Even in Friday night’s loss, it was clear an improbable comeback is now complete.
It took longer than Washington Wizards fans would have preferred, and there were some head-scratchers along the way. But there’s no arguing with the results: President Ernie Grunfeld got the job done.
Tasked with rebuilding the Wizards (again), Grunfeld assembled an exciting playoff team that has reawakened the District’s interest in professional hoops.
The Wizards’ fast start in the NBA postseason provided some proof, and more evidence was revealed Friday night at sold-out Verizon Center. For long-suffering Wizards’ fans, the franchise’s first home playoff game in six seasons was both a celebration of the Wizards’ surprising look-at-us performance in its series against the rough Chicago Bulls, and how far the team has come with Grunfeld leading the way after all these years.
Unfortunately for the Wizards, the Bulls clawed back into the series with a 100-97 victory.
Although the Wizards have a lot of work to do, they’re capable of winning the series. Grunfeld acquired the parts to make it happen.
Anyone who has followed the team knows Grunfeld has received much of the blame for the Wizards’ problems. It’s time he received some credit for what’s going well. Let’s start with center Marcin Gortat.
The trade for Gortat was among the best moves in the league this season. Gortat has been everything the Wizards hoped for on the court and in the locker room. His inside scoring, rebounding and defense helped the Wizards overcome Nene’s extended absence during the regular season because of a knee injury, and the Bulls quickly learned they couldn’t intimidate the Wizards with Gortat and Nene in the lineup together.
Gortat and Nene provided the muscle the Wizards needed to win the first two games of the best-of-seven series on the Bulls’ home court. After Nene was ejected in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss, the Wizards still were able to turn to Gortat. His dependability has become as big a part of the Wizards’ identity as a John Wall one-man fast break or Bradley Beal’s butter-smooth perimeter game.
That’s what Grunfeld envisioned when he sent center Emeka Okafor to the Phoenix Suns on the eve of the season for Gortat. At least that’s what Grunfeld told me. It was during one of those conversations early in a season when sports executives lay out best-case scenarios after making a big move. Clearly, that one couldn’t have turned out better.
Grunfeld also nailed it in acquiring Andre Miller. The Wizards needed a competent backup point guard who could be effective in limited playing time behind Wall, who has become the team’s leader in every sense of the word.
At this stage of his career, Miller, 38, is perfectly suited for the position. Miller is one of those veterans who knows every trick and possesses the type of mental toughness that the Wizards will need in their attempt to finish off the Bulls.
In Gortat and Miller, Grunfeld saw players who could help the Wizards reach the playoffs and have success. Grunfeld also noticed a lot to like about Drew Gooden. Out of the league when the Wizards needed front-court help to replace Nene, Gooden was an extremely pleasant surprise down the stretch during the regular season.
Fact is, Grunfeld has displayed a good touch for a while now. His continued support of Wall was his most important move.
Many people (I was among them) doubted Wall was capable of ascending to the heights he has reached this season. Not Grunfeld. He never wavered in his belief that Wall was the right guy to lead the Wizards to places they hadn’t been in a long time.
Often when we spoke, I shared what others in the league told me about Wall’s shortcomings. Grunfeld countered by pointing out what Wall did well. I left the debates convinced of this much: for better or worse, Grunfeld was all in on Wall.
Grunfeld selected Wall first overall in the 2010 draft. In many ways, Grunfeld was tied to Wall. If would reflect poorly on Grunfeld and the organization if Wall failed. I understand all of that.
Grunfeld, though, wasn’t just sticking with the party line. From the passion Grunfeld expressed in talking about Wall, you got the sense he believed in Wall perhaps more than Wall even believed in himself at times.
Grunfeld’s critics (none of whom have been louder than me) point out that he enabled players who wound up embarrassing the organization, wasted too much energy and time investing in the wrong guys, and has been best at cleaning up mistakes of his own making. Granted, those are legitimate complaints.
That established, the fact remains that Grunfeld constructed playoff teams under two owners: Abe Pollin and Ted Leonsis.
Some would argue that Leonsis should have fired Grunfeld for some of his roster missteps. But Leonsis didn’t fire Grunfeld. He gave him a chance to fix the Wizards, and they’re definitely a lot better than they have been in some time.
For more by Jason Reid, visit http://ift.tt/1ihjN5T.