Looks like that loss to a seven-man New York Knicks squad over the weekend was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, as news is breaking that the Washington Wizards fired head coach Eddie Jordan this morning. Jordan, one of the longest tenured coaches in the league, had been in charge of the team since 2003 and enjoyed four straight playoff appearances, but got off to a very rough 1-10 start this year.

Jordan seemed almost resigned to his fate after a loss to the Miami Heat last week. “This team is built for Gilbert Arenas to lead us. This team is built for our All-Star forwards to carry the wings for us, and for Brendan Haywood to have a career year manning the middle for us. We don’t have those things.” Injured star Gilbert Arenas all but acknowledged the season was over last week when he suggested the team might be better off by having a down year and getting a high lottery pick for their troubles.

Director of Player Development Ed Tapscott will take over as interim coach, beginning with today’s practice. But will he be able to turn this ship around? Probably not. Truth be told, the Wizards don’t have a lot of bona fide NBA talent on their roster. Yes, injuries have decimated the roster, but players like Andray Blacthe, Juan Dixon and Darius Songaila have not stepped up to take their place. You have to wonder which players will be following Jordan out the door. There’s not much sense in keeping a 1-10 team together if moves can be made to improve the team’s future.

AP Photo/Morry Gash