The first game of the Randy Wittman era tips off tonight at Verizon Center, when the Wizards take on the Charlotte Bobcats.

Was yesterday’s dismissal of Coach Flip Saunders just the beginning of changes for the team? Owner Ted Leonsis blogged that he is “sure our roster will be changing.” Columnist Jason Reid said that President Ernie Grunfeld must go, as well. Flip, meanwhile, has no regrets.

Wittman said he was not making lineup changes in his first game but that players would dictate over the next two or three weeks who would be receiving playing time. Andray Blatche said in the locker room before tip-off that Wittman outlined what was expected, and anything short of that would be cause for decreased minutes.

Wittman specifically said he challenged center JaVale McGee to lead the league in blocked shots. McGee is second in the NBA in that category at 2.9 per game, a shade behind the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan.

“The message has been done,” Wittman said. “It’s tough and difficult for players, coaches, anybody, when this happens. Like I said yesterday, a good man walked out the door. They feel just as bad as I do about the situation, but we’re all part of it.”

Discuss the coaching change and tonight’s game in the comments below. You can also join the conversation on Twitter with Gene Wang (@gene_wang) and  Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee).

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: Comcast SportsNet; Radio:106.7 (WJFK FM).

Check out a live box score for today’s game here.