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''99-''00 Season Recap
MJ Comes Aboard
Honor Roll |
Highlights
FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW and the 11th time in the past 12 seasons, the Washington Wizards were on the outside of the playoffs looking in. The team's new part-owner and president of basketball operations says it's time for that to stop.
"I think we should make the playoffs next season," said Michael Jordan, who
joined the Wizards' front office in January. "I think we should
have made the playoffs this season. But I think this team is
definitely good enough to make the playoffs next season."
It was another season of frustration for the Wizards, who thought they might have added the missing piece to their puzzle when they traded four players to Orlando to obtain veteran center Isaac Austin. But Austin was a disappointment, quickly losing the starting job to second-year man Jahidi White (7.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg) and eventually forfeiting backup minutes to Don Reid and Calvin Booth.
Another offseason acquisition who was expected to help, free agent power forward Michael Smith, started 46 games and was averaging 6.3 points and 7.2 rebounds but spent the final two months of the season on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his right elbow.
After beating Atlanta 94-87 in their season opener, the Wizards lost seven in a row and never approached .500 after that. On Jan. 29, with the team's record at 14-30 and Jordan now running the basketball operation, coach Gar Heard was fired and replaced by Darrell Walker. The Wizards continued to struggle and were 25 games below .500 at 20-45 in mid-March before winning nine of their last 17 games to finish at 29-53.
"We won our first game, then had a bad string of losses," said veteran forward Juwan Howard. "It was sour, very frustrating. Halfway through the season our coach got fired. We were all responsible for a disappointing first half. Not just Gar, but myself and everyone on this team. Then things picked up when Darrell took over. There's been a turnaround. We started playing better. It felt good to come to practice and play. ... It was a positive spin and everything starting feeling good."
While it was too late to make an appreciable difference this season, it did give hope for the future. Jordan believes that with some re-tooling, the Wizards should be competitive in 2000-01.
"We still need some added talent," he conceded while scouting college players during the final week of the season. "I can't say we're one of the elite teams in the league. We definitely need some help in certain areas. Our bench needs to be strong. We certainly need a small forward that can give us a solid offensive and defensive presence. But we have shown we can compete with anyone if we have the right frame of mind.
"You've got three solid players, Mitch Richmond, Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard," Jordan said. "The point is getting them to play with the continuity and the chemistry it takes to play basketball. All three of the base guys have played effectively in the years past, and there shouldn't be any reason why they can't do that now. We have to be positive. These guys got paid big money for a reason, so let's see if we can get back to the reason they got paid."
Although the 34-year-old Richmond led the Wizards with 17.4 points per game, it was the lowest average of his 12-year career, and his shooting percentage of .426 was his second-lowest mark. Howard averaged 14.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg and Strickland, who was admonished by Jordan late in the season to be more disciplined and dedicated to the team, contributed 12.6 ppg and a team-high 7.5 apg(11th in NBA).
Gerard King played well at forward late in the season, moving into the starting lineup following Smith's injury. Chris Whitney stepped in for an injured Strickland during the final month, ran the club efficiently and also showed some scoring punch. First-round draft pick Richard Hamilton, buried behind Richmond early in the season, also came on strong, earning playing time at both guard positions and often teaming with Whitney and Richmond in a three-guard alignment late in the season.
The Wizards are hopeful they are building the right mix of veterans and young players to shake their reputation as overpaid underachievers.
"You can't just win with a lot of talented players - we've shown that," Howard said during the final week of the season. "You have to have the right group of guys who understand their roles. We have to have the right coach that's going to use us in the best way possible."
"It's not going to happen tomorrow," Jordan said. "I know I've been dealt some difficult cards. So what? I didn't get to a championship in one year with Chicago. It took seven years. But once we got there, we stayed there."
HONOR ROLL
Mitch Richmond
Scored 23 points at New York on April 6 to pass
Walter Davis and become the 26th all-time leading scorer in NBA
history. Richmond moved up 14 spots in 1999-2000 on the all-time
scoring list, passing the likes of Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Mark
Aguirre, Bob McAdoo, and Isiah Thomas.
Ranked seventh in free throw percentage (.877).
Topped 30 points on six occasions.
Rod Strickland
Ranked 11th in the NBA in assists per game
(7.5).
Dished 10 or more assists on 20
occasions.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ended the Lakers' 19-game winning streak
with a 109-102 victory on March 16. The win began a streak that saw
Washington win seven of its next nine. The Wizards shot a
season-high 71.4 percent from the three-point line against the
Lakers and scored a season-high in points in the first quarter with
36. Strickland dished out a season-high 16 assists and Richmond
made more free throws than any other Wizard this season by shooting
15-16 from the foul line.
Michael Jordan joined the team in January
as part-owner and head of basketball operations.
