Are Andray Blatche And JaVale McGee A Tenable Frontcourt Combination For The Future?
by Sean Fagan on Jan 10, 2011 3:34 PM EST
in Team Analysis
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PrintEditor's Note: This article has been in the hopper for quite a while, but with the Arenas trade and all the other nonsense that has happened with the team as of late, it took a a backseat. As such, it might read as a rebuttal to Bullet Nation in Exile's article about Flip Saunders. It is not. I want to thank Stop N' Pop from Canis Hoopus for his input.
Earlier in the season, before the wheels fell completely fell off the wagon, a poster made an interesting reference that I believed bore more though; that Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee were basically incompatible on the court and to play both of them together at the same time basically negated that either brought to the court. Further mention was made that the Wizards now find themselves in the same situation as the Timberwolves did last year with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love in that they possess two dynamic post players who could not be on the court at the same time due to both player's defensive deficiencies.
From reading through our sister blog Canis Hoopus (a must read by the way), the general gist or the argument was that neither player allowed the other enough space to do the things that make them valuable on the basketball court. Kevin Love could not be the defensive rebounding machine that he has become because Al Jefferson was taking up all the space in the middle. Further, Al Jefferson went from being a can't miss breakout player to being perceived as a player who needed touches to be effective and negated the value of other players on the court by stopping ball movement to work his post game.
If these arguments sound familiar, they resemble many of the arguments we have made vis a vis Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee this year. JaVale McGee can't do JaVale McGee things (jump around, block shots, act like a menace) with a poor defending PF who who can't clean up his mistakes. Blatche's game is inhibited in the same way in that his defensive liability is further exposed by having a risk taking center on the court with him at the same time, which magnifies his mistakes in a perhaps unfair manner.
Now does the comparison make any sense? The general consensus is that Al Jefferson needed to be shipped out of town to allow Kevin Love to become "30 rebound" Kevin Love. Having not watched much of the T-pups, I asked the same question of Stop N' Pop, the editor of Canis Hoopus to get his take on the situation. He also has watched a lot of Flip Saunders having followed the period when Flip coached the team. His answer, following the jump was extremely interesting.
Stop N' Pop's answer:
A few weeks back, John Hollinger had a very interesting item in one of his chats:Kerry (Dallas) – If you could give the T-wolves organization three pieces of advice, what would they be?John Hollinger (2:45 PM) – How about one piece for now — bad franchises tend to focus on their best players’s weaknesses. All you heard Minnesota talk about last year was how Al Jefferson couldn’t move, and now you hear the same thing about how Kevin Love can’t defend. Kind of like the things we heard about Pau Gasol in Memphis. The problem isn’t Love or Jefferson, it’s that they’re stuck on a bad team …
Kevin Love and Al Jefferson were the Timberwolves' best two players by a long shot. While it is easy to get lost in definitions of "fit" and "upside", it is similarly as easy to forget about the basic fact that the Wolves--a 15-win team near the bottom of the league--chose to jettison one of their two above-average players in order to "improve". There has been a lot of buzz this season about Love's "fit" with the team, currently sitting there with only 4 wins. Should he be moved for a better "fit", the Wolves will be the only bottom-dwelling team in recent memory that I can think of to get rid of their two best players in consecutive seasons in the name of improvement. Chances are, such an approach will only serve to guarantee them and their fans a couple more years of hoping for luck with lottery balls. Meanwhile, Al Jefferson is somehow finding a way to co-exist with the Love-sized Paul Milsap.
Good players are good players are good players and if Blatche and McGee are good players, that should be the end of the story for a franchise like the Wiz. I have long had a theory that getting a team to 45-55 wins requires front office competency while anything more requires luck. The Wizards appear to have been blessed with a great deal of luck with the arrival of John Wall. They now need to pray to the Gods of competency in order to surround him with as many good players as possible. If the Wiz are lucky enough for him to be the real deal, fit will matter about as much as Ricky Rubio does to the current play of my favorite squad.My advice for Wizards fans is to forget about the long run. Worry about the birds you have in hand and forget about the ones in the bush. Are Blatche and McGee above average NBA players? Teams like the Wiz and Wolves shouldn't worry about fit or implementing systems. They should be worried about building a culture of winning along with collecting as many above average players as possible. Unfortunately for both organizations, they appear to have coaches who are tied to a relatively static (and stubborn) type of play.Instead of being Iron Chefs who can roll with the punches and create a fine dish out of whatever nonsensical groceries are placed in front of them, Flip and Rambis are more like short order cooks--guys who will try to pump out burgers and shakes no matter if they are provided with ground beef or eggplant.
So it's not the players as much as it is the system. The question that I want to pose to all of you is what is to be done about this situation. To continue to use S N' P's metaphor, the Wizards have hired a French Chef and presented him with Szechuan Pepper and a blowfish and asked him to make a souffle. One may get a souffle at the end of the day, but it is doubtful that the result would be something that anyone would want to consume. However, it is hard to place the blame on either the Chef or the ingredients. Saunders is going to keep trying to make that souffle, because that is all he knows how to make.
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I loved this
Very good read, and makes a lot of sense as far as the comments about flip go. Should we force our players to make this system work? Or should Flip instead take advantage of a system our players would thrive on?
Imagine if D’antoni (spelling?) was our coach.
by DCeee on Jan 10, 2011 3:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Good coach always adapts to systems to talent.
More than one way to skin a cat. We don’t have to be a slow-paced, jumpshot oriented team just because that’s how Flip has always had success. Or perhaps we do have to be that while Flip is coach, but the poor results dont automatically mean our guys cant play.
Personally I think Flip’s system is perfect for Blatche and that he is just having an horrendous year for whatever reason.
Also..
…don’t hire David Kahn. This is an important part of any rebuilding process.
In all seriousness, get the best players you can, hold on to them, and roll with the punches. I think the Wolves are showing that trying to find young players to fit the system is the wrong way to go about things. I’ve created a Fantasy GM Code of Harry:
1- Getting to 45 wins is skill. Anything more is luck.
2- Never trade your top picks.
3- Never get rid of above average players.
4- BPA, BPA, BPA.
5- Do not focus on your best player’s weaknesses.
6- Iron Chef > short order cook.
7- Roll with the punches.
8- Do not hire David Kahn.
9- Do not be afraid to cut your losses early if you know you made a mistake and drafted/signed a below average player.
10- Do not, I repeat, do not hire David Kahn.
