Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Fans Aren’t To Blame For Kevin Durant Not Coming Home

By Osman Baig

Feb 1, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends a shot attempt by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends a shot attempt by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards fans are not to blame for Kevin Durant opting not to come home, despite what some will like to think

Washington Wizards fans received a resounding gut punch as Kevin Durant’s initial list of team’s who he’d visit with was reported to not include his hometown team.

They received a second unexpected one as fallout from Durant’s decision brought the fan base into question.

The narrative was that fan support, or lack thereof, played a part in Durant not granting his hometown Washington Wizards a meeting.

Let me take the lead for the fan base and apologize on their behalf.

I’d like to apologize that this franchise has not won 50 games since the 1978-79 season.

I’d like to apologize that this franchise has not made the Finals, let alone the Conference Finals since that very same 1978-79 season.

I’d like to apologize that the Washington Wizards/Bullets have not had an MVP since they were the Baltimore Bullets in 1968.

I’d like to apologize for forcing the Washington Wizards to trade Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond, Ben Wallace for Ike Austin, Rasheed Wallace for Rod Strickland, Richard Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse, and the 5th pick in the 2009 NBA draft for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

I’d like to apologize that we didn’t scream our lungs off as the Washington Wizards limped through the 2015-2016 to a 41-win season while missing the playoffs.

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I’d like to apologize for not being more excited about a season that saw one half of our up-and-coming backcourt struggle through injuries and inconsistency and the other half fight through nagging injuries and a slow start to the season, only to finally break down in the last weeks of a lost, wasted year.

I’d like to also apologize that we did not appreciate the Marcus Thornton, Alan Anderson, Garrett Temple era that came at the expense of minutes for Washington’s first round selection, Kelly Oubre Jr.

I’d like to apologize for not enjoying a season which resulted in the firing of a head coach and the typical internal turmoil that comes along with an underachieving team.

I’d like to apologize on behalf of the fans for Washington’s relative absence during an explosion of fan interest in the NBA that encompassed the Magic/Bird, Jordan, and now LeBron eras.

I’d like to apologize to fans of the other big four franchises in the Washington area who seem embarrassed by and have a habit of pitying the local NBA franchise and their fan base.

It’s our fault as Wizards fans that the Washington Capitals fans who have a 3-time Hart Trophy winner and historically all-time great player on the roster, yet the moment they fall behind in the playoffs it’s their fans moan “Same Caps”.

It’s our fault the Washington Redskins continue to remove seats from the stadium and still have a problem keeping large blocks of opposition fans from taking over the stadium.

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It’s our fault the Washington Nationals can’t even get their fans to stay through an extra inning classic in the MLB Playoffs despite having two no.1 overall selections on the roster and a bona-fide star in Bryce Harper.

It’s our fault that the fans of these teams seem to look down on us yet their seasons seem to end just as soon if not sooner than recent Washington Wizards’ seasons.

There are a multitude of reasons for the current state of the Wizards fan base and interest.

The organization, media, players, and even we fans all have a hand in it to varying degrees.

While blame can be assigned in any number of directionsm there are two primary ones that I think are at the heart of the current perceived indifference between the team and the fan base – their inability to land a star.

The last three stars that have come and gone through Washington were Chris Webber, Michael Jordan, and Gilbert Arenas.

I’ll remove Jordan from this discussion as he’s his own entity, but the other two were stars.

Gilbert Arenas came to Washington with little fanfare but somehow captured the spirit of the fan base and the area. The casual fan was drawn to the Wizards by Gilbert Arenas.

He was must-see TV, from his clutch play, offensive skill, jersey toss, eccentric nature, and heart.

He was a character that didn’t shy from attention or pressure. He was this city’s underdog – a second round selection who didn’t bow to the NBA royalty and instead attacked them.  The results were mixed but the passion and flair for the dramatic were not.

Fans gravitated to an engaging star on and off the court in a way that enabled the D.C. Sports Bog to call Gilbert Arenas the #1 Big-Name athlete in the D.C. area in 2007, beating out the likes of Clinton Portis and Alexander Ovechkin.

The Wizards didn’t have a team that lead their respective league in wins or points to get to that status.

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They didn’t have the benefit of the league’s best player nor were they a favorite to win a title.

They were lead by an underdog who had that fighter’s mentality in him.

So when blame is placed on the fans for potentially missing out on Kevin Durant, I don’t agree because we’ve seen how this fan base and area can rally behind an NBA star.

A more recent example was how Washington was taken by storm in one short year by Paul Pierce.

At 37-years-old, Pierce was the star of the playoffs in Washington hitting big shot after big shot.

He backed his words up with play and then backed that play up with more words.

Wizards’ fans and casual fans in the area gravitated towards him in a way that was similar to Gilbert Arenas. The edge, confidence, and bravado they took the court with nightly was infectious.

That hasn’t occurred yet with the John Wall and Bradley Beal led Washington Wizards.

Whereas Gilbert Arenas became Agent Zero and the East Coast Assassin and Paul Pierce Called Game, the current nucleus of Wizards has routinely roller-coastered through the regular season.

Beal has followed up what looked like breakout playoff performances with up and down play in the regular season.

Wall has led the team as best as he can but still suffers from inefficiencies that hinder his ability to be a primary option.

They’ve shown a propensity to turn it up a notch in the postseason and the fans followed suit, but momentum, however, is quickly lost as the next regular season is defined by the similar inconsistencies and the perception is they’ve plateaued.

Most disappointing about the finger pointing towards the fan base as a potential reason for Kevin Durant’s decision making is that it takes focus away from where it belongs.

It’s a deflection of an organizational plan that was designed around attracting a local star back home to play with a young nucleus of talented players on the cusp of a title.

A 41-41 season and a 10th seed aren’t very indicative of the proper execution of that plan, but as fans if we had cheered more loudly than maybe?

The Washington Wizards fan base isn’t the best, nor is it the worst.

We are what our NBA franchise is.

When you win three playoff series since the 33 years, it’s inevitable that there is some fallout and trickle down effect to the fan base.

That has occurred and is undeniable. There’s indifference particularly amongst the casual NBA fan in the area towards the local NBA franchise. Through it all the fans are still there, with Washington finishing 16th in the NBA in home attendance average per game.

Give the fans of the Washington Wizards some star power, players with some fight and bravado, and a real contender (this area’s basketball fan base has too high of a basketball IQ to be fooled by a pretender) and the fans will come.

Next: Why Pau Gasol Is A Good Fit In Washington

After 30+ years of anonymity in the NBA landscape, the fan base here has had up to a lifetime’s worth of mediocrity in their NBA team.

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