![]() In 2009, Grunfeld came into the draft with the No. He built a team around the remarkable trio of Andray Blatche, Javale McGee, and Nick Young. He gave Ian Mahinmi $76 million after half of a good season. He gave $111 million to Gilbert Arenas in 2008, right as his knee issues and locker room gun-toting prevented him from playing. And they’ve come in every aspect of general management. Grunfeld is a huge part of the problem here, with just a remarkable history of mistakes that would lead nearly any other general manager out the door in search of a new job. Then, Beal “grew heated and gestured toward" Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld, and “said something along the lines ‘It starts at the top,'" according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.īeal isn’t wrong. Meanwhile, Beal told team officials that “I’ve been dealing with this for seven years,” according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Wall fired back with the magic words that will get you an automatic tech in a game or a fine outside of it, according to ESPN. Coach Scott Brooks challenged Wall in a practice to raise his intensity. Every player is allegedly available in a trade. No, the problem is all over the organization. And when he wasn’t on the court, the Wizards were even worse. Howard is actually playing better than his predecessor, Marcin Gortat, did in Washington last year or for the Clippers this year. But you have to believe me, it’s actually not his fault. Howard, the man who’s been on four underachieving teams in his last four seasons, is certainly not a winning player at this point. There are reasons to believe it will work, but whether it does will certainly be one of the biggest storylines of the Wizards’ 2018-19 season.I know what you’re thinking: ah, there’s the problem. Ultimately, it’s an experiment and one that could be fascinating to watch. The risk/reward element of the Wizards bringing in Howard has been well-documented. His presence may alter where Markieff Morris operates on offense and cutting lanes for guys like Beal and Otto Porter, Jr. ![]() He has a tendency to camp down-low looking for post-up opportunities and that could affect spacing on the floor. Howard will have to be okay with getting fewer shots and a role as a table-setter on screen-and-rolls. Offensively is where some concessions and adjustments will need to be made. ![]() He is an upgrade at the position as a rim-protector and rebounder. Having Howard in the middle will give them the last line of defense they have been missing for years.Īs long as Howard is healthy, the defensive end of the floor should take care of itself. Wall was Washington’s best shot-blocker last season and he is a point guard. His ability to protect the rim should lift their defense as a unit. Though there are questions about Howard and how his personality has meshed with previous teammates, he has plenty of qualities that the Wizards need. The Wizards also have an array of shooters to spread the floor and give Howard some breathing room around the rim. Wall can make life easier for him and vice versa. He has an All-Star point guard in Wall who is arguably the best floor general he has ever run with. ![]() There are many reasons to believe that Howard can thrive in Washington if he does indeed buy in. He, on the other hand, may find himself at a career crossroads. If it doesn’t work out, they will be okay. He has less leverage than he did with the Hawks and Hornets and the financial risk for Washington is not significant in the grand scheme of things. Howard is also making substantially less money from the Wizards than he was with other teams. In Atlanta and Charlotte, for instance, there were not two young and established stars that have an obvious grip on the locker room and a cemented future with the franchise. The presence of Wall and Beal may help him understand and accept his role. There are a few things working in Howard’s favor that are different than some of his recent tenures. The eight-time All-Star signed with the Wizards for two years on the mid-level exception.Īll eyes will be on him to change his ways both on and off the court as the Wizards hope he can mesh quickly with John Wall, Bradley Beal and others. Those other stops, however, didn’t work out so well and Howard now has plenty to prove with his new team. Because of his talent and impressive numbers, he has been given another chance, one he hopes to be a long-term fit. His previous team(s) jettisoned him after a brief tenure and he left with questions about his NBA future. Off The Bench: What Will Dawkins looks for when picking prospectsĢ017-18 stats: 81 G, 30.4 mpg, 16.6 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.6 spg, 1.6 bpg, 55.5 FG%, 14.3 3P%, 57.4 FT%, 55.6 eFG%, 108 ORtg, 104 DRtgĢ018-19 storyline: In many ways, Dwight Howard has been in this situation before.
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