Chicago added Ben Wallace, fueling hope for a championship run. Toronto has tinkered with its roster, adding a European star among others. Milwaukee swapped a short point guard for a taller power forward coming off a strong rookie season.
Meanwhile, the Wizards have done … well, not much. And that’s part of their plan, sort of.
For them, it’s all about continuity, which is why the two-year contract extension, with an option for a third year, Head Coach Eddie Jordan received Saturday is a big deal. That, plus a stable roster, is what the Wizards hope translates into increased success next season.
They also view the return of swingman Jarvis Hayes from injury and the development of 2005 second-round pick Andray Blatche as ways to bolster their roster.
And they view Jordan’s extension as a major part of theirdesired goal for continuity. Jordan said that helps in subtle ways.
“You know your team’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Jordan. “You know your personalities and how you get the most out of your guys. Throughout the course of a grinding season, that means more than what people think. …There won’t be any surprises.”
Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld said, “You don’t have to do as much teaching of the offense and you can spend time on other things you need to work on.”
The Wizards still might add a defensive assistant, trying to help a weakness. They can still sign a modest free agent (for the mid-level exception). And they might still make a trade.
“We feel good about what we have,” Grunfeld said earlier this month, “and the chemistry we have. We’ll explore our options, but we’ve shown we can compete with anybody in the league with the guys we currently have…. We made a lot of changes last summer and a lot of other teams didn’t. We’re more concerned with what we’re doing and where we are and developing our young guys.”
At a press conference announcing Jordan’s extension Monday, Grunfeld said, “We’re always exploring ways we can get better. But the only thing we can control is internal improvement. … We’re always looking around, but we’re both comfortable with the players we have.”
And, obviously, they have their coach.
“When we were first here,” Grunfeld said, “we wanted to be perennial playoff contenders with the hope of someday being a championship contender. Eddie will be the one who leads us there.”
Coachspeak
» Eddie Jordan is entering his fourth season, making him the Eastern Conference’s longest-tenured coach. He’s 112-134 in Washington.
» Under Jordan, the Wizards made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1987 and1988 and won a playoff series for the first time since 1982.
» Last season, Jordan’s Princeton offense helped produce the NBA’s highest-scoring trio: Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison averaged a combined 67.1 points per game.
