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Antawn Jamison's injury is Andray Blatche's opportunity

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More photos » Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

First of all, maybe it's just wishful thinking because of thie Wizards' history, but I'd speculate that Antawn Jamison's injury isn't too serious.  Basically, a subluxation means that the shoulder temporarily popped out of his socket, which explains the whole "I didn't have any feeling" thing.  Lots of players have had their shoulders pop out, and the seriousness ranges from someone like Dwayne Wade/Jameer Nelson to a guy like Dale Davis who had it happen all the time without any problems.  So we just don't know.  However, it didn't take long for Jamison's shoulder to pop back in.  I figure that if Jamison's injury was really serious, a la Wade or Nelson, we'd know for sure that he needed surgery or something of the sort right now instead of learning it when he gets reevaluated. 

(I say that firmly as a Wizards fan hoping for the best).

But lest I bury the lede of this story any more, let's be clear: while this sucks in the however-long-Jamison-is-out-for term, the reality is that this gives Andray Blatche a hell of an opportunity to step in and become a consistent performer.  The excuses for Blatche ended the minute he began playing for Flip Saunders, but now they're about 500 miles in the rearview mirror.  He's finally going to get consistent minutes by default, so it's time to see what he can do with them.

Now, you're probably thinking, But Mike, what about last year?  Blatche got the opportunity and didn't take a major step forward.  Why should this year be any different?  The answer is, well, it might not be.  But the circumstantial difference this time is that Blatche is firmly a power forward again.  Last year, and in prior years, the Wizards used him as a center.  They haven't really used him exclusively as a power forward because Jamison's been so durable. 

But now, with Jamison injured, Blatche is going to have an opportunity to play his more natural position for a longer stretch than he ever has in his career.  Those fouls you keep committing at the center spot, Andray?  Now's your chance to cut that stuff out.  That lack of rebounding from having to deal with bigger guys?  Not an excuse anymore.  That itchy trigger finger on those jumpers?  No need for that, now that you'll be trusted with being the primary ball-rotater and screener in the Hawk offense. 

The way I see it, we really needed Blatche to become better in those areas even if Jamison is healthy.  Now that Jamison may miss some time, there will be more urgency in the short term for Blatche to make the necessary improvements.  That may pay off down the road when Jamison is healthy again, whether it's four days, four weeks or four months from now.

2 recs  |  Comment 19 comments

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How about some good defense from the power forward spot for once

I know its setting the bar low, but I would settle for that.

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Oct 15, 2009 10:57 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Jamison makes Blatche look like an All Defensive First team player…..

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 15, 2009 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Also false

Blatche is a good defender, he just fouls too much. He has the skills.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Oct 15, 2009 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Andray does a good job of contesting shots…. and he’s gotten better about holding his ground down low… but he still goes for too many pump fakes, and as you said, he fouls too much…

But I wasn’t saying Blatche is a poor defender….. only that Jamison makes even an average Defender like Andray look like First Team All Defense

I would think that starting Haywood and Blatche would significantly improve the Wizard’s defense – both inside and outside.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 16, 2009 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

And yes – I am one of the people that think that, eventually, Jamison needs to move to the bench…

Maybe not this year, but at some not to distant future point.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 16, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Curious what you think of his pre-season -

I know that some of the frustrating things he does still occur. BUT – I am of the belief that he is sincere about his new attitude, and that with a pretty healthy team environment (coach he likes, who likes teaching and positive reinforcement more than the last regime, plus vets who seem to want him to succeed) he has already shown improvement. I think he has been better at fighting through bad shooting stretches and coming out the other end (largely because this doesn’t automatically lead to benching).
He does seem more focused to me – this purely is anecdotal and subjective on my part, but I m going to keep an even closer eye on him now. I feel encouraged by his preseason.

"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler

by little stevie colter on Oct 15, 2009 11:51 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I do too

I also just think some momentary slip-ups concentration-wise are just things we’re going to have to accept.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Oct 15, 2009 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yeah...

understatement of the week

by DarrellWalkerFan on Oct 16, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

come on Blatche

stay motivated and focus!

by Kevvvvv on Oct 16, 2009 2:10 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Dray

Losing Jamison is a big blow. We need him if we want to be successful in the playoffs. I am hoping its 4-6 weeks at the worst. I think the wiz can survive if Jamison has to miss some of the early season.

