Washington Wizards: It’s time to end the Ernie Grunfeld era
By Matt H
Ernie Grunfeld is under contract as the Washington Wizards’ general manager until the end of 2018-19, but the real question is what has he done to earn it?
Since 2003, only three NBA teams have employed the same general manager: R.C. Buford of the San Antonio Spurs, Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics and Ernie Grunfeld of the Washington Wizards. Of the three, take a moment to pick out the one that doesn’t belong.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
You guessed it. No current NBA GM has benefited more by producing less than Ernie Grunfeld. After combing through Grunfeld’s 15-year tenure in Washington, the results weren’t pretty. If you are a Wizards fan, you may want to read this column sitting down.
So how did I come to my conclusion? I set out on the unenviable task of revisiting Washington’s wins and losses, lottery picks, free agency signings, trades and any other significant player transactions during his time as GM. By the end, the conclusion was clear: It’s time for the Ernie Grunfeld era to end.