Nobody beats the Wiz*, but everybody beats the Wizards and so Flip Saunders was told to turn in his robes, pointy hat and wand today (or whatever he wore on the sidelines), becoming the second coach to be sent packing this season, having steered -or, more aptly, swerved sloppily - Washington to the worst record in the league. The Wizards stumbled from the start, losing their first 8 games and have dropped three straight. They're on the road to nowhere, as they've yet to win an away contest.
Interestingly, the current crop of Wizards closely resemble those from the Wizard of Oz. John Wall, who is in the midst of a sophomore slump, as his assists per game and shooting percentage have declined, is the cowardly lion; he lacks courage (Wall has more than hit the wall; he's struck an electric fence). Andre Blatche, who re-defined 'impatience' when after the first game he complained that he wasn't getting enough shots, is the Tin Man; he lacks heart. Finally, there's JaVale McGee, who was pulled from a game after throwing a pass to himself off the backboard, is the Scarecrow; he lacks a brain. Or maybe it's actually his mom, who's clueless, since she described him as "the future of the NBA," while offering up some pointers on how to properly coach her kid (read it and you'll see why, at least in her estimation, he can't be the Tin Man).
We're guessing she thinks NBA stands for "Nifty Backboard Assist." Mrs. McGee does have a hoops pedigree - she won two collegiate championships and played in the WNBA - but she's showing a mama's bias when it comes to her baby boy. She says she'd never "throw players under a bus," like she felt Saunders, who went 51-130 in three-plus seasons, did. If we were in charge, we'd leave some of these passionless players off the bus altogether.
*Except that bastard Best Buy, which also cruelly crumbled a (Circuit) City.
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