The problem was that Blatche made the wrong switch (understandable/forgivable) but then he stayed there and didn’t recognize the problem for like 2 more seconds as the play developed. That’s from my memory, so I could have it wrong. In any case it was bad enough that I wanted to see it again, and it also stuck in cj’s mind…and Phil’s.

BTW, I was not only talking about AB with the shortstop metaphor…there are a lot of guys not making the small plays, as Taps has already been pointing out. Really it’s the whole team

He has had plenty of playing time in his four full seasons in the NBA and he’s just not learning how to play defense. Plus, he seems allergic to physical contact, opting instead to play along the perimeter like a guard. That’s great if we have other guys filling the role of inside presence, but unfortunately we only have Brendan, so we need more guys who are able and willing to get dirty in the low-post. Perhaps a new coach like Tom Thibadeaux can install a new defense that will make Blatche look a lot better, but I’m not holding my breath.

Also, like MR, I don’t want to single Blatche out. Honestly, overall, he probably plays defense just as well as Antawn. But the problem is neither is up to par. JaVale may get better as he fills out, but he’s still too weak and skinny to hold his ground. I really admire Songaila’s play on defense, but he is simply not tall enough to be as effective as the Wizards need their C/PF to be.

As for the perimeter defense, you mentioned one play. I didn’t even keep track of how many times Daniels or Ford would blow by their man even though the defender was three feet off of him, and get either a layup or pass to the open man.

I’m not going to say that this is acceptable, but I remember several plays last season where this would happen and Brendan would ultimately block or alter the shot anyway. We just don’t have anybody else like Brendan, and I sincerely believe that is hurting this team the most.

As Truth says below, the Wizards need help everywhere. They don’t have the luxury of passing on a player like Rubio just because he’s not a big man.

I partially agree, but as I said below, if the best player available doesn’t fill our biggest need, we could always try and package him in a deal to a team that actually needs a scoring PG in order to get back the players we are looking for. Remember that Boston had a high draft pick in 2007, but didn’t keep their pick and instead used it to get what they really wanted. If Rubio is that good, then we should be able to fetch at least one really good player in exchange for his rights.