The Washington Wizards are a league-worst 2-15, a team not exactly deep with talent to start now beset by injuries, a team where the healthy veterans are not living up to their billing and the young players look like young players.
Often that is when a coach feels pressure, although Wittman shouldn’t. For one, it’s not his fault there isn’t much talent on the roster and the real talent they do have has been injured. Plus, he is in the first year of his deal and the Wizards are still paying off the last year of Flip Saunders deal, that’s a lot of money for coaches already. Besides, a new coach isn’t changing the situation here.
Wittman, for his part, told CSNWashington.com he is trying to keep things in perspective.
“There is a lot going on out there in the real world that kind of brings you back to reality,” Wittman said before the 2-15 Wizards boarded a flight for New Orleans, where they will take on the 5-14 Hornets Tuesday night.
“From Kevin McHale losing his daughter to the Kansas City situation, the Dallas situation. There are a lot of things that are a lot more important than winning and losing a game, although that’s our livelihood.”
He’s right. Basketball is not life and death. It should not ever be so. I’ve always been a fan of the Bob Costas line: If you say a tragedy in the sports world brings it into perspective, then you lost your perspective to start with.
But it is a competitive business and right now the Wizards are not competitive. If they don’t become so over the course of this season, things will get a lot more serious for Wittman and other Wizards personnel.