Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis is "preaching patience" with this year's team off to a 2-8 start, tied for the fewest wins among all NBA teams, according to Scott Allen of the WASHINGTON POST. Leonsis during an interview Monday on DC-based WTOP-FM said, "I understand right now that the fan base is not very happy with our performance. Frankly, no one in the organization is happy with our performance. But it is very, very early in the season. We haven’t played 10 percent of our games this year." Asked whether he still has confidence in President Ernie Grunfeld, Leonsis said, "I have confidence in everyone who works for me, but we have to be accountable." Meanwhile, Leonsis said he thinks the Capitals, who he also owns, are experiencing a "little bit of a hangover" from last season, when they won the President's Trophy but lost in the second round of the playoffs. He said, "All we can do, or certainly all I can do as an owner, is try to put us in position where year after year after year we can qualify for the playoffs, that we have a really, really good team and hope that we can remain healthy, and one of these years the luck will go our way." He added, "We have a team that we can be proud of and obviously it enjoys the community’s support, selling out every game. For the most part, our fans are happy and they all want us to win. I’m very, very appreciative of that. I’ll never take for granted the fans’ ongoing support and love of the team" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/16).
STAYING PUT: The POST's Allen noted Leonsis during Monday's interview decided to "reaffirm his commitment" to DC. WTOP's Bruce Alan said Leonsis "scared a lot of people" when he recently hinted about moving the Wizards and Capitals out of Verizon Center. He initially said, "Five, six, seven years from now ... I will be a free agent." But Leonsis on Monday clarified, saying, "I apologize, I didn’t mean to scare anybody. We love Washington, DC, and we have a great, mutual respect for our city, and we have a 99-year lease on the land, and it’s been the greatest experience, so we’re very, very committed to Washington, DC." Leonsis' initial remarks were "made in the context of what he called 'the worst building deal in professional sports,' a mortgage on Verizon Center that costs him" an estimated $36M annually (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/15).