Insincerity is the best sincerity. Survive and celebrate Bunny Month.
www.canishoopus.com
Don't agree with #6
What about about all the very successful coaches who stick with their styles? Are they just lucky short order cooks? (Jackson, Nelson, Sloan, Popovich, D’Antoni, Brown, Saunders, etc.)
I mean, how many really good coaches change their coaching style to fit the players (not tweak their system, but use a whole different system)? There’s Pat Riley, and…um…..
"Be patient or be a Heat fan" - MR
I think players matter
And if Phil Jackson had gravitated to the pick and roll instead of the Triangle, it would have worked out just as well. I think successful coaches stick with management styles that work by keeping egos in check and by making role players feel like they matter during an 82 game season when everybody in the building knows that MJ or Kobe or Shaq or Duncan or Nash could probably murder one of them in plain sight and get away with it.
I think the Pops example kind of backfires because the Spurs have really started to change how they play over the last few years and he’s getting it done by turning them more into an offensive juggernaut than anything else.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
(Kevin Love is on the Wolves because they traded their top pick.)
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
And while I'm mentioning him,
Let me just mention that Love rebounded just as well with Al Jefferson on the roster. It’s really much more that the defensive situation was untenable for the Wolves with both of them out there together.
Love’s got more playing time this year, but basically his percentages and rates and so on weren’t suffering much. He was already, by the smarter measures, among the league’s best rebounding players.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
But was the return for Jefferson worth it
I guess that is the question I’m asking. Why force players who don’t work well in the Triangle to play in the Triangle?
I’m honestly interested since I don’t get to see the Wolves much.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
In a medium-term sense, Jefferson was traded for salary room that hasn't been traded in.
As far as the offensive scheme goes, there’s a goofy level of noise about whether the Wolves even run it or intend to run it. Kurt Rambis and Kahn both say they want to be a fast-paced team, not a triangle team. If asked they almost roll their eyes.
What they run on the court is still like a remedial version of the thing, though, despite what they say. I just call it the “trike.”
And yeah, neither a running team nor a “trike” team has much use for Al Jefferson’s low post MO. And either “running team” or “triangle team” is a sort of doctrinaire thing to be… Why be anything that your roster doesn’t suit?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
So were
Ray Allen and Brandon Roy. I’m not saying it can’t work (the hoopus draft board had Love ranked as the player to take in that spot), but that chances are it won’t end well. There’s an awesome website out there with a traded draft pick tourney that really shows how this plays out.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
by Stop-n-Pop on Jan 10, 2011 10:03 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Number 11
Properly identify a need and do so before it is two years too late.
I am still frustrated to this day that the the two needs of the Wizards during the “Big Three” years, a deadeye 3 point shooter and a rugged rebound first forward were never acquired until the expiration date was passed. If would have been really nice to have Mike Miller before the team went in the crapper, not after it was a desperate last gasp towards relevancy.
Alternatively, buy into a system and marry it, don’t go halfway. I thought that when we drafted Blatche and Pech we were attempting to transform into Phoenix East, a run and gun team that always tried to outscore the opponent. Instead, we resigned Haywood and signed Songalia (who I loved) who were anything but fleet of foot. And once again, we were left with a halfway team.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
1- Getting to 45 wins is skill. Anything more is luck.
Anything more than 45 wins is luck? WTF? Being able to bring it night in and night out is pretty damn hard….I wouldnt call it “luck”
What he means is
that getting your organization to about that level of wins is something one can do pretty reliably, but that to some extent you have to get lucky – find a second-round player who can start, steal a Rasheed when he’s undervalued – to get above that.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
JaVale is the weakest link
Wall, Blatche, and Saunders’ system seem like they could all work together. JaVale, on the other hand, doesn’t work with any of them, currently. JaVale can’t space the floor to create room for Wall or Blatche to score from in close. JaVale also can’t set picks, and in Flip’s system, most of the center’s responsibility at the offensive end of the floor comes down to setting picks.
Perhaps you are right when it comes to OFFENSE
But defensively, Wall, McGee and Young all fit the long term scheme (as does ….. Blatche does not….
So the question becomes:
If you want an offensive team, do you get rid of McGee and Keep Blatche?
or if you want defense, do you get rid of Blatche and keep McGee?
Veterans that fit the defensive mold include Howard, Lewis and Hinrich….
It seems to me that Blatche is the odd peg…..
He's "delightfully cranky"
This is funny
Because to me, if there’s a fit issue, it’s McGee on defense and Blatche on offense (McGee doesn’t rotate for shit and Blatche can’t hit jumpers like the 4 needs to in Flip’s system). Maybe we’re all correct, and it’s really just a matter of these guys not playing well.
"Be patient or be a Heat fan" - MR
JaVale is basically worthless at the offensive end before the shot goes up
It’s like we’re playing 4-on-5. JaVale gets offensive rebounds, so we get some extra possessions, but then we’re going 4-on-5 again. Worse, that extra man is their center, and he stays right by the basket.
Javale is 22yrs old and already as good as Brendon ever was offensively
I seem to recall some high scoring Wizards teams in Haywood’s time here.
Stop
I know you love JaVale, I get that. But he is not even in the same solar system as Haywood at this point
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
He was an awesome defender
of the 5 foot area he patrolled.
Haywood was terrible.
At his very, very best he was what, a 9 or 10pt scorer? For maybe 1 season? On teams that werent exactly stalwarts defensively either. He was the definition of 4 vs 5 on offense, which is why I brought him up.
Sorry to inform you
But your credentials as an NBA analyst just got revoked.
Haywood was a very good player, but he was a bad fit for the Princeton and an especially bad fit in the Princeton with guys like Gilbert, Caron, and Larry Hughes.
Amongst centers, Haywood was probably a top 5 one-on-one post defender. Of the top ten individual post defenders, he was probably a better help defender than anyone not named Dwight Howard or Ben Wallace.
At the offensive end, Haywood could at least set a decent pick, but unfortunately for Brendan, Eddie Jordan’s offensive system didn’t involve much pick and roll.
Typical Haywood 4thQ line last season was "0-0, 0, 0, 0"
Is Eddie coaching the Mavs now? Seems like Haywood is nailed to the bench, why would that be?
Haywood was top5 stone-for-hands and that’s about it. Yes I exaggerate, he was a solid defender, but he was absolutely abysmal on offense. The very definition of “4 vs 5” that you mentioned.
btw, in his entire career, Haywood has had six 20/10 games
That’s 470 starts and 15,540 minutes played.
