January 30, 2012
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Only a few short weeks ago, Wizards coach Flip Saunders said he wasn’t worried about his job security. So it came as a shock – to him at least – when he was fired last Tuesday and replaced by , who will remain as head coach through the end of the season.
At the time of Saunders’ dismissal, the Wizards had yet to win a road game and were just 2-15 overall. But it wasn’t just this season; it was a long time coming. The perennially last placed Wizards were unable to record a winning record under Saunders, going 51-130 during his tenure. In 2009, they were the only team in the Southeast division to miss the playoffs, and in 2010 finished with a dismal .280 win percentage, winning just 23 of 82 games.
The change seemed to be all for the better last Wednesday, when the Wizards outshot the Charlotte Bobcats 92-75 in their first game with their new coach. On the road, they faltered in their first away game under Wittman, falling to the Rockets 103-76 in Houston. But when they traveled to Charlotte the next day, the Wizards proved they could win on the road, holding on to a 102-99 win against the Bobcats.
With their most recent loss coming to the Bulls (arguably the best team in professional basketball right now) at home, Wittman is now 2-2 as head coach, which is not bad considering his team had only two victories in their first 15 games. Whether or not Wittman will be named permanent coach is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say the Wizards are already showing improvement. While the abridged season is unlikely to net a playoff berth for the team, it could be an indicator of things to come.
Capitals
With the All-Star break behind them, the Caps now face the second half of the season, or as owner Ted Leonsis called it on his blog, “the meat of the schedule.” Washington has a tentative hold on first place in the Southeast Division (26-19-3; 55 points), which could either slip away or be fortified in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, they go into this stretch of the season with a few setbacks that Leonsis mentioned: “Two or more games without three of our best players; two back to back against division rivals.”
While it will definitely be a rough start for the Caps, they will have the upper hand when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening. They have won both of their previous match-ups this season. With a little over two months left in the season, the Capitals’ playoff berth, though expected, isn’t guaranteed. With a subpar 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, they will need to channel some of their 7-0 early season magic to stay at the top.
Tiger Woods
Over the weekend, for the first time in a long time, there was buzz about Tiger Woods and rightly so. At the Abu Dhabi Championship, the former number one golfer was starting to look like his old self, leading for much of the tournament.
But in the final round, he was unable to remain consistent on his putts, falling to the relatively unknown Robert Rock of Britain and finishing in joint third place. Woods told reporters he was pleased with his progress, despite losing. He admitted that he needs to keep building and getting more consistent, something that has plagued him the last two years.
After placing third, Woods moved up on the rank of professional golfers, from 25th to 17th. He no doubt hopes that as he builds consistency, he will finish higher and eventually be close to regaining his number one status. His next chance will be the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am that starts February 9. Stay tuned.
