Truth About It» Watching the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery Through Wizards-Colored Glasses

I should have known that the NBA Draft Lottery was not going to fall in the Washington Wizards favor when I walked into the media area. Two members of the Cleveland Browns, Joshua Cribbs and Joe Haden, who are from Washington, D.C. and Fort Washington, MD respectively, were sitting at a table with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar.  Maybe under different circumstances Cribbs and Haden would have donned thenew colors of the Washington Wizards,but on this evening, their roles were to be good luck charms for Dan Gilbert. They were ensconced in Cleveland Cavaliers gear - the former pseudo-rival of Washington which also happened to be the team that eliminated the Wizards the last time they were fortunate enough to make the playoffs

Two hours later, Dan Gilbert, his charismatic son Nick, Kosar, Cribbs and Haden were posing for pictures in front of the ESPN camera, and celebrating the fact that the Cavaliers had won the first pick of the 2011 draft. The Wizards, who were represented by last year’s number one selection John Wall, were left with the sixth pick, despite having the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

Despite the disappointing draft position, there were still some positives for the Washington Wizards franchise. As Iwrote for the DCist,in just a short period of time Wall displayed the type of confidence and leadership that the Wizards braintrust probably expected when they drafted him first just one year ago. He worked the room, he joked around with his fellow 2010 draft classmate Greg Monroe, as well as Kyrie Irving, who figures to the first pick of the 2011 draft class.  He was equally comfortable in between Toronto Raptors President Bryan Colangelo and Mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson; Wall evenmentioned that he asked Mayor Johnson about his role in keeping the Kings in Sacramento.

Here is Wall speaking confidently on his summer plans, his opinion of some of the players in the draft and his expectations for his fellow teammates among other things:

Kyrie Irving, who figures to gohead-t0-head with John Wallfor at least a decade, if not more, seemed a bit out place at the lottery selection show. Typically the festivities are reserved for individuals who are currently affiliated with the NBA, but the yet-to-be drafted Irving was right there hob-nobbing with players, GMs, owners and writers with the poise of an NBA veteran. When asked why he was at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey for this event, Irving calmly said,“I live 20 minutes from here, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Once the Cavaliers won the lottery and he was flanked by 10-20 writers and reports, Irving handled it in a way that suggested he was much older than 19 years old.  But when he was getting ready to leave the premises, he was told by a member of the NBA staff that sliders and french fries were being served in the media room. Irving’s youthful side surfaced, proving that he is still a kid at heart:  ”For real? There are sliders? Man, I gotta get some of those. I’m hungry!”

Ernie Grunfeld, the man who drafted Wall, and who would probably love the opportunity to draft Irving or a player of his caliber (like Arizona’s Derrick Williams), was also in attendance. Unfortunately his answers were much less exciting than the likes of Irving and Wall.  Both before and after the lottery, Grunfeld spoke in his usual ambiguous, cryptic tone swhen asked about the draft and what the Wizards needed to do to improve:

But as TAI’s Kyle Weidie wrote, the key to the Wizards success in the 2011-2012 season has little to do with the sixth pick in this draft, and everything to do with what happens past the lottery. There are personnel decisions to be made, players who need to be evaluated, a free agent class that needs to be considered, and terms of the yet-to-resolved collective bargaining agreement to be studied before the players who will don the new Wizards uniforms are decided upon.  There will be an entire summer to discuss those types of issues ad nauseum.

In the meantime, it’s more fun to listen and watch a new and improved version of John Wall, as he flexes his new leadership chops:

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Truth About It» Looking Past The Lottery

In the seeming eyes of fans, media, Internet trolls and bar room sports pundits, Ernie Grunfeld should lie awake in his bed at night, restless over what to do with the sixth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The Wizards slipped two whole spots from where they finished the season to achieve No. 6 on Tuesday night, and the team president of basketball operations better put it to good use.

But it’s not all about this draft and this pick, it’s about the move behind the move which begets two more moves. Grunfeld should be up late into the evening, but not because he’s worried for his job, because he’s doing his homework. Because he and his team are adapting their creativity. Because he must be able to assess players beyond skills and exhaust trust in analysis to the statistical end. Because of course the pressure is still on.

A look across the NBA landscape yields a wide set of diverse circumstances: Aging dynasties, teams close to the next level, teams looking to rebuild, teams wondering where to go, and teams searching for how. Each of these situations must be ready to adapt to what will be a drastically different structure on the other side of the NBA’s pending labor issue.

