BREAKING: Blatche Arrested
by JakeTheSnake
on Jun 5, 2008 7:48 AM EDT
in Rumors
It's not April 1st, so this isn't a joke. Here's the WaPo with the story:
Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche was arrested Wednesday in south-central Virginia on charges of reckless driving and driving on a suspended license for the third time, authorities said.
Blatche, who is entering his fourth season with the Wizards and signed a five-year contract worth around $15 million last summer, was clocked going 86 mph in a 70 mph zone on Interstate 85, said Brunswick County 1st Sgt. Dwyane Jones. In Virginia, anyone driving faster than 80 mph can be charged with reckless driving said Jones, who was the arresting officer.
Blatche, 21, was heading north from Georgia to the Washington area in a 2008 Mercedes. He appeared before a magistrate and was released on bond, Jones said.
"He was very cooperative," Jones said.
There's probably going to be more on this later, but right now there's a wall that needs my attention...
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He was “arrested” for driving on a suspended license while speeding. Talk about a kid needing to grow up. Aundray can’t even get himself in adult trouble... like say a concealed weapons charge a la Chris Wilcox. This kid needs to realize if he is ever going to amount to anything in the NBA, he has to start with drugs, guns or at least a civil suit of some kind.
by Jheiser3 on Jun 5, 2008 8:50 AM EDT 0 recs
Stupid, stupid , stupid.
Driving on a suspended license? Come on now.
Just on a side note: driving 86 in a 70 isn’t really that bad.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.
by mamemimo on Jun 5, 2008 9:21 AM EDT 0 recs
Have you been to VA?
Some spots are like a cross between Mayberry and Hazzard Co.
by Pryme on
Jun 5, 2008 12:58 PM EDT
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I'm not impressed
The Andray Blatche crime wave is even less impressive than the Andray Blatche late-season swoon.
It’s worth remembering that he’s 21 years old, and I know I did a lot of idiotic things when I was that age. Soliciting hookers? No. But I certainly drove 16+ miles per hour over the speed limit.
I just wish he was heading to a weightlifting session and he couldn’t wait to hit the steel, so he was speeding.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on Jun 5, 2008 9:29 AM EDT 0 recs
No but
Here’s an example of something similar that I consider largely innocuous: A long time ago, during a trip to Dewey Beach, I decided that rather than running two blocks from the beach every few hours, I would just let my car get ticketed and have that be like an all-day parking pass. Little did I know that they could ticket may car every 2 hours, so when I finally returned from a day at the beach, I found not 1, but 4 tickets waiting for me on my windshield. The hell with that, I thought, and refused to pay. I didn’t live in Delaware, so what did I care. A few months later, they sent me a note that the $5 fine had increased to $20 per ticket. Now I was really ticked off. No way was I going to pay. A few months after that, I got a note saying that if I didn’t pay, they would issue a warrant for my arrest in the state. Not long after that, my brother moved to New York, and I started making frequent visits there, and had to pass through Delaware on my way. I got nervous as hell that I would get pulled over and arrested.
I finally paid the fines and never got arrested, but I think my situation then isn’t all that much different from Blatche’s now. It’s stupid. It’s certainly immature. But I don’t consider it a particularly significant sign of some larger character flaw on Blatche’s part.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on
Jun 5, 2008 11:22 AM EDT
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I feel ya
As I am certainly not immune to having past “incidents”
But, would you have resolved your fines sooner had you known that getting caught could potentially affect your working status…..not to mention knowing that any such transgression would land you in the lime light?
Yes, 86 in a 70 being reckless driving does seem pretty strict. But it’s doing that with a suspended license which really gets me.
It just goes to show that Blatche continues to operate without really considering the consequences of his actions.
Is this a big deal? Nah…..but I don’t like developing patterns of this nature.
by Truth About It on
Jun 5, 2008 12:22 PM EDT
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Heh
I also would have resolved my fines sooner if I had $15 million.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on
Jun 5, 2008 5:49 PM EDT
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3 times
Obviously, I’m at very least a little dense, having just realized that the article noted that this was Blatche’s third citation for driving on a suspended license. I hearby withdraw my defense of him on grounds of inconsequentiality (if that wasn’t a real word before, it is now). Getting arrested for such a trivial matter once is s stupid mistake. By the third time, you must be a dumb-ass who thinks the rules don’t apply to you.
