Jan 30, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman talks with his team during a timeout in the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Wizards: Giving Randy Wittman the Respect He Deserves

Recently, I wrote a long piece on why the Washington Wizards should fire Randy Wittman. Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend like my stance has changed just because the team beat the Houston Rockets on the road. A win isn’t going to change much, at least for now.

The team is still flawed and Wittman continues to make errors that are pretty unforgivable.

He’s not the guy the Washington Wizards should have coaching the team going forward, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get the respect he deserves.

Look: I’ve been incredibly tough on Wittman, and while I know that doesn’t matter, it’s still important to show some appreciation. Wittman probably won’t be back in Washington after this season and there’s a solid chance he’ll be gone before it even concludes. But he’s not a demon — not even close.

Wittman is one of the primary reasons we even have high expectations for the Washington Wizards.

After taking over for the late, great Flip Saunders in 2012, the Wizards almost immediately saw a shift in the team’s culture.

Wittman held the players accountable and essentially forced changes to the roster. He preached defense and the team listened, becoming an elite defensive club for three consecutive years. Over the past few seasons, Wittman constructed a plan in the NBA Playoffs that looked promising.

Under his guidance, the Wizards came incredibly close to reaching the Eastern Conference Finals this past season. He outcoached Tom Thibodeau and Dwane Casey on the big stage, which is something most coaches cannot say.

Perhaps even more importantly, though, Wittman’s love for the game of basketball has become contagious and certainly admirable.

There are coaches in the NBA that have egos and become bigger than some of their top players. We’ve seen coaches call their players out in the media and embrace the attention, but Wittman has never been that person.

He’s always put his team first and he takes the blame when necessary. He cares about his players and the team more than he does his position, which isn’t something that applies to most head coaches.

On Saturday night, Wittman coached against the Rockets even after learning about the passing of his brother:

Emotional night for Randy Wittman. Led #wizards to win over HOU hours after learning of older brother Rick's death https://t.co/maCYvdEUPw — Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 31, 2016

It’s incredibly rare to find people who love their job as much as Randy Wittman does.

Wittman has been around the game of basketball for his entire life and he’s been coaching forever, too. To compare, Wittman coached Andre Miller as a rookie in Cleveland. Today, Andre Miller is older than a few NBA coaches. He’s been in the NBA for virtually his entire adult life and he’s dedicated his life to the pro game.

It might be easy to find a coach on the market that knows x’s-and-o’s better than Wittman, but it will be nearly impossible to find someone who cares as much as he does.

Having someone who legitimately loves the players and the franchise like Wittman is invaluable. The players recognize that Wittman is a flawed coach, but they also gravitate towards the level of respect he commands.

So for all of his flaws, it’s also important to note how important Randy Wittman has been to the franchise. As DJ Statman pointed out a while ago, Wittman is one of the best coaches in Washington Wizards history. Is he the guy for the job long-term? Probably not. But let’s not forget what Wittman means to the team.