With hype mounting for the 2011 draft, albeit a deemed weak one, as the last fun act of the league before the current CBA expires on June 30, beads of sweat may develop on Grunfeld’s brow due to the spotlight. But with a relatively secure position to manage the Wizards generally– likely for the next two seasons— it will be all about how Grunfeld can use a post-lockout environment to Washington’s advantage.

The Wizards have young and promising assets (unfortunately, several hold considerably more value to their current team than to others), draft picks and potentially minimal salary on the future books. Impatience toward the way to achieve success should be tempered by the fact that at least Washington has flexibility.

With so much uncertainty, there seems to be a solid known in walking down Ted Leonsis’ path to winning. First, let’s establish a reasonably low definition of winning: make the playoffs for at least five consecutive seasons within the next eight years, get bounced in the first round no more than twice, make the conference finals at least once. Seems humble, yet unimaginable unless you were born a fan of the franchise in the 1960s.

But for discussions on a championship level, the rebuild around John Wall commands another superstar, as many will gladly point out.

Wall is no LeBron James. He’s no Kevin Durant, no Kobe Bryant no Dirk Nowitzki. He might be a Derrick Rose, one day, but even Rose, a League MVP, will never be able to win a championship alone with Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng as his supporting cast. This sentiment could come back to bite me, but I doubt it.

At the very end of the third quarter in Wednesday night’s Heat-Bulls game, when Rose jetted with the ball past Dwyane Wade only to be thwarted by an imposing James while Wade caught up and poked a steal from behind, it was evident that Rose is depended upon too much for his team to win. He needs high-caliber help.

Like Rose, Wall can be“the” leader and a perfectly sensible point guard to put pieces around. Like Rose, he needs someone else who can be trusted with the ball, someone who can make opposing defenses shift their game plan.

A second superstar isn’t on Washington’s roster right now. And unless the Wizards are leaning on having magical luck one day in the NBA lottery again, or are planning to become worse, that second superstar isn’t coming through the draft.

This is where creativity counts. It’s not about the draft pick. It’s about issues such as apotential contract amnesty clausein a new CBA environment. If the Wizards and their ownership feel strongly that they will be able to get out from Rashard Lewis’ remaining contract counting toward the future cap, might they be willing to take on something more reasonable in the interim through a trade?

What about a hard cap? Say it’s set much lower, but implemented on a delay in 12, 24, 36 months. Might some teams be desperate to deal talent? With plenty of cap space, Grunfeld could again take advantage of other teams’ willingness/need to purge (a la the LeBron chase last summer) with a move that could lineup more team-building.

Constructing through the draft is an earnest and admirable concept. It requires patience, diligence and luck. But eventually teams reach a saturation point with youth to develop. The Wizards are teetering close to this point, but still seem far away from the winning prominence necessary to strongly consider other, more veteran options.

Still, with five second year players potentially on the roster next season (if Hamady N’diaye is retained), six and third year players (Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee respectively) who have mostly displayed the mental fortitude and maturity of high-schoolers, a fourth-year player in Nick Young who has displayed nice improvement but is still psychologically fragility, and a creaky-kneed veteran in Rashard Lewis entering his 13th NBA season, can the Wizards really afford to take on two or three more rookies?

To get Kendrick Perkins, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to trade one of their own cultivated draft picks, Jeff Green, and a 2012 first rounder they stock-piled from the L.A. Clippers. To get help for their MVP, the Chicago Bulls had to throw $75 million over five years to Carlos Boozer, which was aided by trading the 17th pick in 2010 and Kirk Hinrich to Washington for next to nothing. To get Pau Gasol, the L.A. Lakers sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol and two first round draft picks to Memphis. But yes, those teams also found Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Kobe and Andrew Bynum through the draft.

No need to get in a rush. Patience continues to be key. Ernie Grunfeld has a window of comfort, decent assets and budding opportunity. Again, it’s not all about this one draft and recovering from the disappointment in picking sixth. But if the NBA front-office veteran wants to reestablish a good reputation around the league, his time on the clock starts now, especially if he wants to be around when it’s time to eschew dreams of the draft and put up or shut up.

No franchise wants to field a team middling between barely in the playoffs and barely outside the lottery. If John Wall, whose rookie contract won’t last forever, doesn’t get a legit running mate in the next two or three seasons, that’s exactly where the Wizards will be.