Move to the city and ride Metro, Dray. Driving around with $4 a gallon gas is for suckers anyway (sez the suburban-living head of a 2-car household).
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on
Jun 6, 2008 9:35 AM EDT
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Oh yea....
Good morning everyone! What a great start to the day.
Andray Blatche – What. An. A-Hole.
by Truth About It on Jun 5, 2008 9:45 AM EDT 0 recs
Get a driver -
with a $15mill contract, he should be able to afford one. My hope for Andray is beginning to dwindle.
by ooba on Jun 5, 2008 9:55 AM EDT 0 recs
Well.....I guess it's better than Chris Wilcox
Sonics’ Wilcox arrested in N.C. on gun charge
Still want him?
by Truth About It on Jun 5, 2008 10:01 AM EDT 0 recs
Ummm
Gil had a gun charge before we signed him.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on
Jun 5, 2008 11:23 AM EDT
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he did?
Was it carrying a concealed weapon as well? or something worse?
by ooba on
Jun 5, 2008 12:13 PM EDT
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Read here
It was in San Fran….so I don’t blame him….whatever that means.
http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/25478/20030806/arenas_pleads_not_guilty_to_gun_charge/
by Truth About It on
Jun 5, 2008 12:14 PM EDT
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Yea, but
That’s only because Gil has a funny blog and likes to play with guns (while driving with no license whatsoever).....Wilcox really wants to shoot people.
And yes, I am kidding.
by Truth About It on
Jun 5, 2008 12:13 PM EDT
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Or shooting guns
within blocks of the White House.
by Truth About It on
Jun 5, 2008 2:06 PM EDT
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Utterly not a big deal
Yeah, I question his commitment to the game. I was doing that anyway.
Yeah, driving on a suspended license ain’t good. Dude needs to start acting his age. Er, wait, no, dude needs to start acting five years older.
Bottom line: He got caught doing 86 in a 70. He was arrested for speeding, and he wasn’t even going all that fast. We need Gilbert back in the locker room next season so this can be handled appropriately: by making fun of the dude nonstop.
by sierradave on Jun 5, 2008 10:15 AM EDT 0 recs
The most shocking thing about that article...
Apparently, Blatche now weighs 248 lbs. He must be hitting the gym hard! Maybe all the extra muscle weighed down his foot.
by jvflail on Jun 5, 2008 10:52 AM EDT 0 recs
Now EG you know why I say don't trade that draft pick
There are about 3-4 potential backup Centers in this draft that will be available at #18
that have true low post game, rebounds, plays defense…and DON’T get arrested every summer!!!
by LoneWiz54 on Jun 5, 2008 11:26 AM EDT 0 recs
Who?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 5, 2008 7:18 PM EDT
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Guys
Down in the N.C./S.C. thats how fast people drive. I mean he was probably just cruising at that speed. It’s not a big deal, I dont think it shows immaturity. Next time though, if he does have a suspended licenses, take a plane…
by zeke5123 on Jun 5, 2008 1:51 PM EDT 0 recs
ivan carter said this is third time
if i’m reading this correctly, this is the THIRD time he’s been CAUGHT driving with a suspended license.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2008/06/blatche_arrested_todays_workou.html
that’s incredibly dumb and irresponsible.
can the team or nba suspend his ass for a year (for repeated offenses)?
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 5, 2008 5:12 PM EDT 0 recs
good thing i provided that link
when it says this is the third time in the blurb above. good job me.
again. i’m dumbfounded. THE THIRD TIME. third time he’s been CAUGHT.
and that doesn’t include the carjacking, soliciting, and the other legal incidents ivan listed.
this is a problem folks. what message does that send to the other players and the fans if the wiz do nothing about this?
by DarrellWalkerFan on
Jun 5, 2008 5:20 PM EDT
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I'm surprised by the outrage
I’m with VG, this really isn’t that big of a deal. He was driving 86 in a 70, and they arrested him? If Blatche was a regular citizen, and not a professional athlete, I doubt that would have happened.
