Andray Blatche is comfortable, confident and (eventually) under control
by Mike Prada on Jul 15, 2009 5:52 AM EDT
in First-hand reporting
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PrintLAS VEGAS - The first quarter of the beginning of what seems like Andray Blatche's tenth Summer League appearance was the type of stretch that makes so many fans cringe. Three turnovers, many of them worthy of face palms. Several bad jumpers out of the flow of the offense. One particular stretch where he somehow threw the ball right to a Cavaliers player on the break.
It was enough to bring an entourage of people to talk to Blatche between the first and second quarter. After the rest of the club listened to Randy Wittman and the rest of the coaching staff, assistant coach Don Zierden, Dominic McGuire (not playing because of an NBA rule that you can only have four players from any team's team's roster last year playing at a time) and Nick Young all circled around Blatche to try to calm him down.
The talk worked. After going 1-3 with three turnovers in the first quarter, Blatche went 7-10 and scored 19 of his 21 points in the final three quarters to help lead the Wizards to a 96-93 win over the Cavaliers in their Summer League opener.
"I came out real hyper, real real hyper, and then [McGuire] was like, 'Man just calm down and let it come to you, can't nobody out here check you, just take your time,'" Blatche said. "And after that I just slowed down and things started working out for me."
Blatche said it was Gilbert Arenas' idea for him to come to Summer League, and not Flip Saunders' or anyone else from the coaching staff. But Blatche isn't at Summer League to start his offseason workout routine. He has been spending time on individual workouts since the end of the season, working particularly on his post moves and stamina.
When asked whether his offseason routine was different this year than in years past, Blatche said "Oh yeah, definitely." He went on to credit the level of commitment he's received from the new coaching staff.
The vibe I'm getting [from the organization gives] more confidence for us young players. "We have great coaches that are always boosting us up," he said. "Each one of the players has a personal relationship with Flip [Saunders]. He texts us, he gives us words of wisdom, he stays in your ear [and] he just gives you that little push you need. I feel that's key for us winning this season."
When asked about his relationship with former coach Eddie Jordan, Blatche said: "Eddie [Jordan] was a veteran coach. He was tough on young players, so I didn't really have a real strong relationship with Eddie."
Blatche's play was not lost on Antawn Jamison. While Jamison stopped short of declaring that Blatche has turned over a new leaf, he did tell me that he was encouraged by Blatche's development.
"Sometimes it takes guys longer than others, but it’s good that he’s starting to understand what you have to do to be successful," Jamison said.
It's far too early to declare Blatche a changed player, and we've heard this type of stuff from him before. Nevertheless, the fact that Blatche feels good about his relationship with his coaches is a major step forward for his developmet.
"This is my first time having a real good relationship with a coach in the NBA," he said.
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If I were to be a knee jerk guy.....
I mean, in looking at this first game and coming to the premature conclusion that Blatche and Young would be tops of the youngster’s heap, I would say that would actually work out rather well.
As far as young guys really making a significant jump, it seems it would only be possible for two to make it into the rotation. Blatche and Young doing so would bode well, because if any of the young guys could be stuck in neutral this year and not suffer long term, I would say it would be McGee. By that I mean, if Blatche (and maybe Young) is dead weight this year, his (their) days may be numbered here. But McGee could easily afford another ‘developmental’ year were he sits around while everyone pulls their hair out and complains that he’s not getting more minutes (insert dumb smiling emoticon here).
Now if development is more incremental and balanced across the board for all these guys, then we could see three youngsters play something like 16 minutes a game, but Maybe two guys making a real jump and going 24 minutes would be better.
Anyway, this looks encouraging.
it seems it would only be possible for two to make it into the rotation
There certainly seems to be room for both young big men to take considerable minutes. I think Young’s chances are slimmer due to the logjam in the back court.
If there's injuries....
Then I could see bigger minutes for both. But otherwise it would be a bout 16 for each, or one guy at 24 and the other with just a few spot minutes. At this point I think it looks like the later scenario.
I'm really
hoping that this is the real deal this time, no more crying wolf. If Blatche can give even low double double production off the bench, we should be in pretty good shape. And I’m sure you’ll talk about it more, but I read about Nick Young’s game. I like that they were focused on getting him the ball off screens, running play after play for him. It’s good to start building his confidence now. Plus, the fact that the coaching staff plans on sticking with the hot hand, no matter who it is, is a very good sign. It was frustrating as hell last year to watch Young score 10 points in a quarter then not see the floor for a long stretch, and RARELY in crunchtime.