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Truth About It» The Polls Are In On The New Look Wizards

Case closed, people like polls. And various polls about the same subject can all tell a different story. However, not necessarily in the case of the Washington Wizards’ new look, about which we are still discussing with expansive pixels. All signs point to success for the Monumental Sports& Entertainment posse, with much kudos to adidas (thank the basketball gods it wasn’t Reebok, which used to do the NBA jerseys until Reebok was purchased by adidas in 2006). Perusing some comment sections, the general thought is, we love the new look, but…

The color-replacement Wizards logo is bad.Even though the team still owns the intellectual property rights to that trade mark, they should really put it out of commission (as in, don’t throw it on gear and blast it for sale all over the website). But we get it, the team is seeing if anybody bites on sales. I have a feeling that soon the only people wearing the color-replacement wizard with moon logo will be sad little kids with unknowing mothers and those in other counties adding them to their 2004 Carolina Panther SuperBowl Champion and 2000 Indiana Pacers NBA Finals Champion t-shirt collections.

Road jersey sales could be down… depending on availability. There’s something about the road jersey that’s so drastically opposite from how great the home white jersey looks. Some have said a version with more blue would look better, but Ted loves red. The color placement in the top stripes makes organizational sense, but perhaps players will ultimately look like they’re wearing a red strappy onesie jumper set for the summer when actually on the court. Because that’s another thing people have said,‘Let’s see how look in them while playing.’Indeed.Then again, maybe everyone will just get used to them and forget about minor critiques. I’m sure some marketing research has told Monumental Sports this.

Others have wanted more stars, a scoop neck instead of a v-neck, and so on.

So, having already taken a look atwhat some of the pundits have said, let’s take a recap glance at a couple of the most relevant poll results…

The Vote.

Bullets Forever chose to give the full 10-point scale option to voters.Almost 25% of the voters gave the look a perfect’10′. Just under 78% gave an’8′ or above. Under 9% rated the new look a five or worse.

Wizards Insider at the Washington Post wanted a simple answer:Yes or No, no wavering or gray area. The results were 79% yes, somehow 20% no. (No decimals either).

Mr. Irrelevant gave four options:Love, Like, Dislike and Hate. Respectively, the amorous affection went from 44% to 48% to 4% to 2%.

Truth About It.net gave voters six choices,with results in parenthesis: 2 thumbs up (55%); 1 thumb up, 1 thumb kinda up (23%); Nice, but not the Bullets (10%); Shoulder shruggin’ neutral (5%); Don’t care unless they’re the Bullets (4%); 2 thumbs down (3%).

An 80-percent success rate all around is a pretty big win for the Washington pro basketball team— maybe what they expected, maybe more than expected. What Leonsis’ group is probably most interested in for the time being is that simple‘do you like it or not’ poll from the Washington Post, but they are surely keeping other things in mind for possible tweaks down the road (maybe an alternate jersey… it’s all on the table as Greg Bibb, the executive vice president of business operations, told me… after people have digested this initial run, of course).

The small sample size of TAI points to 14-percent of fans still being caught up on the“Bullets” as a team name (the 10-percent of‘nice, but not the Bullets’ added to the 4-percent‘don’t care unless they’re the Bullets’). Maybe this percentage is insignificant to Leonsis& Co. (although they’ll gladly sell some retro Bullets gear to whet appetites), and maybe it will go down over time. Maybe it would be relatively non-existent if the team name wasn’t“Wizards.” Maybe time and winning will make this all go away.

And maybe the Wizards will win back-t0-back number one draft picks in the NBA Draft Lottery (which will take place at around 8:30 PM tonight on ESPN). Who knows…

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Truth About It» ShareBullets: A Wizards/Bullets Draft Lottery Story

NBA Draft Lottery thoughts and links…

{flickr/Lisa Brewster}

The life of a Wizards/Bullets fan has often been predicated on the NBA Draft Lottery.Being a fan of the team since moving to D.C. in 1990, it has generally been‘the’highlight of the season… More than the draft itself, more than peddled hope before a season. A simple flip of a card, the bounce of a ping-pong ball and/or the chance of mathematical equation can change the fate of a franchise for years… in just a brief moment. How exciting, right?

In 1992, with the fifth worst record in the NBA, second worst in the Eastern Conference, Washington fans hoped for Shaquille O’Neal, or even Alonzo Mourning. Instead, the Bullets were jumped by the Charlotte Hornets (who chose Mourning with the second pick), and ended up with the sixth pick and Tom Gugliotta.