Mcgee has already had three 20/10 games….in 65 starts and 3,037 minutes played.
Javale is still highly flawed, but there’s some undeniable proof in that pudding
That pudding is all empty calories
No nutritional value: poor defensive rebounding, bad positioning at both ends of the floor, jumping at pump fakes, setting worthless picks.
It’s just not good for you. No nutritional value at all. It has something in it that makes you feel good in the short term, though, and you may be right- “proof” might be exactly the right word to describe the “undeniable” special ingredient.
Jokes aside, though, JaVale stinks. He has tons of upside, but he’s nowhere close to being a good NBA center yet. I wouldn’t trade him because his upside is still too tantalizing, but please don’t cite his stats and try to compare him favorably to Haywood.
As for why Brendan is stinking it up in Dallas, I’m going to guess that he’s not taking well to being benched and being given limited minutes. We all saw how that worked out here. But I haven’t been paying attention to the Mavs, so that’s just a guess.
it's easy to dismiss stats when they dont support what we want.
Through Haywood’s first 3 seasons, he grabbed 5 or more defensive boards 34×.
Through 2.5 seasons, Javale has done so 44×....and that’s in 1600 less minutes of PT. Yet JM is constantly criticized for being an horrible defensive rebounder.
IMO, javale has already shown that when he’s at his best he’s better than Haywood ever was. Brendon has never had a 25/15 game, Mcgee already has. The problem is Mcgee is horribly erratic and wont be a true player til he can bring much more consistency to the table. If he does, we’ll have our franchise Center. If he doesnt, he’ll just be an energy/block guy who probably ends up as a backup
25/15
It’s great that JaVale can run up and down the court and contribute to a rout of the Golden State Warriors. Brendan could never manage that stat line.
Unfortunately, the road to a championship doesn’t run through Oakland. The road to a championship is much more likely to run through, say, Orlando.
JaVale has matched up against Dwight Howard eight times. In those games, Dwight has shot over 70% from the field.
I love sports fans
I love arguing about whether the guy on the team or the guy who used to be on the team are better.
I especially love it when the structure of the argument turns into “that guy is/was horrible, so this guy has to be better,” as if that is any sort of compliment.
I watched McGee try 3 times to attempt a pick on one play
All around the foul line and all he did was whiff and get in the way of his own players. Its was very comical and yet so sad.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 6:21 PM EST up reply actions
It was comical last year
This year, it’s just been more and more depressing.
Yeah
against Philly he seemed to decide that he can’t play b-ball so why pretend anymore? He won’t do anything at all. He was his own parody.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 9:39 PM EST up reply actions
Disagree- Ernie Grunfeld is the weakest link
by les boulez bomber on Jan 10, 2011 5:15 PM EST reply actions
Just look at his track record
I was checking this out and its just amazing how he still has a job.
http://hoopshype.com/general_managers/ernie_grunfeld.htm
and this whole article points to that…Eg put in place the coach and the players
by les boulez bomber on Jan 10, 2011 5:16 PM EST reply actions
Blatche just might the problem
Blatche has been around the Wizards too long. He’s developed this mentality of softness and indifference towards losing. I think he’s never pushed himself and because of that will always be unable to match up on the low post with the elite PFs in the league. I think we should trade him to a team with a need for a PF but I don’t know who would want him.
I like McGee but I think he would be better off as a backup C. Ideally this would be perfect if we paired him with a Brook Lopez-type player, with McGee getting some minutes at PF.
I think we should trade Blatche and draft a center with some all around game. Maybe Seraphin will develop but I think we need to get the complacent players out of here before they affect JWall.
Ideally
you want someone like Al horford, who plays good solid defense and can hit the open shot
Heres a crazy idea
I say we start going to Mcgee in the post and see what he can do. From what i’ve seen he has had some decent post ups this year. Even though they don’t always look pretty his sweeping hook and up and under tend to be effective. Hes so lanky the opposing center isn’t going to block him very much around the basket. The best way to develop a post game or anything in basketball is through game experience. It surely can’t be worse than watching Blatche get his shot stuffed and taking fall away jumpers. You think about Dwight Howard and how horrid he was offensively in the post and now look where he is at now. Obviously he worked on it in the summertime, but the Magic made a consistent effort to go to him in the post since he was drafted. Think about down the road if Mcgee could begin drawing attention (maybe a double team) i think it would really open up Dray’s game as he would find himself cutting to the basket and having open jumpers or lay ins. We’ve one what nine games? Its time to switch it up on O a little
by unashamed116 on Jan 10, 2011 5:42 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
McGee is a terrible passer
Blatche is at least sometimes good. Making the ball go through McGee in the post now would kill what little offense we have.
by Elvin_is_my_Elvis on Jan 10, 2011 5:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
ok ok
you guys are right i’ll settle for watching Dray throw 5 turnovers with his great passing, and watch him shoot under 40%, unheard for a 6-11 player. Dwight was a terribly passer too and now he aint so bad you just have to be able to throw it back out at the very least when the double comes. I’m not saying run the offense through him! But a few more post ups a game? He is our “franchise center” , and i use the term loosely
by unashamed116 on Jan 10, 2011 6:15 PM EST up reply actions
I like this idea
if only to cause McGee to think, “crap, I need to learn some post moves.” Sometimes guys think they are better than they are. JaVale may think he has some effective moves. If forced to use them frequently in a game, he might realize he doesn’t.
I like the idea
But as far as I can tell, Shard is the only that ever feeds JVM in the post. And he’s been here like 5 minutes. I get the feeling that nobody else on this team, even Wall, ever considers it.
Maybe Dwight Howard was horrid offensively in the post in the past (which I don't actually agree, he has a number of post moves and is really good at that),
he didn’t learn how to play in the games. He puts in hours of work per day in the gym.
As far as defensively
I think Blatche has been playing alot better defense since the Toronto game, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by me or Flip. Mcgee justs needs to learn how to not bite on pumpfakes and and get a stronger lower body/base. These are two very fixable things, so i do see potential for them as a defensive tandem. You think about since the addition from Rashard, our defense has shown improvement (besides the Philly game).
This discussion was long overdue....
Obviously, Blatche and McGee are not complementary in Flip’s offense… but contrary to what I think some other people are saying here I don’t think these two guys can fill the starting big men slots in ANY offensive scheme…
Blatche is really very similar to Jamison, more a 3 1/2 than a true 4, but alas without Jamison’s offensive creativity or backbone.
