| When The Right Mr. Jordan Came To Washington Authored by Mischa Nachtigal - November 24, 2008 - 8:04 pm
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Yes, he of the laughable rotations and no-defensive intensity is due thanks for making Wizards basketball relevant again. Prior to his arrival, the Wizards had only been to the playoffs once in fifteen seasons - back when they were still known as the Bullets and another Mr. Jordan was still playing for Chicago.
Eddie was named the coach of the Wizards before Abe Pollin hired his general manager, Ernie Grunfeld. That\'s an odd way to be hired, but the team was desperate to get away from the stench of Number 23\'s two failed seasons.
Eddie\'s arrival was paired with Gilbert Arenas\' signing, and though Agent Zero was far from the coach\'s ideal pass-first point guard, the two built a strong bond.
Gilbert became an All-Star largely thanks to Eddie letting him have freedom within the team\'s Princeton Offense, and Arenas delivered exciting finishes.
With Antwan Jamison and Larry Hughes, the Wizards became a team of slashers and backdoor cuts. The results were extremely exciting to fans of the then-MCI Center as the Wizards were embraced by the national media and at times even dubbed the \"Phoenix Suns of the East.\"
I had the privilege of attending the Wizards\' first home game of the 2005 Playoffs, which was the first basketball playoff game actually held within the district city limits (The old Bullets arena, the Capitol Centre, was in Maryland).
The Wizards were down 0-2 in the series, but you wouldn\'t have known that based on the way the crowd was yelling. An eventual victory over Chicago that evening propelled Eddie\'s squad onto three more wins and into the second round.
Up until then, I had never felt a part of such an intense competitive atmosphere. Keep in mind that I\'m also a DC-area sports fan, who freely admits how laisse-faire our fans seem in regards to anything other than the Redskins. However, for that one night, the district was bouncing in rhythm with Gil\'s crossovers.
Subsequent years gave Wizards fans teams that were very flashy and fun to watch. And even though they never totaled more than those 45 wins of the 2004-05 season, they still managed to make the playoffs in four-straight seasons.
As a fan who grew up watching a team that couldn\'t do anything consistently (shooting, dribbling and much less winning), it was refreshing to see.
The prime of the second \"Jordan Era\" was reached during the first half of the 2006-07 season, when the Wizards were first in the Eastern Conference before the break and Eddie found himself coaching the All-Star Game in Las Vegas.
Gilbert\'s rise in the blogosphere also helped give outsiders an inside look at how Eddie managed the team. And though the two had their tense times, they were still able to get along well enough for five seasons.
However, Jordan became complacent with Gilbert and didn\'t seem to command his respect over the last two seasons. Eddie also never focused his practices on defense, even after the front office had reportedly asked him to do so.
High scoring is not enough these days, which is why I believe firing him is the right (if bittersweet) move.
At last, it\'s time for some fresh blood and a defensive energy to arrive in the nation\'s capital. Whether it\'s Tom Thibodeau, Avery Johnson or whoever, I\'m excited that Ernie Grunfeld can finally pick his own coach.
Grunfeld and Jordan were always a shotgun marriage orchestrated by Abe Pollin, one that had its rumored moments of high tension. There was even speculation last season that Grunfeld hired Thibodeau to be the coach-in-waiting should Eddie fail. Whether this is true or not, Grunfeld deserves to have his own man on the sidelines as he attempts to get the franchise out of this mess.
He\'s signed his share of bad contracts, yes, but he deserves a second chance since he has never gotten to fully implement his vision. He always had to share one with Eddie.
Let me finish by saying that despite his firing on Nov. 24, Eddie Jordan has no reason to hang his head.
While I was one of his biggest critics over the last two seasons, he took the Wizards as far as he could. It became painfully clear to me after the first playoff series loss to Cleveland three seasons ago that he was never going to lead the \'Zards to the NBA Finals.
His success in New Jersey came while working alongside Byron Scott, who has made New Orleans into a tough-as-nails squad. Ultimately, this is probably where Eddie failed the most - in giving the Wizards an attitude.
He never gave them that swagger great coaches often inspire in their players. Any heightened emotions usually came from Gilbert, Antwan or Caron. After two seasons of playoff success, he simply seemed to expect them to win, and that wasn\'t enough by itself.
A coach has to do more than correct mistakes, he must raise the energy of his players. Which is exactly what I hope Washington\'s next coach will do.
In the meantime, I want to truly thank you Eddie Jordan.
You\'ve given the Wizards a core to build around and brought the playoffs to town. You clearly are a players\' coach and can make basketball fun for them, and their fans. You deserve another job, which I\'m sure you\'ll get.
Good night, and good luck. |