With the fifth worst record again in 1994, did the Wizards succeed in landing one of three draft prizes in Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd or Grant Hill? Nope. Fifth is where they stayed… beginmemories of the Juwan Howard saga.

What about the finishing with the third worst record in 2004? Either Emeka Okafor or Dwight Howard could’ve been the lottery winning targets. Instead, the Wizards dropped two spots to fifth (thanks to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats) and wound up trading the selection, Devin Harris, to the Mavericks for Antawn Jamison.

The gut punch came on May 19, 2009. Coming off a 19-win season, the Wizards had the second best chance to land the top pick, which ultimately became Blake Griffin. Instead, the lottery fate of the team pushed Washington back three spaces to fifth, which led to Ernie Grunfeld trading the pick, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwovles for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Yikes.

Ironically, the Wizards, who were tied for the NBA’s second worst record with the 19-win Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the 2008-09 season, won a tie-breaker to have a better chance at winning the lottery than L.A. But that only led to sincere heartbreak as the Clippers and their awarded less lottery combinations scored the first overall pick.

Then last year… The culmination point of a Wizards/Bullets fan’s conditioning to expect the worst on the day that could be the‘highlight’ of the season (capped by the Wizards, tied with the Golden State Warriors for the fourth worst NBA record in 2009-10, losing the tie-breaker, giving them the fifth best chance to win the lottery). Dan Steinberg expertly captured this with his“Wizards + Draft Lottery = Disaster” piece onthe DC Sports Bog. If any Wizards fan had high hopes for landing John Wall, then those such as Dan and myself were ready to rain on their parade. Not happening, the pessimists insisted.

So there I sat, on the beat up IKEA futon serving as a couch in my old apartment, No. 511, with my blogging cohort Adam McGinnis. No good luck charms, no No. 1 Rod Strickland jersey resting on the floor (as I’d done for the Griffin lottery), no hope whatsoever as the proceedings unfolded. Just a drink and a smirk.

Lo and behold, as you know, the Wizards won the 2010 lottery, subsequently had a crappy 23-win season, and we all complained anyway. So is life, but don’t think for a second that we don’t greatly appreciate that life with John Wall in it.

Adam and I knew something was up last May when Golden State’s card was shown at sixth and then Sacramento’s at the five spot— the Wizards jumped overTWOteams!?!‘Okay, don’t get excited, don’t lose your head,’ I told myself.

And when it was revealed that the Philadelphia 76ers would be picking second, sealing the first pick for Washington, a rush of draft lottery losing gravy escaped from my cranium. I couldn’t really move, couldn’t react. Adam and I exchanged baffled looks, slapped an awkward high-five if I can remember correctly, and then I just slumped back on the futon, exhausted with the departed anticipation. I took some more sips of my drink and the smirk quickly turned into a genuine smile. Over the next couple of days, I had to keep making myself re-believe that the Wizards had landed the top pick and the rights to select Wall.

Now, tonight, we’re ready to do this all over again. Yet, the hope is dead, or just close to dying. Maybe it’s been killed by a looming NBA lockout via an expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement. Perhaps it’s been killed by a very weak draft class mostly due to that hanging CBA issue. Maybe Wizards fans can’t help but to continue to be pessimists. Enjoy what you got last year, because it ain’t happening for another 20 years (much less the anguish that surrounds even thinking the team will be in lottery contention over a majority of the next two decades).

The beginning, the past… The good luck charms, and the folded arms in refusal to believe in luck… Does any of it matter? I’d like to think that it doesn’t… but there I’ll be nonetheless, watching the lottery unfold on ESPN at 8:30 pm with Adam again, a refreshing adult beverage in hand (but on a couch, not a futon… and in apartment No. 601, not 511… same building though), and ready to root for an 11.9-percent chance like it’s nobody’s business.

LINKS.

“It’s horrendous. Every year we always talk about how bad the draft is. This year we really mean it.”-some Western Conference GM via Yahoo! Sports

Adi Joseph of NBA-Draft.net says that Arizona’s Derrick Williams would mesh well with JaVale McGee and Nick Young, and would be a good replacement for Andray Blatche. I’ll take it!
{SB Nation DC}