The suspended license thing is stupid, sure, but it’s the sign of a knucklehead, not a problem child. There’s a difference, folks. I still don’t see how this is a sign of Blatche having a bad personality. It seems like he’s a genuinely nice kid who has’t quite grown up yet, not a team-killing cancer. I still don’t see the link between this and carjacking/solicitation, other than that it demonstrates Blatche’s naivity. He’s stumbling into trouble, which isn’t a big sign, but he’s also only 21 years old. It’s a problem that certainly can be corrected.
The best thing the Wizards can do is say they are monitoring Blatche closely. Use strong language in public, while all the while not doing much privately. Because really, save for a trade, what can they do? They could hire a mentor, but that looks worse than doing nothing. Are they really going to suspend him for driving on a suspended license? DWF, you really want to suspend him for a year? What would that accomplish. He’d lounge around, not dedicating himself to basketball, and lose all the progress he made in the early parts of this season. That’s a bad idea.
You could trade him, I suppose, but again, there’s no point. As mentioned in the player evaluation, he’s shown too much to dump him for peanuts.
This is the time when the veterans on the team need to solve the problem themselves. I’m really hoping that someone like Caron or AD says something strong publicly, all while consulting with the kid privately. Perhaps they can take him to the DMV to get a new license. Either way, I think this’ll show as much about them as it does about Blatche.
I think everyone’s getting thrown off by the whole “arrested” angle, when really he didn’t do all that much. Like sierradave said, he drove 16 miles over the speed limit. We’ve all done far worse.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on Jun 5, 2008 6:59 PM EDT 0 recs
"If Blatche was a regular citizen, and not a professional athlete, I doubt that would have happened."
I want to agree, but unless the officer was a pretty big Wizards fan, I doubt he would have been recognized as a professional basketball player. He was clearly a young black guy driving a nice car. And, in Virginia, that’s probably why he was arrested.
by Aldo on
Jun 6, 2008 12:48 PM EDT
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Yeah, good point
That’s probably the better stereotype here.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 1:44 PM EDT
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Well....
I’ve been trying to find what time Andray got arrested and I can’t.
Why is it important? Well, on 85, I’m betting it was a speed trap and the police car was in a parked position when Andray was clocked. Who knows? But I am at least questioning whether the officer was able to see Andray’s race when he was going that fast. Daytime? Maybe.
Regardless, 16 miles over the speed limit is an offense worth pulling someone over for. The standard procedure is to run a guy’s license regardless of if you will ultimately write a ticket, and regardless of if the officer knew Blatche was a Wizard.
And…..I’m pretty sure that the record would indicate Andray’s past suspended license transgressions. How can you not arrest the guy in this case? You can’t let people drive with suspended licenses regardless of who they are.
I know it’s just been hinted at, but what I’m saying is that it’s hard to see how race is a factor here. Thus, I also would disagree with the regular citizen thing, but for different reasons.
by Truth About It on
Jun 6, 2008 7:54 PM EDT
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Counter
On the other side of the argument….
He was driving reckless (an illegal act) AND driving with a suspended license (another illegal act) – those things in and of themselves don’t necessarily say anything. Heck, every one of us have probably done worse when we were young.
BUT:>/b>
How many of you have been caught soliciting a prostitute?
How many of you have been caugut 3 times driving with a suspended license?
How many of you have been shot (after clubbing all night with party John)?
Now, let’s narrow the list even further:
How many of you have jeopardized your dream job – A job that will pay you $15 Million dollars over the next few years…. A job with the potential to pay you HUGE money in the future? A job with thousands and thousands of qualified applicants every year – but a job where only a select, tiny fraction are priveliged and talented enough to be selected.
The pattern here clearly suggests that Blatche does not understand what it takes to be a performer in the NBA.
Caron Butler understands. He stopped drinking sodas, hired a Chef, so that he could lose body fat – and get in the best possible condition.
Jamison understands. He started taking Yoga last off-season (in addition to his normal summer routine) to increase his flexibility so he could possibly extend his career.
Antonio Daniels understands. He is always one of the most conditioned and “in-shape” athletes reporting to training camp.