McGee remains a work in progress. He can fill up a highlight reel with his blocks and dunks…. but it remains to be seen if he will ever be able to provide the “lunchpail” skills required of a top-flight center… which has not been seen in these parts since Wes, Moses (who was past his prime when he played here but was still a rebounding machine) and Jeff Ruland (whose prime was all too short) held forth.
Try listing the Wizard/Bullet pivot people of the last three decades…. Charles Jones (a game guy with no offense), Pervis Ellison (soft but occasionally capable of a sweet offensive game), the late Kevin Duckworth (fine human being but totally out of shape), the late Manute Bol (one fine dimension to his game), Ike Austin (putting two fingers down my throat), Georghe Muresan (I will never forgive Billy Crystal because Big Georghe was pretty decent for at least one year), Jim MacIlvaine (at least we did not overpay him), Etan Thomas (remind me, why did we match Milwaukee’s offer?), and by default the best of the lot, Brendan Haywood…
If there is any single reason why this team has been an armpit for the better part of the last four decades, it has been terminal weakness in the middle, which is why I am in the keep McGee and trade Blatche for value camp.
I believe that McGee just maybe could break the Center drought here, but ONLY if he has a Charles Oakley, a Mo Lucas, a Dennis Rodman or an Al Horford playing next to him.
Right now we are stuck with two big guys who are incapable of covering each other’s backside and doing the McFilthy and McNasty stuff that has to be done if the team is going to succeed.
Oh well, maybe Seraphin will mature rapidly or maybe we can we repatriate James Singleton from China, or at least look closely at the D League.
That was weird without description
and it certainly does not remove the party label. I can drunk. I mean dunk. ABCTMZ.COM- wait, I know this officer. What kind of tape was that? Its 2 years old.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 7:05 PM EST up reply actions
I miss Party John
One of the best nicknames ever.
The Wiz whole interior game is lobs to McGee
With the exception of Seraphin, its a team of slashers and jump shooters. Seraphin seems like the only guy who can score around the paint. Posting up Blatche doesn’t work because he has no turn around and god forbid whenever he tries to spin to his left. i have no idea why they posting him up on the left side of the floor. Blatch is better on the right side simply because most of his turnovers on that side of the floor. why not post Lewis on the left and Blatche on the right. Lewis doesn’t seem to have a problem on the left. Blatche is a one note player any way since everyone knows he is going to spin towards the baseline. Mcgee can hit a turn around. He did it against the nets. but he too wants to drive to the basket and go for a dunk. One game he was alone in the paint with a wide open 5 footer and chose to crash into the defense to dunk the ball and he screwed that up. You don’t you shoot the ball you d**b f***! thats how I felt. Thats McGee. I have to block the shot on defense and I have to dunk the ball on offense. No in between for him. Blatche can’t buy an open jumper, otherwise he would be a great point forward. He plays better facing the basket. so I look at Seraphin and think at least one player jknows how to score in the paint. So in this draft get a post player. Puuulllease!
Who cares if a large part of the game is lobs to the Javaleator?
It works, and it’s sure as hell fun to watch! Why not embrace his incredible athleticism?
by zl on Jan 10, 2011 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
The issue is that it doesn't make the team much better
and McGee should be rewarded with lobs by setting picks and flashing correctl.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Are you claiming that McGee should be rewarded with John Walls nummynums?
Good boy. You set a pick, have a lob? the team needs a post player. A youngplayer like Kantor or whoever they can get in the top 5. I think its McGee that isn’t on Grunfeld and Saunders fav list. That salute he gave to the crowd during the Nets game says there is one buffalo isn’t with the herd. It was so inappropriate because this team is trying to win. So, I think the Wiz can live with a struggling Blatche this season. There is always Seraphin. I am not convinced that this team can live with McGee. Whose contract was extended? That sort of says everything along with who gets the playing time. Understand that I am not privy to the Wiz master plan. I just get this sense that if McGee continues the way he is, he will be the one that is traded.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
What?
What on earth does saluting have to do with winning basketball games? McGee has played well, Blatche has not. I couldn’t care less the way they celebrate after the pull off a great play.
by zl on Jan 10, 2011 7:55 PM EST up reply actions
There was no they.
It was McGee celebrating one dunk. So what? The team has won 8 games all year. This isn’t the Lakers and he has no cause to celebrate anything.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 7:57 PM EST up reply actions
To be fair to McGee
the dunk was at home and this team and the coach has admitted that the team plays around 10x better when the crowd is behind them. McGee’s dunk and salute got the crowd into the game.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
I considered that
I didn’t like it. he also compared McGee to gerald green and that is something to consider regarding McGees approach to the game. All flash and no substance. The teams won 8 games this year. Every other player does something and its business as usual. I don’t know what saunders is thinking at that moment, but after his buffalo thing I have to wonder if he really liked McGee wandering away from the team celebrating one play.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 8:17 PM EST up reply actions
Um
Because Blatche was on his second contract and McGee is still on his rookie contract? The two don’t really equate. In fact, the reason that McGee is so untradeable is less because of his amazing skills and more to do with the fact that his contract value is so low,
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
I never said this season
I mean if one of them goes and I am only guessing, it will be McGee unless he starts to play the way Saunders wants him to play.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 8:00 PM EST up reply actions
And yes I do think it is part of the PG's duty
to reward players for playing well on the opposite end of the court.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Thats debatable.
PT should be the reward. Wall is a rookie. he should, in my ideal world, on the getting the ball to where the players the players want the ball. If he is CP3 maybe. i think he should be focusing on his own play rifgt now and not on every one elses play this season. It is a debatable point.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 8:03 PM EST up reply actions
Mcgee barely gets any looks other than oops and putbacks
Not sure how you manage to judge his game so thoroughly when he rarely gets more than 1 or 2 non-dunk attempts per night.
I know McGee can hit a turn around
unfortunately he too often goes for the dunk. I guess turnarounds don’t make highlight reels. he’d rather put the ball on floor and play stretch from the fantastic 4 and try all so hard to dunk. Its McGees fault. He makes lousy decisions.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 6:17 PM EST up reply actions
Yet is shooting 55%
clearly he isnt making as many lousy decisions as you seem to think with regard to his offensive choices.