Pretty cool tool from Ian Levy at Hickory-High.com…it compares prospects in this year’s draft to collegiate players selected in the first round of the draft since 2001 across a number of statistical measurements. For instance, Kenneth Faried of Morehead State, whom many fell in love with during the Eagles’ first round NCAA tournament upset over 4-seed Louisville, which led to a second round loss to Richmond, compares favorably to the likes of Emeka Okafor and Taj Gibson. The 6’8″ Faried totaled 17 rebounds and 12 points against Louisville and 13 boards and 11 points against Richmond. A senior, Faried is currentlymocked by Draft Expressto go 17th to the New York Knicks (the Wizards pick 18th, courtesy of Kirk Hinrich and the Atlanta Hawks). Want a player who will relentlessly hustle after 50-50 balls? Faried could be an option. Check the tool at Hickory High for more good comparisons.
{Hickory High}

Andray Blatche vs. Kevin Garnett, a fun GIF.
{Super Cool Zs}

In 1977 Woody Allen wrote a piece about Earl Monroe for Sport Magazine.It’s pretty much a must-read.
{SportsFeat.com}

If you haven’t heard the story about the greatest deal in pro basketball ever(or perhaps all of sports), then why not? In any case, read up on how the Spirits of St. Louis netted a couple of Latvian brothers millions.
{Forbes}

Should Washington, D.C. allow for taller buildings?Maybe… I’m not sure.
{The Infrastructurist}

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Truth About It» The Washington Wizards New Look& Feel Unveiled

The Washington Wizards unveiled their new look and feel on Tuesday during an event held on the team’s practice court. The feedback on the fresh gearhas been universally positiveand hardly anyone is showing remorse forthe Wizard man logo dying a slow death.While I am more concerned about the team avoiding another bottom five NBA finish for a fourth straight season, I understand the significance of the franchise moving the brand into a modern direction with the Monumental ownership group. The red, white and blue colors will hopefully provide the tormented fan-base a much needed boost.

The following video contains footage of the debut, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis’ comments on the change, Jordan Crawford’s feelings about the uniforms, and an assessment from fans buying new merchandise at the team store on the day of the unveiling. Enjoy.

{Apologies to the fan whose name and info I was unable to gather.}

Pictures.

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Truth About It» ShareBullets: What They Said About The New-Look Wizards

A D.C. picture, what others are saying about the new-look Wizards, and a whole bunch of links…

{Outside of Sportsman's Liquor in Mt. Pleasant - photo: K. Weidie}

What They Said… {About the new-look Wizards}

“I mean, this is a B+/A- at worse, and it just reminds us how horrific the past decade has been.”-Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog, Washington Post

“Other than my minor quibbles with the font on the front, these are great. The color scheme is better. The jerseys are unique, rather than something that seems like it came from a create-a-team in‘NBA Live 2000.’ Even the new“monument ball” logo is really good. High five to whoever came up with these.”-Trey Kerby, The Basketball Jones

“With the dropping of the banner and entrance of models John Wall and Jordan Crawford, the room breathed a sigh of relief. The uniforms aren’t bad. Actually, they’re pretty sharp.”-Sarah Schorno Kogod, Capital Games Blog, NBC Washington

“I personally like the“DC” thing with the arms and the ball, because it reminds me of the logo I grew up on.”-Mike Prada, Bullets Forever

“The throwback look fits the team’s history and locale much better than the most recent dark blue designs, which seemed as contrived as the“Wizards” moniker. Love these new jerseys or hate them, at least they aren’tthese gold disasters. We can all agree on that.”-Ben Golliver, Eye On Basketball, CBSSports.com

“…what I like most about the colors is that the blue isn’t a traditional royal, but rather a sort of true navy blue, and the red is bright, but has a high tint on it that makes it stand out from being a true red or a scarlet or crimson sort. Also, the matte silver is a nice touch…”-Sandy Dover, Style Corner, SLAM Online

“This much is certain: The Wizards’ days of losing in teal are over!”-Dave McKenna, Washington City Paper

“Perhaps the Wizards’ uniforms were not actually teal. Perhaps they were merely a teal-ish fake blue color not of this Earth. The distinction is irrelevant. In their traditionless, quirk-free, focus-grouped, market-tested, perplexingly ahistorical and overwhelmingly generic appearance, they were symbolically teal. Which is to say: They were everything that’s wrong with the sports uniforms of the 1990s.”-Patrick Hruby, Page 2, ESPN.com

>>More Links…

People are today wondering if the Wizards will eventually change their name to“Monuments”… With the Washington Monument integrated into the new look, this seems to be a fresh idea. However, for apost I did about the Wizards name back in June 2010, the Washington Post’s Mike Wise provided this commentary:

“The Washington Justice. Now that’s a name. You just got served. Something tells me it’s going to be Monuments in three years — hence the company name change.”