As for signing someone, I’m now in the camp to give Heytelt a try. He seems to want to prove himself, and knows what the situation here is. That combo, coupled with his young legs could be a choice for a bench filler. He will bust his ass everyday to ensure he sticks around. Meaning that even if he doesn’t get on the court, he will still challenge the other guys in practice, which can only be a good thing.
i had mixed feelings last night
on one hand, i suppose i shouldn’t make too much of summer league play, but in Blatche’s case, I saw bad habits from last year carry over. He did put up 21 and 10, but if he tries some of the b.s. he showed on the court last night, he’ll be sitting on the bench..much like JaVale and that behind-the-back pass
twitter.com/rashad20
didn't watch
I missed the game but I found this quote provided by Steinberg interesting:
“We played through Dre a lot tonight, and he facilitated our offense, because he’s a versatile player,” Wittman said. “He can post up, he can pass, he can dribble. Again, he’s got to continue to understand, he got three or four baskets on a post up early in the second half, they doubled him and he’s got to now make the easy pass.”
Whenever I see Blatche try to “facilitate” the offense, or lead a fast break, I cringe a little. But it seems like Wittman is encouraging it here. The dude is definitely talented, able to do things other players his height can’t, but I still would like to see him play within some boundaries. I’m sure the coaches would too, but I’ll be curious to see what boundaries they set.
by Johnnie Futbol on Jul 15, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
as long as we're talking about the new coaches
I also found this nugget from Steinberg interesting:
Wittman is the official head coach of the Summer League team, but I’m hearing that assistants Don Zierden and/or Sam Cassell might get a turn as the man in charge over the next few days. Cassell was easily the most animated member of the staff, jumping up and down and yelling frequently.
“I’ve got him on my back every day,” Young said of Cassell. “He asks me if I’m gonna play for real or am I gonna go out there and slack.”
In our initial glances at the new coaching staff there seems to be a clear change in approach.
by Johnnie Futbol on Jul 15, 2009 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
"He asks me if I’m gonna play for real or am I gonna go out there and slack."
New attitude. Me likely.
I saw that
statement too. I was hoping that he “facilitated” from the post, not from the top of the key or on the break. Yes, that makes me cringe too.
yeah there are certain parts of the court where it’s fine. especially in summer league.
by Johnnie Futbol on Jul 15, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions
it must be july
because we’re back to focusing on the potential of Andray Blatche. Even Jamison sounded tired of it. Nothing new, same sht he’s had to work ever since he got here is still what he has to work on.
I’d take AB more seriously if he didn’t have the frame of a NBA center and the arms of Josh McRoberts who I’ve often said has the muscle tone of Rebecca Lobo.
boy you sure
busted my bubble.
Actually, I’m trying to be open-minded about Blatche. I’m hoping he gets his $hit together this year, because I think this year is make or break for him. Like I said in a different post, he still has a chance to reach that potential, proven in the fact that his numbers are better than Hedo Turkoglu’s numbers in his 4th year. I’m sure there are numbers all over the place out there to prove the point either way. I’m just using Turkoglu because his name was pretty prevalent in the playoffs.
sorry
I’ve fallen hard in the other direction. People don’t change. The new staff will have a positive effect and his numbers may continue their uptick. At his core he is still a selfish (shot and points!) young guy who has already gotten paid. There is nothing inside him striving to be great. To be fair, there are millions of people just like him. The difference is we don’t keep betting on them to change and become something they are not.
At his pay grade he’s a no harm no foul kid as long as his propensity for slackage is contained to himself and not spreading ito the rest of the young side of the roster.
Thats why i wanted a professional reserve C/F. In my view both Blatche and McGee are developmental kids, not guys you want entering game 5 of a playoff series on the road as the top interior reserve.
I am
somewhere between where you’re at and the other side. Probably closer to you. And you’re right, I probably get mor eexcited about Blatche in the offseason, then he lets me down during the season.
I DO think he’s the only one without the drive on the team. Young, in my opinion, has the desire at least. Blatche just doesn’t seem to care about being special. BUT maybe he will get it. I’d rather hold that hope as long as he’s on the team. Like I said, others have taken 4 years to develop as well, and most not as young as him. It’s still kind of wild that he’s the longest tenured player on the SL roster, yet still one of the younger players on the roster.
this summer as an example
We’ve heard some of this before. But now its a full blown effort on Andray’s part to let everyone know how he’s changed.
the sad part is that most of the guys in the VSL, NBDL etc are killing themsevles on a daily basis trying to get better. He has begun to be more serious and we act like he should get a parade in his honor. this kid has no idea what it means to work at an elite level.
For Blatche working harder than he ever has is still setting the bar pretty low. He’s still that 8th grader judging himself on the 6th grade scale.