He's scoring 12 pts per36 efficiently
That’s fine for me if he improves his defense. Its not as though McGee has to be an offensive centerpiece.
by zl on Jan 10, 2011 7:56 PM EST up reply actions
I don't understand why everyone is expecting Blatche to improve
The truth is that once players have been in the league as long as he has and have reached his age…they stop improving. While many of you may think “HE’S ONLY 24!!!!”, keep in mind that he came to the league out of high school and that even if he improves dramatically he’s a below average.
Let’s say for example, Blatche magically starts to shoot 50% (something he’s never done) and stops turning the ball over at a ridiculous pace. This would make him, at best, an average PF. Would that even be enough to keep him on the roster? Perhaps, yes, but I think its time to be realistic about Andray; we’ve been waiting too long. I don’t want to attack his character or make any ignorant exaggerations about the kind of person he is, I just want to point out that the chances of him becoming anything near a serviceable PF are slim to none.
He was playing well last spring.
The difference this year is that his shooting percentage on jump shots is way down and his passing/turnovers have gotten much worse.
IMO this is directly the result of a young player missing out on practice time and also getting out of shape. And now confidence is down and he’s pressing.
If this is the same story next year, after a summer of work, cut bait.
If McGee and Blatche were a suitable front court duo
The Wizards would be winning games right now. If you have John Wall, Nick Young, Rashard Lewis, and a good frontcourt, you’re not going to have 9 wins. Simple as that.
dude your absolutely right
I look at this roster and I really dont think 9 wins. I mean we have talent, with john wall nick at the 2 and then Rashard who has shown his overall play since coming here. Something has got to give. Mcgee can be a game changer on some nights, and consistency will come. I’m rooting hard for Dray but we need someone who can bang and do the dirt work at the 4. Booker can do this, but i dont think he’s ready. Trade Blatche for a blue collar banger
by unashamed116 on Jan 10, 2011 6:22 PM EST up reply actions
Yep
Blatche is obviously the weak spot. If Wall, Young, and Rashard are playing well (I think most here would agree they are), then either McGee or Blatche is dragging the team down. As frustrating as McGee can be, I think its clear he isn’t having a negative impact. Blatche is the only one left. Even if his poor stats don’t convince you, that should
by zl on Jan 10, 2011 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
Watch
When I watch the games, I see McGee clearly having a negative impact.
Blatche usually starts out playing OK, but then falls apart. Could be conditioning or frustration. Maybe both. If he could avoid imploding, he’d be a positive contributor. In the past, when Blatche wasn’t coming off an injury and when the team was more in sync, Andray didn’t have those implosions, so maybe the problem will take care of itself.
Only two untouchables
Wall and McGee.
There are four premier forwards in the draft. The Wiz need one, whether or not they get it from a ping pong ball.
The three of them will need a full year of playing together before they start getting 50 wins a year.
The other players are role players filling in complementary pieces.
With EG, we don’t trust him to do anything that makes any sense.
I'm a big McGee fan
but I think the only untouchable player on this roster is Wall.
In the end
The Wiz front court is pretty bad. It isn’t Blatche and its not McGee. Its both. Blatche is a wing player and McGee has a media company that has convinced him that basketball fundamentals are for boring people. This team needs a player in the draft-ala Kantor, if the team is lucky-and pair him with Seraphin and lets see when those 2 can do together. How much will we miss McGee and Blatche? So, what Leonsis must do as owner of the team is to rig the lottery. I mean, if he is as smart and acerbic as he acts, he should score the team a top draft pick. What good is a rich owner if he can’t corrupt something to his own benefit? And ours?
Agree. It's both of them.
They are actually not as good as they think they are – that’s the biggest problem. They can’t come to play whenever they feel like it or only when there are fans cheering for them.
They need more discipline and focus. Don’t know if the coaches are demanding enough to make them work and follow plays and rotation.
Good article
I really like the use of Minnesota’s situation as an example.
I’m all for keeping Blatche and McGee. I don’t see a situation where we are going to get anything better in return. We have a 19 year old point guard, and sorry young fellas, he ain’t no Magic. He’s going to be a good one but it’s going to take three years (including this one) at a minimum before he is playing at contender level.
This means we have three years (including this one) and two more drafts from which to build this team. It’s not going to happen overnight.
KAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!
He’s also preaching patience to the Timberwolves’ fans. And guess what? The Wizards have just as many wins.
Which leads to an interesting question
Would you prefer a GM like Kahn who keeps throwing stuff against a wall to see what sticks and makes some terrible, indefensible decisions (Flynn, Wes Johnson, Darko signing, Jefferson trade) but balances it out by making decent moves? (Rubio, Beasely) Call it the mediocrity by volume approach.
Or do you prefer a GM like Grunfeld who is more surgical in his tactics, but seems to have lost the Midas touch as of late? As much as I tend to pile on Grunfeld, many of his moves (Caron trade, Antawn trade, Blatche draft) can be seen as net gains. I even liked the Miller trade at the time. However, those moves are falling further and further into the rearview mirror.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Oh it was just an observation
I would definitely rather have Grunfeld.
See I'm actually not so sure
OK, that might be going too far. But still….
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
I think Grunfeld is under contract for one more year (correct me if I am wrong, please)
I believe that what Mike Wise said. It will be interesting to see what moves Grunfeld makes in the 2011/2012 season and if Leonsis keeps him.
You don’t necessarily need to fire the coach or trade one of these two players. Just don’t play them together on the court on the same time. Since we don’t have a passable center other than JaVale, I think that means Blatche should sit at the beginning of the games. If we had a better center, it could be either/or. If Blatche is playing well, then you play the rest of the game with Neck or some other center playing.
This strategy might be smart if you really think that Blatche and/or JaVale have more to prove. You just let them stew for a while until one of them gets it and you’ve finally got a real good player.
Otherwise, I would vote to trade Blatche, ‘cos he’s a triflin player.
The problem with that
is does it really doesn’t really address the issues that are endemic to the team. The issue might be the system, and how Blatche and McGee are being forced into playing a style of game to which they will never truly adapt. Now, I’m not sure how true this statement is, but it does bear some thought.
Right now, it’s just poor basketball to watch on both the offensive and defensive ends. In in wins, the Wizards don’t beat the opposing teams as they make “fewer” mistakes. (See Portland, Houston) Tragically, the team has even succeeded in making John Wall boring. And I think that is something that needs to be seriously addressed when considering the roster, coaching staff, and front office.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Like I said, I’m all for trading Blatche, and living with the results, because as a fan I’ve had enough of the dude. But I was also trying to address the valuable points you raised about the mistakes the Wolves made, by screwing with a mess when whatever they did they were still going to have a mess on their hands. So maybe you just wait – which is one of the options you came up with. That’s a good option because you give the ship time to right itself, and maybe you get better value in a trade or two down the line once you have a better picture about what was causing the leaks in the hull.
