Oct 16, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Becky Hammon (right) talks with Ime Udoka during the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns won 121-90. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Wizards Need To Look Outside of the Box

The Washington Wizards fired Randy Wittman on Wednesday night following their win against the Atlanta Hawks at home. Ernie Grunfeld will lead the coaching search, even though his future with the team is still being questioned.

Coaches are hired to eventually get fired.

There aren’t many coaches in the NBA that made it as far as Randy Wittman did with the team. As DJ pointed out, Wittman was actually never hired by the Wizards, yet still found a way to make a lengthy and successful career out of it.

Really, his stint with the Wizards will probably get him another head coaching gig somewhere – possibly with the New York Knicks. In three straight seasons, the Wizards won two playoff series and finished .500 without a postseason appearance. That’s a successful stretch for most coaches in the NBA.

Washington will now have to find a suitable replacement – one that will take advantage of the talent that’s already on the team.

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post has been all over Washington’s head coaching search from the get-go. He recently wrote about a list of coaches that the Wizards are expected to pursue. I definitely suggest reading his article for a more in-depth analysis of the candidates, but here’s the list:

All of the listed coaches are different.

Some of them, like Brooks and Thibs, preach defense. Others, like D’Antoni, have been known for their offensive sets and ability to get the most out of their players. But, they all have one thing in common: they’ve all had chances and failed.

The Washington Wizards should look at coaches with experience, but they should not limit themselves. Don’t get me wrong: everyone listed knows what they’re doing.

After all, there are only 30 people in the world that are hired to coach at the highest level. Every single one of them knows the game and what it takes to win. They have all essentially dedicated their lives to the craft.

That doesn’t mean Washington isn’t in the position to look elsewhere, though.

The likes of Brooks, Thibs and Cassell would bring the same foundation that Wittman did.

Cassell has never been a head coach, but he was one of Wittman’s right-hand assistants for years. Thibs and Brooks are both flawed and we know what they will bring to the table.

Thibs is Wittman on steroids and Brooks coached a really good Oklahoma City Thunder team, but never won an NBA championship despite having a ridiculous core in place.

Teams that hire recycled NBA coaches usually don’t get very far. Look at the Sacramento Kings, for instance. Their “big get” was supposed to be George Karl, but he made it one season before getting canned.

People have cited the Chicago Bulls’ failures on the firing of Thibs, just as they did after the Denver Nuggets fired Karl, but who knows if the team would have been successful with him instead of Fred Hoiberg?

There are plenty of coaches in assistant positions that would kill for an opportunity to coach someone like John Wall in the nation’s capital.

Ime Udoka, Jay Larranaga and Kenny Atkinson have all done enough to at least be considered. They would bring a fresh, new voice to the locker room.

The NBA is all one big family. Nowadays, the players know each other and have interacted with virtually everyone in the league, including opposing coaches. They know what to expect from Scott Brooks, Thibs and others. It’s time for the Wizards to do something bold. It’s time to look outside of the box, because doing the same old thing has just simply never worked.