I'll agree
with you on that. He’ll never have the mindset we’d like out of him. I just don’t think it’s in his DNA. Maybe because he skipped college, who knows. Seems to be a recurring theme out of a bunch of these high schoolers. I keep saying that if he had Dixon’s heart or McGuire’s “want”, Blatche would be an all star.
Reasons to Be Optimistic About AB
AB is 23 years old, with 4 seasons of NBA experience, under only one NBA head coach (not counting last season’s babysitting job put in by Tapscott). Because he came directly out of high school, he is the same age as guys who spent 4 full years in college. He never really had a mentor before, as Antawn has chosen to call him out in the media rather than buddy up with him in the locker room. And we know that he never got along well with Eddie Jordan.
Andray really appears to be reaching out for some instruction and encouragement. He is getting both from new head coach Flip Saunders and his staff. I think it is worth noting that Flip and his staff have brought young guys along before in Minnesota, while Eddie Jordan has never developed a single young prospect on our team that I can think of.
So with that all said, I am going to choose to be like Charlie Brown and run towards the football at full speed yet again this season. But if Blatche pulls another Peppermint Patty and yanks it away again, then I’ll be fully in the boat with the guys who shout, “trade him!”
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I am such a nerdy stickler
But it was Lucy that always pulled the football ;-)
But anyway I am in your camp on Blatche, cupp. I have probably been far too willing to forgive some of his mistakes because of his talent and potential. I just hope we all aren’t wanting to strangle him by December.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Jul 15, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Sorry
It’s been a long time since I watched a Charlie Brown special or read Peanuts. I still should have remembered that it was Lucy.
BTW, the only reason I am giving Blatche one more shot is because of the coaching change. If we had already had a coaching change before in Blatche’s career, I would be through with him and his inconsistency.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
regarding: Andray really appears to be reaching out for some instruction and encouragement. He is getting both from new head coach Flip Saunders and his staff. I think it is worth noting that Flip and his staff have brought young guys along before in Minnesota, while Eddie Jordan has never developed a single young prospect on our team that I can think of.
You are spot on in this assessment. He is reaching out. He lacks the discipline and motivation to do it himself, but almost every 23 year old kid does. Hooray for Flip for doing the things he needs to do to develop AB’s talent. It is on AB ultimately, but people react in different ways. And leadership is all about finding the way to motivate others, each in their peculiar way. Flip and his team might mean more to this franchise than any player since Wes Unseld. I wish he could motivate the Dream to come in and develop McGee!
by les boulez bomber on Jul 15, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions
Trading Blatche
Why is everyone so gung-ho to trade Blatche if he doesn’t make a leap forward?
Even if he remains the same, he’s a versatile decent backup at two positions where we are thin. Plus he is cheap to keep. I don’t think we’d get equal value in a trade and we’d just be looking for a player to fill his role anyway. Unless some team falls in love with him.
Because He Would Still Be Very Inconsistent
On championship teams, you have great players, good players, and sometimes even average backups. But at least those average backups can be relied upon to give solid performances every night and do the things that they do well consistently.
With Blatche, you never know what you are going to get. If he develops consistency, that in itself will be a major leap forward, even if his averages don’t go up. In other words, I would rather Blatche score 5 points and grab 3 rebounds in 12 minutes of work every game (15 points, 9 rebounds per 36 minutes) than average 16 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes by having some games where he goes 20 and 10 and looks like an All-Star but others where he completely disappears and turns the ball over like crazy.
If Blatche can’t develop consistency, then I would rather have a solid veteran who can give us that, even if he is slightly worse.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
That's a good point
I’m curious to know who you would think would be a proper replacement. Ignore actual trade mechanics. I’m just trying to get a feel for who you (or anyone) would slot for that position within realistic reason for around Blatche’s salary (around 2.5 mil I think).
I Don't Know Off of the Top of My Head
But maybe someone like Oberto, assuming he isn’t washed up and can return to the form he had two seasons ago now that his ticker is fixed. Oberto doesn’t score as often as Blatche, but he does score a lot more efficiently. He also rebounds better, which is probably due to his solid fundamentals (you know, like boxing out). His passing is about the same as Blatche’s. He would make about a half million (or perhaps even more) less than Blatche.
All in all, Blatche is the younger, more talented player. But Oberto can get you most of what Blatche does and do it consistently, again only if you consider last season to be an outlier due to Oberto’s heart condition.
There are probably much better examples of the type of player I am thinking of, but Oberto sticks out because of the discussion we just had about him.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
this is a
different conversation, I know, but I see a lot of Lamar Odom in Blatche. Skills and mindset. Granted, Odom is probably more talented, but they seem to have similar skillsets. What sets Odom apart is being a lefty. Anyone who’s played ball knows how tough it is to guard a talented left-hander. Aside from that though, they are both long, athletic players who have a bevy of offensive skills. They are also both lazy. Somehow Odom has turned out a mildly succesfull career while remaining unmotivated on a consistent basis. Maybe Blatche can do the same, and if he remains cheap, maybe that’s acceptable?
