaining $80 million of Arenas's salary, by saving that money (and let's ignore other factors here for simplicity), when they sell the team, they can raise the asking price by $80 million times that multiple. So we are talking about the Pollins gaining hundreds of millions of dollars in the sale by voiding Gil's contract.

Now, the Wizards organization can probably only void Gilbert's contract if he is convicted of a felony. And wouldn't you know it, members of the Wizards organization are fact witnesses in the criminal case! I don't mean to call anyone a liar here, but I can tell you as a lawyer that Gilbert's attorney may very well seek to discredit and treat as a hostile witness any member of the Wizards organization who offers testimony in any way harmful to Gilbert's defense on the basis I have spelled out here. Talk about ugly. And that's why the Wizards' press release today was so problematic -- they were applauding the suspension of their own franchise player. Add to that the fact that when Grunfeld first heard about the incident, it's been reported very soon thereafter he started thinking about voiding Gilbert's contract.

- Consider this from the perspective of a Wizards player. Your teammate is on trial, your organization is trying or may try to void his contract, and your teammate's attorney is claiming in court that the organization's employees are fudging the truth to the detriment of your teammate, putting him at risk of going to jail, in order to save money. How do you feel about that? How do other players in the league feel about that? You think the Wizards are going to score big in free agency when players are at least considering the above possibilities? That's why I chose the headline for this post that I did -- seeking to void Gil's contract can become very messy.

- Now, consider this from the perspective of Ted Leonsis. If the Wizards void Gilbert's contract, your purchase price goes up (but you are saving Gilbert's salary and have a cleaner slate to rebuild), and because of the above, the Wizards' reputation among its players and league-wide may be harmed, making it harder to attract free agents. If I am Leonsis's attorney, I am spelling all of this out for him, and we are thinking hard about whether to run to court to get an injunction preventing the Wizards from voiding Arenas's contract before the sale of the team. The best of all possible worlds for Leonsis: the current Wizards' organization does not void Gil's contract, the criminal case is resolved without all the terrible things I've mentioned above occurring, and then after Ted has the team, he can make the choice as to whether to void the contract or not. For the that reason, it could be wise for Leonsis to seek an injunction, or better yet, to get the Wizards to agree to not void the contract without going to court and creating anomosity with the Pollins.

Now, of course I am not saying all of the above will happen. I am just saying that there are all sorts of weird and perverse motivations, incentives and possibilities at play here, so much so that this situation could become very interesting and potentially destructive to the organization we follow so closely.