Blatche does not understand. He has not put in the work in the off-season to improve his game. The Head Coach has negatively commented on his “conditioning”, his diet, and his work habits. AND he is apparently either too stupid, or too lazy to clean up his personal life.
by Rook6980 on
Jun 6, 2008 3:06 PM EDT
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Did all those players understand when they were 21?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 3:21 PM EDT
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Yeah - I think so
At least, none of them have been arrested since they were drafted…
Caron Butler came closest to showing “knucklehead” tendancies… WHEN HE WAS 15 !!!
by Rook6980 on
Jun 6, 2008 5:24 PM EDT
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You conveniently left out DeShawn Stevenson
And his statutory rape charge when he was 20, along with a laundry list of other transgressions. Hell, a man was shot at his house last summer! But while perhaps many would call Stevenson a “knucklehead,” he clearly has grown up and become a model professional in many ways.
Gilbert Arenas also had a gun charge back in 2003, when he was a rookie in the league. It’s hard to say he hasn’t matured since then.
Plus, with Butler, if you’re point is that he started to really dedicate himself recently, doesn’t that at least make it clear that he wasn’t fully committed either when he was Blatche’s age.
I think you’re mixing two points and trying to create a link that’s not as strong as it seems. There are two pieces here. On one point, Blatche has a history of getting into trouble, and yes, it’s not a good sign. On another point, Blatche has struggled in fully dedicating himself to the game, which I somewhat contest, because I thought he made great strides in that area this season before going into the tank. Clearly, the kid wasn’t ready coming out of high school, but again, it’s all part of a growing process; the same growing process that Stevenson and Butler went through themselves.
That’s kind of what I was getting at here. You cited all these examples of veterans being smart when they’re already 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 years old. You didn’t cite anyone on this team that was Blatche’s age. If you had, you would have mentioned Stevenson or Arenas, who both did several stupid things when they were younger, only to mature and become solid professionals who work hard and dedicate themselves. It certainly pokes a hole in your point when you don’t acknowledge that possibility.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 6:06 PM EDT
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In the case
of Arenas – a one time transgresson can be ignored… even two transgressions can be written off as youthfull ignorance…. AND I hope you’re not counting the dropped charges from that fiasco in Florida!!!
With Stevenson. His arrest for statutory rape was bad. Yes. Stevenson’s “other transgressions” were being jumped by some people at a high school all-star game when a melee broke out and he reportedly threw punches. He said he was jumped from behind. Prosecutors decided to charge him with a misdemeanor for fighting. – And the shooting incident during last off-season…
Fine – I’ll offer the same observation about Stevenson. Perhaps he does not “get it” either. Although, he’s never had a problem with his conditioning, or doing what is necessary to play at a high level in a Professional basketball League – a case could be made that his personal life off the court should be cleaned up.
On the other hand, Blatche has 5 different run-ins with Police… PLUS the on-court conditioning problems.. PLUS the problem of not taking the game seriously (see last year’s locker room shake up)...
Perhaps I’m just an old stick-in-the-mud …. but he’s showing dangerously stupid behavior – that the Wizards should be concerned about – to the point of possibly looking to unload him before something more serious happens.
by Rook6980 on
Jun 6, 2008 10:53 PM EDT
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Not two separate points
A lackadasaical attitude in one’s personal life frequently also incidate a propensity to have performance problems in one’s job.
by Rook6980 on
Jun 6, 2008 10:55 PM EDT
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But not necessarily
And I guess that’s my point in bringing Stevenson up. Here’s a guy who has a checkered personal life, yet has reformed himself as a basketball player from his early days in Utah, when he had several run-ins with Jerry Sloan that, yes, probably had something to do with his poor off-court behavior. Yet five years later, Stevenson has cleaned up his basketball life and is taking lots of steps to do the same in his personal life.
Don’t you think Utah could have used him to stop Kobe Bryant and hit open shots? Stevenson now would be a perfect fit for them, and I bet they beat the Lakers if they have him. If they didn’t give up on him, they’d have a more mature player. Instead, they gave up on him, and he’s been a godsend in many ways here. Perhaps he needed a change of scenery, but I don’t think we can say that for sure.