I just haven’t seen any convincing evidence that the problems with the team lie in one place. In my opinion, I think Flip’s done a decent job as the captain. The ship ain’t sinkin’ yet. I think Blatche and McGee both have done things that make you think well, maybe we keep them around. So I think that’s probably the most prudent choice of action. We could talk our asses off – and probably will – about who is to blame because this is a sports blog. As a fan, I’d be happy if we traded Blatche, ‘cos he blows. But that’s probably the wrong decision.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 8:26 PM EST up reply actions
"Style of game to which they will never truly adapt"
JaVale doesn’t fit any system right now. He has no useful skills at the offensive end, except offensive rebounding. Unless we’re on a fast break, he can’t contribute at all before the shot goes up.
Wait, no. OK, I was wrong. JaVale might work in the Grinnell system. Make sure he brings his inhaler. /sarcasm
Blatche did just fine in Flip’s system when he was paired with Oberto last season. He’s been pretty good this season in Flip’s system when paired with Yi.
Flip has managed to field very good offensive teams with major minutes going to guys like Earvin Johnson and Ben Wallace.
I think it’s on JaVale. Earvin Johnson, Ben Wallace, Oberto, Yi- that’s not a high standard for JaVale to aspire to.
Earvin Johnson, Ben Wallace, Oberto, Yi- that’s not a high standard for JaVale to aspire to.
But the dramatic chipmunk is
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 10:02 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe JaVale can aspire to developing post moves
Like the Star Wars kid.
It wouldn't be a bad idea for Flip to put his "work on" list into a Glee style number
They could put it on JaVale’s iPad.
See, the problem with the lions and buffaloes was that they didn’t sing. He totally would have gotten the point then. ;)
So Blatche cant hit 15ft Js this season
Because Javale is 20ft away from him instead of Oberto?
Oberto was 20 ft away on the opposite side of the key in the high post. JaVale is 20 ft away on the opposite side of the key in the low post. That’s a big difference.
With Oberto creating space under the basket, Dray could drive to the rim. To defend the drive, Dray’s defender had to sag off him, giving up open looks on midrange jumpers.
With JaVale clogging up the space under the basket, Dray can’t drive to the rim. Dray’s defender doesn’t have to defend against the drive because he has help under the basket. Dray’s defender can play up tight on him, so Dray’s shots end up being tightly contested.
So yes, Blatche can’t hit 15 ft Js this season because JaVale is 20ft away from him instead of Oberto.
Sorry, I get what you're saying
But I call BS all the same. Dray doesn’t need any help missing his 15 footers (or his 18 footers, for that matter). He does it just fine all by himself.
this would be true if Blatche had someone who was defending him when he shoots the ball
He has nothing but open looks. defenders sag away from Blatche. they are letting him shoot.
The defender sags to prevent Blatche from driving with the ball. If he cannot hit the shot then he cannot drive. Arenas had the same problem. Then Blatche/arenas begins to force the drive because they feel they have to score. Blatche does not need to do this. i grant you that Mcgee crowds lanes and that is why we love him, but Blatches shot is a mechanical problem. Last season he hit shots, mechanically, he should not of hit. no one complains about a shot that goes in. this season it is haunting him. There are many things I could write regarding Blatche, but they are correctable. I think he needs to crawl into the off season and take a good look at his own game and see where the problems are and correct them. he is very good at that. hopefully he will be able to have that opportunity again. I will be very interested to see hin next season.
by hambonejackson on Jan 11, 2011 6:58 AM EST up reply actions
The long term fundamental problem
Is the way Dray is being defended, which is a consequence of JaVale’s inability to space the floor. That fundamental problem is what I addressed above.
In the meantime (hopefully short term), this problem is being compounded by a prolonged shooting slump. There’s no strategic fix to that. Dray just needs to keep working on his shot in practice, and keep taking the shots when the defense gives him open looks. If he keeps working and if he can keep his confidence up, they will start dropping eventually.
Dray is defended the same way no matter who is on the floor.
Teams allow him wide open long 2s, and he misses them. When he tries to go strong, he gets blocked as often as scores. Mcgee has many flaws but ruining Blatche’s season certainly isnt one of them.
You're getting confused
Between the long term spacing/fit problem and the short term (hopefully) shooting slump.
Ray Allen shot the ball poorly for the two weeks of the Finals last year. Would you have wanted him to stop shooting threes? Or maybe Boston should have benched him for Tony Allen who was at least playing better defense?
Or lets go to the worst case scenario
and the one that keeps me up at night when I’m writing game recaps and transcribing.
What if this team just isn’t any good? For as much as we value parts like Blatche and McGee, what is their true value on the marketplace. From what we we heard at the deadline last year, Andray Blatche is worth DJ Augustin straight up. Is that truly someone that we want to wait to develop? What if our future building blocks consist of the following:
John Wall
and that’s it? I’m not sure that I trust the structure currently in place to grasp that before it’s too late.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Sean, this team is absolutely no good. But that doesn’t mean it won’t become good.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 8:28 PM EST up reply actions
I understand that
I think the point I was circling around is that I’d like a bit more concrete proof that there is more than one piece in place for rebuild. And hey, maybe there isn’t. I can live with that. But right now I lack the faith that the organization can properly analyze what is working and what isn’t on the roster.
My concern is that I haven’t seen a lot of “good” basketball played at the VC this year with the exception of the Heat game and the Orlando game which I missed and watched at home. I can accept losing, because goodness knows we are going to lose, but I’d rather lose and play a brand of basketball that makes the franchise more alluring to fans and potential FAs. Right now, the team plays bad, boring basketball.
Which is why I’m leaving it to you guys to tell me whether it’s the system or the roster. Or whether I’m just being completely impatient and need to wait for two years.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Wall is the teams 1st great player and they need another one. A big man.
Get 2 great players and the rest can be role players. Maybe they can score a 3rd great player. You need a few of those to win a title.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 8:39 PM EST up reply actions
How about Boozer? Would you trade Blatche, Kirk, and a first (2011 top 3 protected?) for him?
