Becoming a champion takes a lot. To win you need to have battle-tested players, a detailed game plan, unmatched execution and a little bit of luck. There are a lot of good coaches in the NBA that win game after game every year like Washington Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman. However, the really great ones win championships.
Some might argue that if Washington Wizards All-Star point guard John Wall never got a steal during the 2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs, which led to him fall and break his wrist and hand in five places, the Wiz Kids would have won the series against the Atlanta Hawks in five games (as opposed to the six it took them to actually lose the series). Some might put the blame on the big Brazilian (Washington power forward Nene) for not being aggressive enough down the stretch. These problems, however, are effects to the cause and the cause is poor coaching.
Don’t misunderstand. Wall’s injury is no one’s fault. But the team went from seeing significant contributions from point guard Will Bynum in Games 3 and 4 to two DNP’s (Did Not Play) in the subsequent contests. Then there was the playoff disappearing act of power forward Kris Humphries, who was a big part of the Wizards surge during the season.
The Wizards took a big step this year but have they reached the glass ceiling with Wittman?
With back-to-back Round 2 playoff exits, the bigger question is “What’s next?”
The truth of the matter is that a future Hall of Famer consistently bailed the Wizards’ coaching staff out of bad play-calling by hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. By the same token, credit must be given where it’s deserved. In Round 1, Wittman lit a fire under his team. He kept them poised enough to do something the organization has never seen when it swept the Toronto Raptors leaving Drake with yet another heartbreak.
Round 2 was different story. Washington was simply out coached by a student of Gregg Popovich.
Marc Jackson (former head coach of the Golden State Warriors) was fired after leading the then baby Splash Brothers to a 51-31 season. His coaching career with the Warriors came to an end in 2014 after a Game 7 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1.
The organization however saw the potential the team had, took a risk by hiring current Head Coach Steve Kerr and he has taken the them to the next level.
Coaching is the foundation on which to build a dynasty. Phil Jackson‘s and Popovich‘s (both have won Head Coach of the Year awards) do not come along very often. But students with the same school of thought are all around. Randy Wittman has done his job. He was part of former Wizards head coach Flip Saunders‘ original coaching staff and was put into a role with which he was not familiar. He made the best of his situation. That said however, it’s now time for the Wizards to take the next step and stop settling for mediocre seasons and Round 2 exits.
Lots of coaches can win games. The Phil Jackson’s of the world win championships.