Jordan Fired, Tapscott to Take Over (Updated)
The Wizards have relieved Coach Eddie Jordan of his duties. Jordan was informed of the decision this morning around 8 a.m. shortly after he and his wife, Charrisse, handed out Thanksgiving turkeys to the needy at a team-sponsored charitable event. Associate Head Coach Mike O'Koren was also let go.
Ed Tapscott, who had carried the title of Director of Player Development but traveled with the team and essentially served as an extra assistant coach, takes over on an interim basis. The team is practicing right now.
The Wizards are off to a 1-10 start and hit rock bottom with Saturday night's 122-117 loss to a short-handed Knicks squad that was without its two leading scorers and used seven players. The Wizards rank near the bottom of the league in several statistical categories and have only one player (Antawn Jamison) who is performing anything close to a high level.
How much of the poor start can be attributed to Jordan is highly debatable. Injuries to Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood left him without his best player and best center. Veteran guard Antonio Daniels has been limited to six games due to a right knee injury and the rest of the team's veterans -- players like Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas and Andray Blatche -- have performed at a subpar level.