I wish the Wizards don’t do the same with Blatche. Stevenson has one serious charge, one instance where he got unlucky, and one incident that ended up being pretty minor. Blatche has no charge as serious as statutory rape, though the prostitution thing and the carjacking incident are examples of really dumb behavior, and while it’s dumb to drive with a suspended license three times, a speeding ticket isn’t a big deal. He’s done some stupid things, but I think it’s unfair to give up on him when he’s only 21 years old and he’s growing as a player. If he was 25, 26, that’s one thing, but he’s still young enough to reform.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 11:31 PM EDT
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Abridged version
I’m not a huge fan of Blatche’s behavior either, and I’m concerned, but not to the point where we should give up on him.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 11:33 PM EDT
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Addenum
And we shouldn’t be at the point where we should give up on his ability to ever be both a model citizen AND a solid basketball player.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on
Jun 6, 2008 11:34 PM EDT
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Ok, Ok,
so, perhaps the Wizards shouldn’t look to “unload” him…
But, somewhere Wes Unseld is fuming. Abe Polin, a pillar in the Community, but notorious for being intollerant of stupidity is probably stewing as well. Grunfeld says they’ll take care of it “in house”.
I’m not trying to say that Blatche will NEVER become a “model citizen and solid basketball player”. If something happens to change his current pattern, then YES he probably could – but another slap on the wrist, and a “stern talking to” by Grunfeld will not do it. Especially if it’s done in “private”.
The pattern has to be broken. ( Caron Butler’s turn around came in Jail )
by Rook6980 on
Jun 7, 2008 9:52 AM EDT
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yeah
that’s how i feel. not looking to unload him right now, but is it going to take facing jail time to wake this kid up?
i think the wiz (with the blessing of the nba and players union) should have suspended him without pay for a month. (and next time, two months, and so on.) i think not just wes and abe, but even most of the players in the league would agree the kid needs a wake up call.
if blatche chooses to loaf around during his suspension that’s his problem (it should be said, that’s probably what i’d do). it’s blatantly obvious the wiz don’t have the resources or inclination to babysit the guy around the clock.
stevenson rounded out okay for the most part, but that doesn’t mean sloan and the jazz didn’t get on his ass when he was doing dumb s**t at age 20.
also, note that eddie jordan initially lobbied against signing arenas because of the off-court antics and immaturity.
lastly, EG doesn’t seem to place a lot of weight on off-court issues because he’s the one that took sprewell off the warriors hands after the choking incident. it worked out, but on the other hand, look what happened to the indiana pacers. (i’m not saying blatche is about to turn the wiz into the indiana pacers post-brawl and shooting incidents, i’m just making an inference about ernie’s potential attitude about such things and how it might relate to his handling of blatche.)
by DarrellWalkerFan on
Jun 7, 2008 12:20 PM EDT
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personally, i'd like to see something done
a year’s suspension is an overreaction, but some kind of punitive action is warranted in my opinion, and i think they should hit him where it hurts: in the wallet.
a lame arrest or not, he did get arrested, so i think they have the ammunition to take such action for repeated offenses. i also think a lot of teammates, people in the organization, and fans would be behind such action.
there is a difference between being malicious and being incredibly dumb and irresponsible (and in my opinion, disrespectful), and they are shades of gray, but any way you put it, andray’s actions aren’t good.
an arrest, coupled with the third time caught driving with a suspended license – on top of the other transgressions – warrants a response from the team. i doubt we’ll get one though.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 6, 2008 9:47 AM EDT 0 recs
No biggie
I thought maybe strippers were involved. Story is lame.
I got popped for driving without a license and I was much older than Blathce. BS DC Seatbelt traffic stop. I paid a fine and was let go. It made me go get my license though.
I can not wait to see Blatche down at the DMV, waiting in line for hours like us regular peeps.
Offseason sure is boring and the post season crushed my spirit. I have been hibernating from BF.
Paul Pierce needs to get a role on Guiding Light. It reminded me why team USA basketball got rolled in Indy at the 2002 World Championships. Pierce and Barron Davis complained the whole time, instead of balling.
word, Lakers win out.
What? They don't have TV in the D-League? Don't watch me, watch TV.
by Mac G on Jun 6, 2008 3:00 PM EDT 0 recs
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