One of the adidas designers who worked on the new uniforms grew up in the D.C. area, was a fan of Gheorghe Muresan.
{Washington Post}

Truth About It’s Rashad Mobley drops some knowledge about the Celtics and the NBA playoffs.
{5 on 5, ESPN.com}

Is John Wall getting taller?Also, some nonsense about JaVale McGee.
{DC Sports Bog}

Mike Wise on Ernie Grunfeld in his Wizards exit interview column:

You“exceeded expectations” according to Ted, and that’s all that matters. You moved Gilbert and the contract you gave him, which most GMs thought was impossible. You saved Ted money. Good job, basically, pulling egg shells out of the trash, bronzing them and then making someone else think they’re decorations.

Of course, Wise also uses column gimmicks such as politicking for Dwight Howard in 2012 or bust. So there’s that.
{Washington Post}

After all these years, and in an ever-changing environment, it’s safe to say that if one true model to contention as a franchise in the NBA existed, it would have been better documented and followed…Which is all to say, there are a bunch of ways for a team to get good and/or bad, some within control and some not so much. So is life.
{Bullets Forever}

So the zig in the John Wall Reeboks Zag’s are a little less drastic or bulky in the second version of his shoe.While this rendition is aesthetically more pleasing in smoothness, it’s still not receiving high praise for looks pleasing enough to buy. But most curious is if sneaker kinesiologists will rest more assured of Wall’s feet in them.
{SLAM Online}

When John Wall broke the ankles of Serge Ibaka.
{Shaky Ankles}

Orlando Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide said that Gilbert Arenas“kind of let himself go in Washington.”I’m sure baby mother trouble at home and feigning interest in D.C. while the team feigned interest in him probably had something to do with that. But hey, thanks for trading for him Orlando.
{Orlando Sentinel}

Meanwhile, Arenas sounds like he’s gotten into his own head and is unconscionably playing the role of the prankster.Well, at least before the Magic got knocked out of the playoffs.
{SLAM Online}

While we’re at it, Gilbert Arenas burst the Washington Wizards’ status as a Buzz team.
{Carles via GQ}

And more…When Arenas wore John Wall’s Reebok Zig Slash“Capital Blue”in a March match-up versus the Kings in Sacramento— five years to the month from Gil’s“March Flu” in Cowtown— he scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting with three assists and three fouls in 17 minutes off the bench.
{H/T:SLAM}

I often find myself in the midst of Semantic Satiation.
{BuzzFeed}

Yi Jianlian helps teach English?Apparently.

This little 5’6″ dude from Baltimore, who is a sophomore in high school, has evidently beenoffered a contractto play pro ball in Italy.

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Truth About It» A Well-Built Foundation of Color Change Success: The New-Look Washington Wizards

First impression:I like Wizards’ the new digs. I really like them. They were done with a style that lends itself to merchandise that people of various demographics would be proud to sport. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Sure, it’s partially about the money, gladly advertised by the team to‘Buy! Buy! Buy!’, but in order for that to happen, they must look good. People have to want them. I think people will want these.

I attended the unveiling and wrote an onlinearticle for the Washington City Paper. I urge you to check it out, it’s all about how the Wizard is not completely dead, not just yet. I halfway expected both home and away jerseys to say“Washington” on the front (the New York Knicks do this), but“Wizards” stays as a reminder to the home fans— that and the color replacement version of the old Wizards logo you see above on the official reproduction guideline sheet, which is just about the only place you’ll see it going forward, according to the team.

The new branding is modern, it’s retro, it provides the colors people expect. It also is a style that can happily adapt itself to further change down the road. Ted Leonsis will zip his lips slowly back out of a room when the topic of a name change now comes up, but it almost seems inevitable with this well-built foundation of color change success. Only not back to“Bullets.” Not reasonably going to happen.

Still, for those begging for change, this should be more than enough to keep you quiet, which Leonsis and his crew would gladly have you do. Changes to the court and other areas are forthcoming, please digest this phase slowly.

People everywhere will be soliciting all sorts of opinions from anyone with a voice, but I’ll throw up a poll for the readers of Truth About It.net nonetheless. To me, the navy blue at the top of the road jerseys looks a bit off, but expecting all to be perfect to everyone is a bit much. Aside from the particulars, I’m giving one thumb up and one thumb kind of up. So what do you think?

Pictures:

The last of the few remaining Wizards.

{photos by K. Weidie}

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