THE SPORT COUNT

Wizards ex-coach Eddie Jordan, left, graphically demonstrates what he thinks of Carlesimo's record, while Thunder ex-coach P.J. Carlesimo, right, calls for the technical for such a horrible gesture.

The Sport Count team have never shyed in our convictions. From our utter conviction that “European” should never be used in the same sentence as “draft”, to our genuine adoration for Ron Artest, we wear our NBA hearts on our sleeves. And one thing we collectively can’t abide is abject coaching.

So the news that the Thunder have ditched The Choke Victim after a 1-12 start to the season came as a relief. While we never liked the franchise leaving Seattle, we all got behind the newly minted Thunder. This was a young team coming off a bad year, stripped of its star in Ray Allen, almost forcibly relocated, and emphatically in a rebuilding stage. All the elements of the underdog story were there. And it had Kevin Durant.

But then came the early struggles. The Thunder now boast the worst record in the Western Conference, and while we’re all aware of how raw the team is, they are better than one win. One single win. Durant, Green, Watson, Wilcox, Westbrook, and Collison are not a 1-12 team.

Fault, then, must lie with Carlesimo. We’re not particularly against the guy, and are sorry he had his life endangered by Count-endorsed perennial madman Latrell Sprewell. But with a young, rebuilding team, the Thunder front office made absolutely the right decision in ditching an inappropriate coach. Assistant Scott Brooks can’t do any worse for the remainder of the season, giving the Thunder time to find someone who will guide the franchise through these early struggles.

(While they’re at it, The Sport Count recommends they take another look at that logo. Could be bumming the guys out.)

And then there’s the East Coast. Ah, the sweet taste that was the Eddie Jordan firing, something that should have happened two years ago. A team boasting Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas can’t get past the first round, Eddie? Yes we’re aware of the injury struggles, and that they’ve had to face the monster known as Lebron-In-Playoff-Mode, but that’s unacceptable.

The lack of confidence in Jordan, however, has been solidified recently by a disgusting habit he’s developed since last season’s All-Star break: going to Nick Young in clutch time. As a recent example, just last week, the are Wiz down by 2 with 14 seconds on the clock against Atlanta, and possession. This cued instant agreement amongst the Sport Count team:

Here, Eddie Jordan goes to Nick Young who takes an ill-advised shot and the Wiz lose.

Nick Young subsequently bricked a lay-up and Atlanta converted on the other end, sealing the game. The real issue here is not only has Jordan’s coaching become so predictable that lay fans of the Wizards can pick his plays, but what plays he chose not to run – specifically, any involving All-Stars Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, who were both on the court.

Enough is enough. Let’s hope Eddie wasn’t cut loose without explanation, because the future of his coaching career relies on, at the very least, this tiniest shred of what should be common knowledge: teams who look to Nick Young in clutch situations don’t win championships. They don’t even win games.

Posted by: Alex