Washington Wizards: Washington Redskins Fans Should Appreciate The Wizards

By Ben Mehic | Aug 31, 2015

About a month ago I wrote a short piece on why I’m thankful the Washington Wizards aren’t the Sacramento Kings.

Over the past several seasons, the Wizards have been one of the most successful teams in the Eastern Conference. Despite years of losing and dysfunction, the front office and new ownership group led by Ted Leonsis has been able to change the course of the franchise.

A team once dependent on nuisances, the Washington Wizards turned into a consistent winner by obtaining high draft picks and veterans through trades. While it took some time, I think it’s safe to say that it’s been well worth it.

Players like John Wall and Bradley Beal have become stars and Grunfeld has obtained several other picks that have the potential to blossom into legitimate threats.

Grunfeld has obviously made countless mistakes during his time as Washington’s president, but since Leonsis purchased the team 2010, he’s been pretty steady.

Not only has Grunfeld built a team around an All-Star caliber back court and proven vets, but he’s secured players that will help Washington continue their success once the veterans are gone. Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre are two-way players and have the tools to succeed in the small-ball era. Both players will become extremely valuable in the not too distant future.

Now, it might seem like I’m praising Grunfeld, but he certainly deserves some credit for fixing the team — even if that means cleaning up the mess he made.

Other franchises, like the Kings for instance, have failed to clean up their messes.

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Instead, they’ve tried numerous other potential solutions that obviously haven’t worked.

They didn’t fix the issues, but rather patched them up. The bruises are still there and aren’t going away anytime soon.

The front office and ownership do not play the game, but it starts from the top-down. That’s where the Wizards’ success has come from.

Grunfeld, Tommy Sheppard and the rest of the front office has been given the keys to the franchise, for better or worse. It’s been like that from day one. Leonsis has instructed them to change the culture and they did so by trading/not re-signing virtually every player on the roster. They essentially hit the reset button and it worked.

The Washington Wizards, however, aren’t among the most popular sports teams in the nations capital.

Despite having an electric, franchise player like John Wall and consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Wizards are constantly uncovered by the local media.

Heck, during last season, CSN Washington aired Washington Redskins talk during the Wizards’ half-time shows. Again: this is a team that’s made it to the Semi-finals for two straight years and are led by two young stars. They get virtually no coverage.

Instead, the Redskins have dominated D.C. sports. I mean, football is the most popular sport in the nation, so it’s not that surprising. Except, the Redskins make the Sacramento Kings look like the most functional franchise in sports.

I’ll say this: I’m not a huge football nor Redskins fan. I do watch the team occasionally, but I’m not a die-hard fan. Since most of the people I follow on Twitter are D.C. sports fans, I have no choice but to get caught up in the disaster that is Washington football.

The team is bad. You don’t need to be a football expert to know that.

Robert Griffin III, who the team labeled as their franchise quarterback after trading a gazillion first round picks for him, is no longer Washington’s starting quarter back. He’s been replaced by Kirk Cousins, who hasn’t had much success playing in the NFL neither. Griffin will likely be traded before the end of the season. The former rookie of the year has been plagued by injuries and his career in D.C. has been completely mishandled.

That’s not the main issue, though.

There are going to be bad football teams with bad quarterbacks, but that’s not the main concern. Washington football fans seem to be concerned about the coach, front office, and most importantly, the ownership.

There’s been too many examples of owners trying to run their teams and it never ends well. I’d hate to keep going back to the Kings example, but just look at their situation. Vivek Ranadive has his fingerprints all over the Kings’ roster. He’s never allowed the front office to do their jobs. That’s why — to put it bluntly — they suck.

The Redskins aren’t much different. The fans have been misled and the team will probably continue to lose.

When things get rough, D.C. football fans, turn to the Washington Wizards. After all, they might be the best team in the district.

The season is starting very soon. In a few months, you’ll get to see a team with a proven head coach, All-Star point guard, functional management and an owner that keeps his hands away from the team. Let’s appreciate that.

Next: A Realist's Expectations For The Wizards

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