Wizards Oh-So-Woeful, But Cleveland Native Michael Winger May Be Following Cavs’ Blueprint

Well, guess what? They won’t be winning 50 games this year, either.

As it stands, the Wizards are 2-16. They started November 2-2. That means they lost 14 straight — or every game they played in the past month. 

Who knows? Maybe December will be better. But it’s doubtful. Washington was built to lose, and lose a lot.

New full-time man Brian Keefe seems to be a decent coach. Rookie Alex Sarr and other youngsters such as Bilal Coulibaly are showing lots of promise. Veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas have produced, but are probably wondering how they got here — and how they can get out. 

Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole play hard, though they probably aren’t the top options on a winning team. They are, however, the top options in Washington.

Look, someone has to be bad — and oftentimes, that someone will be really bad. That can work, eventually, if you land The Next LeBron James in the draft. But those players come around about, oh, once in every lifetime.

If that doesn’t happen, you have to focus on your youth getting game experience and coming together, then perhaps swinging a big trade. Sort of like the Cleveland Cavaliers have done after James left. 

Interestingly, Wizards head of basketball operations Michael Winger is a Cleveland native who started with the Cavs. He very well could be following the blueprint of Cavs president Koby Altman. It’s a smart path to pursue.

The Cavs set a franchise record by winning 15 straight to start the season. They appear on their way to big things. And the rise, while difficult at first, has come fairly quickly after James left for Los Angeles. Without a doubt, the Cavs are now superior to James’ Lakers.

So the less is there. And it says to go to where you want to go, well, sometimes there will be a lot of pain (and losing) along the way. That defines your 2024-25 Washington Wizards.