SB Nation NBA Reacts Week 15 Results, Part 1: Wizards fans lose confidence in team direction, believe guard depth should be the main priority at the trade deadline

Thank you for responding to our latest survey. Here are the results of our weekly Washington Wizards survey! To sign up for our national survey, click on the link below:

Wizards fan confidence plummets after losing streak

SB Nation

Last week, fan confidence was at 69 percent, but things went down the toilet, since they’re now at 36 percent. That’s over a 50 percent drop from last week, when it was 78 percent! 402 people responded, and thank you for the engagement!

The results didn’t take the Clippers loss last Tuesday into consideration, so this figure would have been lower if people could have responded last Wednesday...

First, why are fans confident? Here is a sample of fans who gave detailed responses.

• “For the first time this season, the team has a full roster and now is the time to give the previously injured players some playing time to recover and see how they fit and determine a rotation moving forward. The team drafted these players and the evaluation process should go beyond this year. If they trade players too soon to win now it would be self-defeating. This team has been in a vicious circle for decades going nowhere trading promising players that went to have great careers elsewhere.”
• “Our team is finally healthy again and I’m pretty confident in the Wiz coaching staff to make adjustments to shorten the rotation as the deadline approaches. We have all the pieces to make a huge swing move to get a Jerami Grant or a Sabonis or even just stay pat, and trade pieces that we cut from our rotation for draft picks and young assets. ... Our guard depth is our main issue, although Dinwiddie has been much more aggressive lately which has been encouraging to see even if the shots aren’t quite falling the way we’d like.”
• “Overall the team is in a good position given everything that has transpired since the summer I think internal moves need to be made first. Bryant and Rui should go back to the starting lineup once they come close to getting off minutes restrictions.”

And why are they not confident?

• “The simple truth is the owner is only interested in making money and has no serious interest in winning ballgames. To make matters worst, he has surrounded himself with people that have the same priority…making money. The Wizards are a destination for individuals to line their pockets with Ted’s money. Financially, very generous…….Zero Accountability.”
• “We have a lot of nice pieces but they don’t quite fit together, we need to find another very good player without sacrificing too much depth - something in between.”
• “Because they started off in first place in the East at 10-3 and now they’re below .500 with the chance of not even making it to the playoffs. The Cavaliers, Hornets, and Raptors are not supposed to be better than them but these other teams are.”
• “Because Ted Leonsis still owns the team and Tommy Sheppard is still the GM. There is zero chance of this team winning a championship with those two calling the shots. Until Ted sells (ain’t never gonna happen) or Tommy is replaced with someone from OUTSIDE the organization, this team will be garbage.”
• “They’re too in love with their own players, who generally stink. The fact that they haven’t done anything with Beal illustrates the point. He’s going to opt out this summer, which is going to put the org. in the position of having to do the unthinkable: let him walk for nothing or sign him to an astronomical deal that should be reserved for GREAT players only.”
• “Beal is not a no.1 option. If we have to settle for mediocrity, then I’m going to stop watching wizards games man after 23 years.”

My favorite response among the fans with no confidence in the team’s direction was a very short one: “What direction?”

Wizards fans need to focus on acquiring guards at the deadline

SB Nation

In our other Wizards question, 66 percent of you believe that the team needs to focus on bringing in more guard depth at the trade deadline, which is on Feb. 10. Given the Wizards’ bumper crop of forwards and centers, it would be wise for them to build up their guard rotation.

Our national results will be out tomorrow! Thanks again for your engagement with these surveys!

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