Washington Wizards: Open Letter to Markieff Morris

By John Cannady | Feb 19, 2016

Feb 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris speaks with the media for the first time as a Wizard prior to the Wizards game against the Detroit Pistons at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Wizards: Open Letter to Markieff Morris

Kieff,

Welcome to the squad. You got your wish and you were traded away from the Phoenix Suns, the franchise that you openly detested after they traded away your twin brother Marcus.

The Washington Wizards franchise and most of its followers (including myself and the Wiz of Awes crew)….well…maybe not this guy…..were very glad to land you and your talents. You can run, shoot and bang with the best big men in the league.

Our all world point guard John Wall is going to love having you run the floor with him and as you probably already know, Wall loves feeding bigs for easy buckets. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the Wizards or their previous two seasons, but this team is coming off of two impressive playoff runs in the last two seasons.

In each of the last two years of the playoffs, the Washington Wizards overachieved and actually had the number one seed (in both years) on the ropes. Actually, I truly believe the Wizards were a John Wall injury away from the Conference Finals.

Impressive right?

I see that you have never played in the playoffs, but you’re coming from the Western Conference where even making the playoffs is an awesome season.

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While the Eastern conference as a whole may not be as good as the West, there are still some tough teams to face…including your twin brother’s current squad, the Detroit Pistons.

Anyway, I have to be honest, while I only know your game a little bit, I know more of your antics and baggage.

Yes, we here at the Wiz of Awes have all heard and seen the stories that paint you as a hot head and a guy with anger issues.

For example, I was at the game a few months back where you cost the Suns the game late against the Wizards due to a silly technical at the free throw line. Everyone laughed and shook our heads like “Wow, what a knucklehead…the Suns had this game won.”

Well, looking back…maybe that episode wasn’t so funny because now that you’re on the Wizards, we need all the games we can get. Blowing a winnable game late is something that Wizards have been doing this season, but can’t afford to do it any longer as they now are looking to make a playoff push.

Can you believe with players such as Marcin Gortat, Nene, and Wall that the Washington Wizards are actually labeled as a soft team?

I mean, Gortat has the nickname “The Polish Hammer” and most of Nene’s highlights involve him staring down some other player with his trademark maniac look. Wall played (and played well) with a broken hand.

But that’s where you come in. You play with that “don’t mess with me” fire that I believe this team is going to need to be successful from this point on. Again though, here’s where it gets complicated with you.

We need for you to be your usual tough, hard-nosed player self, but not too goon-ish like you sometimes have been known to get. If you haven’t caught the gist of this letter so far….here it is plainly: you have to cut down the number of technicals you get and your anger issues.

No one on the Wizards are known for getting technicals at the rate you get them and there a reason for that. It’s Coach Randy Wittman.

Now this is a topic I think we will have to discuss with you at length. You thought that former player Jeff Hornacek was kind of a tough coach to deal with, just wait until Coach Wittman calls a timeout to meet you at half court to cuss at you. Yeah, Coach Wittman is that type of a coach.

The whole “towel in the face” episode you pulled with Coach Hornacek would probably have started a fist fight between you and Coach Wittman right there in the huddle. Like it or not, you’re going to have to get used to his tough tactics, calling you out in the media and just overall old man crankiness.

You are going to have to get used to Wittman’s sometimes awkward lineups and possibly not playing for quarters at a time.

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It just comes with the territory around here.

Make sure you take your cues from Gortat.

He has (somewhat) gotten used to Coach Wittman’s questionable mannerisms.

For what its worth, reports have said that both Coach Wittman and general manager Ernie Grunfeld made some calls to check up on you and they both liked what they heard, so they were on board with bringing you in, which is a good thing.

Fair or unfair Kieff, the Wizards’ whole 2015-2016 season now rides on this deal and you. No one is going to remember how uninterested the team was previous to you coming. They won’t remember the horrible home record that the Wizards have had this season.

They won’t remember the Wizards losing to a truly awful Lakers team and blowing other games they should have won this season. They will just remember if you are good and the Wizards play well then “Hey, the deal moved us into the playoffs” or if you are bad, moody and the ship sinks quickly it will be “Well, the Wizards should have never made the move to bring him here.”

Personally, I think it’s going to be an awesome move and compare it to the trade that brought our franchise center here to start the 2014 season. I’ve always seen you (and your brother) as new generation big men that are tough to guard.

You are super talented and are about to play with the best point guard that you have ever played with in your career. Once you get used to everything, your numbers should skyrocket and you should be able to finish this disappointing season with a bang — hopefully in the playoffs.

Next: Assessing the First Half of the Wizards' Season

You just can’t have any more seven minute YouTube reels of you getting technicals, being a hot head, or getting into fights with your teammates during a game. Not many guys get to go from a bad team to a team that is on the cusp of being one of the better team (hopefully) for the next few years. The spotlight is on you now, and we’re watching.

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