The Washington Wizards salvaged a 99-95 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night that snapped a string of six straight losses and provided at least a temporary reprieve for a team that has been awful since the All-Star break. Washington is 3-11 since late January and has fallen from a top four spot in the Eastern Conference to fifth in the standings where they are – at least for now – staring down a potential first round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. A lot can change the rest of the way in terms of the overall playoff outlook but if the Wizards can’t find a way to turn things around it could be that head coach Randy Wittman that takes the fall.
Wittman No Longer Getting The Most Out Of The Wizards
Washington is in a tough situation heading in to the final stretch as they decide whether to stick with what they have or shake things up with a coaching change. There are cases where a team in a funk simply makes a personnel move in order to create a buzz and get the team to refocus, but in this case, it’s clear that Wittman has put himself in a position where few would be surprised if he was let go. The Wizards proved their ability when they opened the year with a 22-8 start and with a talented cast led by John Wall, Paul Pierce, Marcin Gortat and Nene.
The onus for their recent struggles has to fall on the coach for not getting the most out of those players that were clicking earlier. Bradley Beal’s injury troubles certainly haven’t helped the situation but overall, this team is too talented to be losing games the way that they have been.
Wizards Not Looking Competitive
The proof that Washington’s recent struggles have little to do with talent is in their schedule over the past couple of weeks. It’s one thing if they were losing to elite Western Conference teams but that’s not the case. They’ve endured lopsided losses to both the Minnesota Timberwoles and Philadelphia 76ers since last Wednesday with the Timberwolves cruising to a 97-77 win and then the 76ers locking down an 89-81 win two nights later. Minnesota and Philadelphia have combined to post a 26-91 record this season, so dropping a pair of games against them by an average of 14 points certainly doesn’t reflect well on the team’s compete level. Neither of those teams should be blowing out Washington – even if they have home-court advantage.
Optimism Has Faded
The Wizards are still in position to make the postseason and barring an absolute meltdown, they should find their way in. However, the impact of their recent struggles will be felt against whoever they play in the opening round when they concede home court advantage. After being in a top four position for most of the year, there was some optimism that the team was on the rise. Remember, this was a young, inexperienced team that made a journey into the second-round of the playoffs last season and did some growing up. Then they managed to keep the roster intact and added veteran Paul Pierce. They were supposed to be even better than last season and that’s what it looked like when they won 22 of their first 30 games and were competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
However, at the end of the day, they’re likely to be nothing more than a first-round playoff fodder. Can they beat a Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls again? Quite possibly. Can they go toe-to-toe and edge the Toronto Raptors? It’s doable. Can they beat the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers? Of course. But the problem is that with this descent in the standings, they’ve lost momentum and have put themselves in an adverse situation come playoff time.
Even though they are eight games over .500 and have a better winning percentage than last season, the team’s long-term trajectory has changed and that’s what could very well cost Wittman his job.
