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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Randy Wittman’s Future In Washington, Ernie Grunfeld and More

By Ben Mehic

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As always, if you’d like us to feature your question on Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday, then feel free to let us know @WizofAwes.

First off, thanks to everyone who participated. Today’s questions come from Twitter and Reddit.

I wouldn’t fight Joakim Noah, period…but…I would get Nene to beat up 100 frog sized Joakim Noah’s.

I just imagined Nene stomping on mini versions of Joakim Noah. Thanks for that.

The thing is, the Washington Wizards wouldn’t have to fire Randy Wittman. The third season on his contract extension is a team option, according to Michael Lee the Washington Post.

With that said, I don’t know what the Wizards’ expectations are.

The front office hasn’t really said anything about that topic. Last year, the team was all in to make the NBA Playoffs. They’ve done that for two seasons in a row. Now what?

If the Wizards want to make the Eastern Conference Finals and fail to do so, then Ernie Grunfeld (or whoever is in charge then, because we don’t know what his status will be) and owner Ted Leonsis could decide not to pick up the coach’s option.

However, with their sights set on Kevin Durant, it would be kind of weird to enter free agency without a head coach. And really, the market has kind of dried up.

Coach George Karl and Alvin Gentry are taken. They could potentially go after someone like Scott Brooks… or Mike D’Antoni, who’d orchestrate a fantastic offense around John Wall and Bradley Beal.

If I had to guess right now, I think we’ll see Wittman finish his contract with the Wizards.

If we’re talking about Ernie Grunfeld prior to Leonsis purchasing the team, then no, he’s obviously the wrong choice. If we’re talking about the Grunfeld after Leonsis bought the team, then an argument could be made for him.

I might get some hate for this, but Grunfeld has done an OK job of sticking to the plan. He’s undoubtedly botched some draft picks, but for the most part, he’s rebuilt the team well.

Wall and Beal fell into his lap, so I won’t give him any credit for that. He did acquire a number of veterans via trade and free agency, though, and for that he deserves credit. He’s also done a good job of not overpaying players in free agency.

I know I avoided your question. Is he the right guy? Maybe.

I think it depends on how well the Wizards do this year. His contract status is pretty unknown as well. For the most part, I trust the guys at the top. Grunfeld and Tommy Sheppard are very well respected around the league.

Should we trade for Markieff Morris if the Suns don’t ask for too much in return? -via Cpr196

What a weird situation, right?

Morris reportedly wants nothing to do with the Suns anymore after they traded his brother to the Detroit Pistons, which makes him an available trade target. The situation doesn’t seem to be a great one, so he could probably be had for cheap.

As weird as this might sound, the Washington Wizards might be a good spot for someone who’s had some issues in the locker room. Their coaches are great, they have veterans in the locker room and the core isn’t selfish.

Even if he’s a potential locker room cancer, I think the Wizards should still make a call to the Phoenix Suns. He has four years left on his contract, but he’s exactly the player Washington needs on the floor.

Morris is a prototypical stretch four and he’s really passionate about the game. His deal might turn some people off, but the salary cap is going to rise and he’ll be a bargain very soon.

So yes, I think Washington should make the call to Phoenix. Morris would be a fantastic addition on the court.

(Side note: I plan on writing a piece on a potential trade for Morris. Stay tuned…)

Would Kris Humphries be a capable starter on a team with championship aspirations? -via httr20

If that team has several superstar players on their roster, then yes.

But, if the Washington Wizards have championship aspirations and Humphries is their starter, then they’re in trouble.

As much as I love Hump’s game — he can shoot the 15-18 foot jumper, he rebounds and defends well — he’s simply not good enough to start on a regular basis. Humphries is the team’s backup forward and I can’t see him starting for a team with championship hopes.

Would Humphries start for, say, the Okahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs? Nope.

1) Future of Kelly Oubre‘s role on the Wizards 2) Who will be the long-term stretch 4 that we need so badly? -via ballstojohnwall

The small-ball trend is here to stay. The Washington Wizards appear to be ready for that style of play, so we could expect Oubre to fit right in.

He’s long, athletic, plays defense and has a sweet shooting stroke. Those things will make him great for the small-ball style. His role will probably be dependent on Otto Porter, who could be the team’s long-term option at stretch four.

Washington is hoping to play Wall, Beal, Oubre, Porter and another big together in the not-so-distant future.

Oubre could end up becoming like Trevor Ariza in a couple of seasons, so we might see him play that type of role. Or, he could become like Corey Brewer. Any of those comparisons are solid.

Having length, defense and shooting is key nowadays. Both Porter and Oubre will be tremendous fits in the future.

Are the Wiz rumored to make any more moves during the offseason -via outback-jesus

They have 15 players under guaranteed contracts, so I’d be surprised if they make any more moves. That could change once training camp starts, though.

When Emeka Okafor went down with injury a few seasons ago, the team tried starting Kevin Seraphin during preseason to experiment. Of course, that ended horribly. Once preseason finished, Washington quickly acquired Marcin Gortat from the Suns.

They’re in a similar situation this season.

While the starters are healthy, they’re missing a legitimate backup center. DeJuan Blair will probably get a lot of minutes during preseason. If he ends up playing bad, then the team could look to free up space for another big.

They haven’t popped up in the rumor mill recently, but that could change in the future.

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