I’ll take an all-star for Blatche. Doesn’t mean I’ll dump Blatche for anything.

but the Wizards also have a fairly narrow window to make this happen. Let’s say Blatche matures in two years. By that point, Jamison will be 34/35, Haywood will be 32, Butler will be 31 and Arenas will be 29. That’s a team that needs to win immediately, and will it happen? Maybe?

It’s also somewhat a question of roster management. Either Haywood still starts and McGee is his primary backup, or (hopefully?) McGee says “I got this.” Jamison might be a prime candidate to come off the bench then, but a.) he might not want to, and b.) the Wizards may have a player named Griffin at that point. So what happens to Blatche?

It doesn’t sound like a funny ha-ha scene to me.

I’ve had Haywood’s back for a long time. It was easy to see that he produced when given regular minutes and struggled when Eddie made it a nightly guessing game as to when and how much he would play. Blatche is something completely different. Don’t get the idea that I came to this conclusion based on that quote. That quote is just a sample.

Blatche is not the same case as Haywood. He is 6’11. He plays the 4 or 5. He averages 24 minutes and FIVE rebounds per game. Despite injuries to Haywood and Etan he has only NINE double digit rebounding games all season. His go-to move is a stand-still dribble while he shakes his head and shoulders back and fourth a few times from about 19 feet, followed by a shot or jump-pass. Its a huge concern that he has had all this experience and doesn’t seem any smarter or focused because of it.

Physically, he’s had 3 years in the NBA and he still looks like he did coming out of high school. Its not just about weight, its strength. He’s bulked up but he’s nowhere near as strong as he needs to be to play inside. Nor does he show a real interest in being a threat inside. If I’m reading this right, nearly 60% of his shots are jump shots.

He has talent for blocks but he’s almost as bad as McGee when it comes to going for shot fakes. Why? Is it about the stats as the quote suggests? because he’s a pretty bad defender and uses way too many fouls for his time on the floor.

Given that he’s already on his second contract, I don’t know how anyone can really anticipate huge jumps in his maturity or growth. He got paid. he’s years away from worrying about another contract. Whats the point in working at your game the way Gilbert does?

 A lot of the blame for the player that he has become falls on the Wizards, their development team and coaches. He is what he is. His skills will continue to get a incrementally better each year (the ones he chooses to work on, jump shooting mainly) but he’s never shown the work ethic or basic desire to WANT to be great. Without that drive all the talent in the world doesn’t mean squat.

Now we’ve got the point where he is somewhat of a ring leader for the young players. That’s why I draw the line now and find a new home for him. The McG’s seems like young men who want to get better and will put in the work. The last thing I want is for them to emulate Andray Blatche’s work ethic. No thanks.

He’s still got skills that other teams value though. Golden State comes to mind because he can pass well for his size. Someone will take on the job of squeezing blood from this rock. The low price tag just means we should get back a better quality player in return. Now is the time to move him, there is no doubt in my mind.