Return to the top
FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW and the 11th time in the past 12 seasons, the Washington Wizards were on the outside of the playoffs looking in. The team's new part-owner and president of basketball operations says it's time for that to stop.
 Rod Strickland directed the Wizards' offense by dishing out 7.5 assists per game. (NBAE Photos) |
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Points: Mitch Richmond,
Juwan Howard,
Rebounds: Michael Smith, Jahidi White,Assists: Rod Strickland, Chris Whitney,Blocks: Aaron Williams,Steals: Mitch Richmond, |
It was another season of frustration for the Wizards, who thought they might have added the missing piece to their puzzle when they traded four players to Orlando to obtain veteran center Isaac Austin. But Austin was a disappointment, quickly losing the starting job to second-year man Jahidi White (7.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg) and eventually forfeiting backup minutes to Don Reid and Calvin Booth.
Another offseason acquisition who was expected to help, free agent power forward Michael Smith, started 46 games and was averaging 6.3 points and 7.2 rebounds but spent the final two months of the season on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his right elbow.
After beating Atlanta 94-87 in their season opener, the Wizards lost seven in a row and never approached .500 after that. On Jan. 29, with the team's record at 14-30 and Jordan now running the basketball operation, coach Gar Heard was fired and replaced by Darrell Walker. The Wizards continued to struggle and were 25 games below .500 at 20-45 in mid-March before winning nine of their last 17 games to finish at 29-53.
"We won our first game, then had a bad string of losses," said veteran forward Juwan Howard. "It was sour, very frustrating. Halfway through the season our coach got fired. We were all responsible for a disappointing first half. Not just Gar, but myself and everyone on this team. Then things picked up when Darrell took over. There's been a turnaround. We started playing better. It felt good to come to practice and play. ... It was a positive spin and everything starting feeling good."
While it was too late to make an appreciable difference this season, it did give hope for the future. Jordan believes that with some re-tooling, the Wizards should be competitive in 2000-01.
"We still need some added talent," he conceded while scouting college players during the final week of the season. "I can't say we're one of the elite teams in the league. We definitely need some help in certain areas. Our bench needs to be strong. We certainly need a small forward that can give us a solid offensive and defensive presence. But we have shown we can compete with anyone if we have the right frame of mind.
"You've got three solid players, Mitch Richmond, Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard," Jordan said. "The point is getting them to play with the continuity and the chemistry it takes to play basketball. All three of the base guys have played effectively in the years past, and there shouldn't be any reason why they can't do that now. We have to be positive. These guys got paid big money for a reason, so let's see if we can get back to the reason they got paid."
Although the 34-year-old Richmond led the Wizards with 17.4 points per game, it was the lowest average of his 12-year career, and his shooting percentage of .426 was his second-lowest mark. Howard averaged 14.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg and Strickland, who was admonished by Jordan late in the season to be more disciplined and dedicated to the team, contributed 12.6 ppg and a team-high 7.5 apg(11th in NBA).
Gerard King played well at forward late in the season, moving into the starting lineup following Smith's injury. Chris Whitney stepped in for an injured Strickland during the final month, ran the club efficiently and also showed some scoring punch. First-round draft pick Richard Hamilton, buried behind Richmond early in the season, also came on strong, earning playing time at both guard positions and often teaming with Whitney and Richmond in a three-guard alignment late in the season.
The Wizards are hopeful they are building the right mix of veterans and young players to shake their reputation as overpaid underachievers.
"You can't just win with a lot of talented players - we've shown that," Howard said during the final week of the season. "You have to have the right group of guys who understand their roles. We have to have the right coach that's going to use us in the best way possible."
"It's not going to happen tomorrow," Jordan said. "I know I've been dealt some difficult cards. So what? I didn't get to a championship in one year with Chicago. It took seven years. But once we got there, we stayed there."
HONOR ROLL
Mitch Richmond
Scored 23 points at New York on April 6 to pass
Walter Davis and become the 26th all-time leading scorer in NBA
history. Richmond moved up 14 spots in 1999-2000 on the all-time
scoring list, passing the likes of Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Mark
Aguirre, Bob McAdoo, and Isiah Thomas. Ranked seventh in free throw percentage (.877). Topped 30 points on six occasions.Rod Strickland
Ranked 11th in the NBA in assists per game
(7.5). Dished 10 or more assists on 20
occasions.HIGHLIGHTS
Ended the Lakers' 19-game winning streak
with a 109-102 victory on March 16. The win began a streak that saw
Washington win seven of its next nine. The Wizards shot a
season-high 71.4 percent from the three-point line against the
Lakers and scored a season-high in points in the first quarter with
36. Strickland dished out a season-high 16 assists and Richmond
made more free throws than any other Wizard this season by shooting
15-16 from the foul line. Michael Jordan joined the team in January
as part-owner and head of basketball operations.Return to the top