Fansided

The Wizards and Grizzlies finally fired their GMs, now what should they do?

By Keith Parish

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards slaps hands with John Wall #2 against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards slaps hands with John Wall #2 against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Long-suffering Grizzlies fans and longer-suffering Wizards fans spent most of the last few years thinking there was nothing they could do to free themselves from their team’s general managers. Endless jokes had been made about how Ernie Grunfeld and Chris Wallace were entrenched in their positions and seemingly impervious to any job accountability. Did they know where all the bodies were buried? Was their sensitive blackmail material? Were their owners even aware they could make a change?

But then in a span of 10 days Grunfeld was dismissed and the impossible-to-fire Wallace was reassigned to a scouting role. Turns out 16 seasons of Washington never once winning 50 games was enough. Turns out stumbling through a decade of drafts and free agency and botching more than one trade publicly was the snapping point for Memphis.

But now that each fan base got their collective wish, what is next? What should be next steps to course-correct these lottery bound teams who- outside of landing Zion Williamson- have murky paths back to playoff relevance?

To help answer those questions, Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) joins the latest episode of Fastbreak Breakfast. Andrew is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and co-hosts the Open Floor podcast. In addition to breaking down what steps these franchises should take, the following topics are discussed:

  • What are some of Grunfeld’s and Wallace’s more forgotten gaffes?
  • Donovan Mitchell and D’Angelo Russell are having highly-inefficient postseasons, attempting lots of shots and having as many turnovers as assists. How have their games so far affected our long-term view of them?
  • Which NBA player known for shooting has the worst looking misses?

Fastbreak Breakfast is a podcast for serious NBA fans that is incredibly not serious. All episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud or any other major podcast service.

Music provided courtesy of New Man and Codaphonic.

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