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 8:43 PM EST up reply actions
I suppose that would be on what you want to accomplish
A few more wins? Or a title? I don’t see him fitting into this team, anyway.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 8:50 PM EST up reply actions
Well, you said we need a big man. I agree. Just trying to see how realistic the expectations are. Boozer’s better than Kanter, or that other 6’7" dude in socks who used to be fat, will ever be. We’re not going to draft Elvin Hayes.
I’d do it, depending on how much of a pick we’d have to give up.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 8:57 PM EST up reply actions
I had to think about Boozer
because I like him so much. I’d rather take a chance on Kanter because he is close to Walls age and he seems to be, since you really can’t watch him at the moment, a very good player around the basket. Him and a great young wing guy would be heaven. I am thinking since Kanter is projected to be around 5 and assuming the Wz draft around 5 that if he is sitting there for them then at least the team has a center/forward who knows how to play the game. you don’t have to wait for him to learn how to set a pick or post up. He has game.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 9:06 PM EST up reply actions
Won’t know until the predraft camps. He’s a beefy Turkish dude. You know how the Turks are lighting up the league right now. I could see him having a 25 inch vertical and a great right hook; or maybe he’s Kevin Love reincarnated, who knows. Hope you’re right tho.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 9:14 PM EST up reply actions
He is 19
and was to start with Kentucky which says something about him. If he is good enough to start for Carlesimo, he is good enough for me and he is no Cousins with the crappy attitude. he is actually in college to study.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 9:19 PM EST up reply actions
He is not at KY to study. No player goes to KY to study. They do…other things.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 9:22 PM EST up reply actions
This one is
but i am sure Blatche and McGee will introduce him to the U street crowd. Photo of muslim scholar NBA newby pouring champagne on his head then gets into fist fight.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 9:26 PM EST up reply actions
If he is studying, then he needs to be introduced to the 17th Street crowd.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 9:26 PM EST up reply actions
Blatche is his mentor
it will be Capitol st., but thats later on.
by hambonejackson on Jan 10, 2011 9:29 PM EST up reply actions
Personally, I say we try platooning.
I’d replace Dray with Booker and run like hell with the starting unit in 1 & 3. I mean run to make Don Nelson proud. Most of this team is young and pretty damn fleet of foot. Make the other team run suicides. It might result in some easy points and give them a cushion to work with when Flip has to work his system. The second unit could focus on Dray, Hinrich and Howard. Guys far more suited for a conventional half court game with the added bonus of going against the other squad’s second line.
dude, Dray would vomit a lung in that system.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 10, 2011 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
any young guys that could be potential future Wiz coach?
My List with 5 minutes of thinking…
Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh) is 203-55 from 2003-present. Pittsburgh has solid talent consistently, but he has solid defensive teams and plays in the tough Big East. He’s 45 and seems pretty mild mannered.
Jay Wright (Villanova) is 326-183 from 1994-2001 at Hofstra and 2001-present at Villanova. Similar story at Dixon, except he’s better dressed and 49. Villanova’s teams are known for there solid backcourts and 3 point shooting.
Scott Drew (Baylor) is 129-114 from 2002-2003 at Valparaiso and 2003-present at Baylor. Drew’s whole family is in basketball it seems like and his resume is short, but he’s on the rise with Baylor turning into a consistent top 25 team. Partially b/c he’s a solid recruiter. He’s 40.
If the choice is to get rid of Flip and do something crazy…maybe go with a young college coach on the rise….even though that barely ever works.
JaVale McGee for head coach and GM
He’s the exact opposite of Wes Unseld as a player, maybe he can continue the trend with a clipboard and in the front office.
why look in ncaa
there are a lot of assistant coaches on nba benches that deserve a chance (pat ewing sr)
Too much JaVale hate
Far too much.
Also: would rather have javale on the offensive end than dray. 100 times over.
Defense is obvious.
I will say this: if JaVale develops a post game, dray will benefit a lot.
by DCeee on Jan 10, 2011 11:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
I doubt JaVale will ever develop much of a post game
I’m hoping for a Camby-type offensive game. 15 ft jumpers, with the occasional one- or two- dribble drive to the basket.
JaVale’s improvement this year has largely been a result of him abandoning his post game. Instead of setting up in the low post on the strong side and calling for the ball, this year he is setting up in the low post on the weak side and trying to get in position for offensive rebounds.
Personally, I’d rather see him develop that 15 ft jumper, then set up for it near the elbow, like Camby. Camby manages to be a pretty good offensive rebounder from that spot. So did guys like PJ Brown and Charles Oakley. JaVale won’t be a league leader in offensive rebounds from the elbow, but he can still be pretty good.
If JaVale can develop a 15 ft jumper, it would make the rest of our team immeasurably better.
That space under the basket goes a long way towards making John Wall the best PG in the NBA. Instead of getting knocked to the floor, he’ll be getting spectacular dunks or easy dishes to wide open teammates when the defense tries to rotate.
That space under the basket makes Dray the player we all saw last year. Borderline All-Star. Decent second option, great third option, or amazing sixth man, like Odom in L.A. A foundational piece.
Without that space under the basket, John Wall is a frustrated young player who drives recklessly into heavy traffic, turns the ball over far too much, and ends up too dinged up to play 25% of the time.
Without that space under the basket, Blatche turns into Blitche.
you make this point over and over again but yeah I think you're right about this 100%
"If you don't shoot, you can't score"
Johan Cruijff
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jan 11, 2011 6:29 PM EST up reply actions
vouching to keep dray over JaVale, also, os laughable.
Give me the best shot blocker in the league with superstar potential over a PF with a rampant turnover problem who takes some of the worst shots I’ve ever seen in my life any day of the week.
And also, yop, you said you clearly see McGee having a negative impact when you watch him play. Are you talking about the way the lay up line forms for the other team when he goes to the bench?
He’s literally the only guy protecting the basket out there for the wizards. All he needs is consistency, and that will come, and once it does he’ll be a 15-and-12 a night guy.
Dray isn’t getting any more consistent. He doesn’t have tons of time to develop. He is what he is and he’s starting to cap out. He’s a high turnover player with a terrible around the back move who also happens to be a headcase.
JaVale rarely takes bad shots, can shut a team down by himself for a quarter, and plays with energy, something I haven’t seen dray play with since…well…I don’t remember the last time, honestly…
I also feel that JaVale wouldn’t need to leave his defender to swat at every damn shot thrown into the air if it weren’t for Dray’s matador style defense.
