We heard it yesterday: Ted Leonsis indeed said that if the new Wizards regime wants to tear it all down and rebuild, they have the green light.
“Just look at my track record as an owner; what did we do with the Caps, and what did we do with the Wizards when I first came here?” Leonsis had said. “We’ve made the playoffs five of the last 10 years, but I’m not afraid of a rebuild. I told them this is a blank canvas – this is what we have, so come on in, assess and review, and come to me with a plan. You’re responsible, and I’m up for whatever you tell me is going to get us to that right place. They are totally empowered; they have the keys, get us there.”
So a day later, how does Grant Paulsen feel about that?
“For the most part, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear yesterday, but here’s one thing that stands out that I don’t like,” Grant said. “You can parse up or disagree whether or not Ted has always felt that way, but he mentioned that they’ve made the playoffs five of the last 10 years. In the Eastern Conference of the NBA, that’s not the flex I need it to be.”
Not, he says, in an era where 20 of 32 teams have a chance at the postseason.
“Making the playoffs doesn’t really get you anywhere in basketball, if you get obliterated in an 8-1 or 7-2 matchup or the play-in,” Grant said. “Are you a championship contender? They haven’t been that at any point, or at the risk of a deep run, except for the year that John Wall jumped up on the scorer’s table and they were one game away from the Conference Finals.”
Perhaps, though, Danny Rouhier punctuated it with this thought:
“Five of 10 years, but once in the last five…at 34-38,” he said.
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
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