Interesting Read

Dan Steinberg just posted a Wizards season preview on his Sports Bog, as discussed by Robin Ficker, the most notorious heckler in NBA history. His taunts are especially legendary in Washington, where he sat behind the visitors bench for 12 years, howling at opposing teams -- his own socially awkward method of showing support, I presume. Anyway, Ficker makes a couple of important points, one which I found very interesting and accurate. He says the Wizards would be content with winning 45 games this year. And you know what? Ficker couldn't be more right. In fact, it's his most salient point in the entire preview. Let's jump into the Way Back Machine (thank you again, Jimmy James) and realize that many times, the Wizards did not exhibit the killer instinct, the desire to completely annihilate oppposing teams. They must learn how to land that final, demoralizing blow; they have to become a feared team. This year may be different, but if we reflect on seasons past, the Wizards have been mostly apathetic about their successes and failures. They're often content and not driven to accomplish those loftiest of goals. This failure to achieve beyond expectations I lay squarely in the lap of Eddie Jordan, who needs to become a much better motivator. Adding a little firebrand to his personality would be nice, too. I'm interested to see if the Wizards have changed their attitude and learned the importance of never being satisfied. We need to see less coasting and more boasting. Let the beat downs commence tonight in Cleveland.