Dray is an improvement to Jamison in some big ways. He is a big improvement over Jamison defensively. Is 1.5-2 blks per game playing next to Haywood asking for too much? He shouldn’t try to average 20 pts, he isn’t Jamison. Where he can pick up the slack is averaging 4+ assists and less than 2 TOs. He is playing with two all-stars and Gil can flat out dictate the game. He’s got a flair for passing and he seems to be picking up the offense. He’s got to get his chemistry going with the starters and really learn where and when guys like the ball. The big question does 7 Day Dray have the legs for bigger minutes. Mcgee has shown he doesn’t have the legs yet for his limited 15 mins. 30 mins in an NBA game is grueling for a 7-Footer.

In the absence of Jamison I think we should start Miller. Two young guys at the same time is asking for trouble so Young is out. DSteve won’t give us enough scoring with Jamison gone. Between Miller and Foye its close. MM being the vet I trust him. MM #1 strength is his shooting. All the other stuff he does, rebounding and passing, is nice but we need him shooting the ball. Gil will make sure Mike gets shots.

The playmaking for the second team is going to have to come from Foye, Oberto, and possibly Dmac gets back in the rotation. Foye pretty much created everything he did against cleveland in the screen roll. Lets see if he can do it against better competition(Thank you preseason). Oberto’s capable and he came here to play. If Foye can’t handle the load; Dmac’s passing and versatility might be just what the second unit needs with Young and Mcgee being great finishers who are best when setup.

by forthepeople on Oct 16, 2009 4:00 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I don’t think Miller at PF is a viable solution. I think if Blatche can’t cut it our options drop to Oberto or McGuire, neither of which are great fits at the position either.

AJ losing significant time is one of the two nightmare scenarios that I feared after we traded away all of our front court depth.

by MR on Oct 16, 2009 6:43 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

should have made it clearer

I was advocating for miller at the 2 and Blatche at the 4.

by forthepeople on Oct 16, 2009 6:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lineups

Swapping Blatche for Jamison loses you range at the PF spot. I’m not sure what impact that has specifically in Flips sets, but generally you want to have a couple of three point shooters on the floor for spacing, so I could see how this makes Miller a more likely option at the 2. I’d watch out for his matador defense adding to Blatche’s foul difficulties though, with very little depth behind him (I’d go with McGuire and McGee there, with Oberto backing up Haywood). Jamison is a serous liability on defense, so I tihnk he’s the most expendable of the big three, despite our limited stock of reserve bigs. On a team with loads of offense and crappy defense, losing a scorer who plays lousy D is not a back-breaker with a decent backup ready to step in.

My recollection of past partial shoulder separations is that the player usually comes back pretty quickly, but there’s a pretty decent chance of re-injury for a while.

by steadyhand on Oct 16, 2009 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Deep bench, comes off bench and splappa! 3’s in yo face son. Get ready league.

by Kevvvvv on Oct 16, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Jumpers

More than anything else, Blatche needs to stop taking so many outside Js. Unless he hits them as consistently as Ilgauskas, he has NO BUSINESS taking those shots, and he doesn’t hit them consistently.

It’s a cancer to the offense.

This most recent game at Cleveland, I remember there being like 3 possessions in a row, where Blatche gets the ball early in the possession, and he jacks up a jumper or fadeaway near the block. Unacceptable. A cancer to the offense. Stop it. STOP IT.

This is why I’ve been so frustrated with Blatche in the past. Dribbling and shooting from outside.

My swag was phenomenal.

by se7en on Oct 16, 2009 4:41 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

This is Blatche's opportunity....

I am pulling for him to make the most of it, and most of what we have seen this pe-season says that this could be his time to step up.

I also agree with the post above that starting Blatche at the 4 necessitates starting Miller at the 2. That is not a bad starting lineup.

Where the problem comes is in the second unit. Whether Blatche is replaced by Oberto (with JVM taking the backup 5 slot) or Dmac (with Oberto at the 5), the potential offensive drop-off is pretty steep. It puts pressure on Young to score efficiently and Foye to show more PG skills than we have seen. It also, I think, cuts drastically into Stevenson’s PT opportunities.

by khrabb on Oct 16, 2009 5:19 PM EDT reply actions   1 recs

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