Jonathan Raymond
Firing coaches always seems like such an empty gesture – a half-hearted, apologetic, ritual sacrifice to fans for a season gone wrong.
Usually it seems dubious that a coach should shoulder so much responsibility for a disappointing year but, sometimes, there is just no getting around how dismal a job is being done by the man in charge. The Washington Wizards are in a justifiable position to cut their ties with Randy Wittman. Washington, who started 22-8 to the year and boast the talent to consider themselves contenders in the Eastern Conference, stumbled to 33-26 on Friday with their latest loss.
It was their 10th loss out of their past 12 games, and it came at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team so disinterested in winning they have been a running joke in the NBA for two years. In their previous game, the Wizards lost by 20 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Western Conference’s worst side.
Bradley Beal has missed some games and that hurts, but no team with John Wall, Marcin Gortat and Nene on the court should lose by eight to Philadelphia, and certainly not by a margin of 20 to Minnesota.
Things have unravelled in Washington for Wittman. His team seems to play with no guiding style, no sense of purpose.
Optimism had abounded around the talented Wizards before the season.
It can return, but there seems almost no chance of that under Wittman.
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