If Oberto is getting minutes over Blatche
I may cry.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
But where are we going to get that kind of production?
While I can see that Blatche needs to develop a more consistent approach, there are not a lot of guys in the NBA who provide carbon copy numbers each night.
Just look at some veteran Spurs bench guys from last year:
Kurt Thomas -
December Point Totals each game: 2-0-9-8-4-6-4-5-4-6-2-0-6-0
Michael Finley:
January Point Totals: 5-14-7-15-10-3-2-11-3-3-11-8-0-6-20
Ime Udoka:
February Point Totals: 5-6-0-13-11-7-5-2-2-7-0-16-2-2-3-2-7
Matt Bonner:
February Point Totals: 8-14-11-4-5-3-3-2-10-8-7-7-10-8-10-7-9
Roger Mason:
February Point Totals: 7-26-11-14-9-20-8-25-7-6-10
As far as Oberto, take a look at his game logs from 2007-2008 (his best season), they are highly erratic:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=2805&year=2008
Sure, Blatche needs to bring a more consistent effort level on a nightly basis, but up and down performances are in the DNA of the NBA.
We have an inconsistent 7 footer who’s about to turn 23 and seems to have a good relationship with the coaching staff. There are worse situations we could be in.
i dont know, but it probably would be a veteran near the twilight of his career whose skills have diminished but still approaches the game professionally. remember, it is not just about consistent performance. consistent effort to improve is really important. without it, you are a cancer to the other young players you also want to develop. i think a large part of the frustration on inconsistent performance is really a misplaced frustration that he doesn’t even try consistently enough or do the things he needs to do to improve on a regular basis. Having said that, I am VERY encouraged to hear the Flip is reaching him and he is reaching out to them.
by les boulez bomber on Jul 15, 2009 10:54 AM EDT reply actions
I'm not disagreeing in theory
but when you get to the $$, I think you’ll find you won’t like the options. $2.5 million gets you guys like Mark Madsen, Othella Harrington. Krstic?
Seven turnovers?
This is exactly why Andray shouldn’t be here.
he was the focus of the offense and wont be during the season
by les boulez bomber on Jul 15, 2009 11:38 AM EDT reply actions
Right
Thus the problem. He practices on being the offensive focus now in game situations, then that’s his instinct when he checks into the game. I’d rather he keep it simple and work on conditioning and reliably knocking down a 12 footer, not on elaborate post moves or pretending to be a guard.
Great story Mike
I was hoping to see what I saw today in your coverage. It takes the blog up to a different level of writing. The dateline is fabulous. Great interviews. Well done.
Negativity?
On championship teams, you have great players, good players, and sometimes even average backups. But at least those average backups can be relied upon to give solid performances every night and do the things that they do well consistently.
^
^
Sorry but championship teams leave players (atleast 1-3) on the bench. There is no championship team that has all outstanding amazing players giving MJ performances when they step in the game. Stop being unrealistic. Blatche needs to improve, but lets be honest, if Blatche is not scoring a double double in a game we are not going to be as good as when he does. The man is very versatile, has size and potential. If he can protect the ball better, learn to be more aggresive, scrappy, yet in control, and continue to do the things he does consistantly we will be in the good. He reminds me alot of a young Lamar Odom with his body size and style of play (minus the newly aquired Odom 3 point shooting). Once Blatche gains more confidence he will help our team tremendously. I will be looking to see how he performs tonight.
Trajectory of high school draftees
It sounds like some people are giving up on Blatche, and I think that’s premature. He’s improved every year — including last year in my opinion. I think some of his stats took a hit because he was playing more against starters, but his passing and ball handling SKILL (not decision-making) seemed improved. He’s coming out of high school, so you can’t compare him to other four-year NBA players or even compare him to other players by age. The best thing you can do is look at other guys drafted out of high school. So, I looked at what the 16 players drafted out of high school since 1995 who played in a significant portion of games in each of thier first six seasons averaged in the league over those six seasons:
First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Pts 5.7 8.9 11.0 12.9 14.2 15.6 Rbs 2.9 4.2 5.4 5.6 6.3 6.7 Asts 1.0 1.6 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.5 Stls 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 Blks 0.6 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0
So on average, these guys continue to improve through their sixth year. I think we’ll see the same thing with Blatche, and have a pretty good player entering his prime. Maybe not an all-star, but better than what he is now.
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