Washington Wizards: Ernie Grunfeld Deserves Blame For Wizards' Bad Bench
Washington Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld had the time and money to build a respectable team, but failed miserably again.
The Washington Wizards – specifically Ernie Grunfeld – had been clearing cap space for summer ’16 for years.
They strategically signed players to short-term deals and acquired movable contracts in anticipation of chasing elite free agents in the off-season.
Once the Kevin Durant domino fell and the dust settled, Washington targeted Al Horford, who strongly considered coming to D.C. before opting to join Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics.
Washington had been preparing to land a top player, and although they missed out on the top two free agents, Grunfeld still had enough cap space to address the team’s depth.
On paper, the Wizards had a starting five entering the off-season – one that was capable of competing against virtually every team in the league.
While striking out on the likes of Durant and Horford was disappointing, the team still had their core intact and the ability to add legitimate rotation players to the roster.
Immediately after Horford picked the Celtics, Grunfeld agreed to a $64 million deal with Ian Mahinmi, who was coming off the best season of his career with the Indiana Pacers.
Mahinmi isn’t a household name, but he was a top-10 defender last year and was considered the key piece to restoring Washington’s defense.
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Then, Grunfeld began adding youth, acquiring Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky and Andrew Nicholson.
Gone were the veterans that weren’t able to play the fast-paced brand of basketball that most of the league had adopted.
The development of the returning players, mainly Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre, was supposed to supplement the new faces in the locker room.
The young players, coupled with Scott Brooks‘ player development chops, gave the Washington Wizards an entirely different feel than what fans have become accustomed to seeing.
For the first time in what seems like decades, the front office and coaching staff had actually invested in the team’s future while maintaining the core group that made them successful.
Brooks was supposed to have options to work with, giving the starters a much needed break.
But 18 games into the season, the Wizards have found themselves with just 6 wins. The roster additions – the ones that Grunfeld had been clearing cap space for since 2012, essentially – have been incredibly underwhelming.
Currently, the Washington Wizards’ second unit is scoring 23.4 points per game – the lowest total in the league, according to Hoops Stats.
The team is also in the bottom three in field goal percentage and 3-point shots made. Washington’s bench also has the worst offensive efficiency in the NBA (22.8). They’re 9 points worse than the second worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Basically, Grunfeld had an infinite amount of time to sign a top player, was given a pass even after he failed to deliver, and then doubled the failure by signing players who aren’t capable of producing – not even on an inconsistent basis.
John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat are all having the best seasons of their careers, at least statistically. The backcourt is playing at an All-Star level, yet the team cannot win games.
There’s only one thing to blame for the team’s failures: the second unit. And there’s only one person to blame for putting that unit together: Ernie Grunfeld.
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