Just let them stroll into the lane there, Dray.
He’s a super mediocre player, and if anyone on this team needs to go, it’s unquestionably Andray. Oh, and currently, JaVale is most definitely the only other “untouchable” besides Wall. There’s no way you trade him in his 3rd year in the league when he’s shown as much promise as he has this year.
Yes, he’s inconsistent, but he’s still young, and to be fair, flip never lets him play through mistakes, ever, which I feel is pretty detrimental to his progression. If he plays the exact same way next year, then there will be good reason to be dissapointed, but we know what he can do, it’s now just a matter of him doing it on a nightly basis.
by DCeee on Jan 10, 2011 11:47 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
You can't trade McGee because his contract is too small
If his contract had more value, I’m fairly sure that you would hear about him being shopped as well as Blatche.
Also, he isn’t allowed to play through his mistakes because, y’know he keeps making the same mistakes. Despite those mistakes, he is still getting significant burn, so I’m not sure how much more PT you want him to get.
Further, McGee’s futility on the defensive end further exacerbates Blatche’s issues. I know you like the blocks. We all like the blocks. Blocks are pretty. I personally like defensive rebounds more. And proper positioning.
Finally, McGee averages at least two terrible shots a games. Whether its his finger roll from 10 feet out or his failure to reset the offense and instead go for a goofy leaner.
McGee has potential yes, but he certainly isn’t the thin red line you make him out to be standing in the way of the Wizards being a total catastrophe.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
And Dray doesn't keep making the same mistakes?
I’m not blind to JVM’s screw ups, but I’m also not blind to Dray’s. Flip, on the other hand, seems to be. I understand that he’s the only real option we have in the post, but if he refuses to be in the post what good is it doing us anyway? Last year when he could get that baseline spin going and work options off of that, I wouldn’t have argued this point. The problem is, now he can’t do it with any consistency, for any number of reasons (and I’m not factoring in the foot. It’s been long enough) so, instead, it seems like he spends half of his time four feet off the elbow or just inside the arc in the corner. The play Flip likes to run to open the game with him running baseline off multiple screens to hit that turn around is nice, but that’s about it. I’d love to see them turn into a real starting frontcourt, but if I had to pick between the two, I’d take JaVale. And not think twice about it.
McGee is untouchable
Say what you will about his poor b-ball iq, he’s still played great. Could he be better? Yes, of course, but he’s still great right now. Sean mentioned that he takes one or two poor shots a game..but he’s shooting 55%. Maybe it could be even higher, but he makes up for those two bad shots with a bunch of other good ones. I also don’t understand how Blatche can be favorably compared to McGee on defense. Blocks aren’t everything, but they’re certainly something.
by zl on Jan 11, 2011 6:09 PM EST up reply actions
Hollinger is pointing at Rambis and calling failure to innovate and holding up Jerry Sloan as counterpoint?
And are we seriously calling for Flip to innovate, or even a new coach on the strength of that logical fallacy? Flip has shown far more willingness to innovate than Rambis, running the two-guard, running big, small, starting Book and Phin. Not to mention Rambis failed with a guy who knew how to run the pick and roll. And the fact that David Kahn scored a megafail in trading Jefferson. Ugh…friggin’ Hollinger.
In the end, however, I do agree with most everything you said. But I’m forcibly reminded of what hambonejackson had to say a few days ago:
Prada brought up roster construction. I think this season was to have a roster to construct. I am assuming roster construction will begin after this season is over.
This is the camp I fall into, for now. I have the same expectations for the rest of this season that I had going into it; namely, see some individual player growth, maybe a few dynamics evolve, then see how things shake down with the new CBA, and how EG handles the offseason. I think some radical innovation would be a good thing, imperialme’s suggestion was intriguing. But if the question is Saunders or the roster, I have to hesitate because the question seems simply too premature.
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jan 10, 2011 11:53 PM EST reply actions
Yep, full circle...
And maybe Charlotte was not ripe for the picking the other night… They certainly whupped Memphis yesterday and appear to responding to Paul Silas (one of the good guys).
But now we have Sacto at home at the Wolves in Minny.
C’mon guys, here is the best chance you are going to have for the first twofer and road win of the season!!! And job security is at stake for some too.
Time to step up, Wizards!
Crazy Solutions are Short Term Solutions
1) Have patience. This is currently the most popular statement made on the board. The Wizards are a rebuilding team and patience is needed as the organization figures out which pieces fit around John Wall. However, patience does not necessarily do much to fix the problem as illustrated above, that conventional thinking and coaching is not going to fundamentally change how Blatche or McGee play the game of basketball.
You can coach people into being better players. You can’t coach fat, slow, and effortless players into athletic beasts. We all know what kind of player blatche can be when he has his killer instinct going.
This season he’s looked out of shape, lazy, and unmotivated almost every single game. He needs to man up, admit he’s been shitty this season, and stop making damn excuses like “i’m a finesse player” and “I can’t change my body no matter how hard I try.” That is utter BS. If he had half the physique of dwight howard he would be a carbon copy of lamar odom.
I suggest benching him for the rest of the season until he gets in gear and let trevor booker get valuable experience which he can use in his sophmore year. Yi is not a longterm backup.
Javale needs playoff experience, He looks great or good against sub par centers, but he rarely gets to play against good centers and when he does he’s been inconsistent. I don’t think he’s a great 7 footer, but he’s a damn good one considering how hard it is to get a successful one through the draft.
Why employ a coach that is know for squads with the lowest pace when the team now has John Wall in the fold? Why demand that JaVale McGee becomes a conventional center when all signs point to the fact that his abilities lie in creating havoc and taking chances?
Flip has pushed the pace of the team. The offense is making more fastbreak opportunities than it did last year, but you can’t just FORCE something to happen. You have to have an offensive rythm. That’s how you win in the nba, by controlling the court. Even if players have incredible strengths in non convential areas, you can’t encourage them for it and ignore the part of their game that suffers. That’s taking shortcuts, that’s what eddie jordan and ernie grunfeld did for 5 years. Championship teams require work.
Geting it done.
by Knowledge92 on Jan 11, 2011 11:39 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Exactly.
Look at the SSOL Suns, gimmick perfection, or the Miami Dolphins and the Wildcat. Craziness can carry you only so far.
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jan 12, 2011 8:50 AM EST up reply actions
Thinkin' outside of the box?
Bring in a defensive minded coach, both attempts to hire a offensive minded coached just hasn’t worked out!
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