Poll: The Divisiveness of the JaVale McGee Dunk

Now the person doing the dunk has a reputation as being a “me first” player. That’s why this isn’t going over well for many people. I see an incredibly athletically gifted 7 footer who would rather practice for the dunk competition than working on boxing out and pick and roll defense. Just completely ridiculous seeing Dalembert look like Hakeem Olajuwon out there against us.

There are so many things wrong with this team, a show boat dunk shouldn’t be the forefront of concern.

It’s why he may make an all-star team some day with fan votes. It’s also why he may never be a core part of a championship team.

I thought it was inappropriate because it increased the level of difficulty of a gimme shot in a close game, but I’m not up in arms about it. It just makes me think he may never be the type of player I’d like him to be.

How unprofessional is that? Two players in a row getting them, did Flip even mention it? What about the team reaching a point where two players feel just fine about costing the team actual points like that? Is that “meat and potatoes” basketball?

Looking back at the game, those 2 techs seemed like more of a downward turning point than the play where Javale actually scored 2 points and hyped the home crowd…but for some reason the reaction is as if Mcgee had missed that dunk and we’d lost by one point.

That’s the genesis of the reaction to McGee’s dunk. Unless you realize that, you let Flip continue to use passive/aggressiveness to try to contain Javale’s exuberance.

But if Flip hates this stuff so much, why be passive about it? Why not just fine him? Or bench him for 10 games? Or trade him? The answer is because that won’t solve the underlying problem.

The Wizard’s need big changes, starting at the top. Until then, we’re just tinkering with a losing formula.

between entertainer and athlete. He entertained the whole world with one play. He disrespected the game and die-hards with the same play. Maybe he should try trapeeze

It was a play that ended successfully. No doubt its going to be shown and “debated” on the sports shouting shows today and one of the debaters will include some nasty, somewhat personal criticism of McGee and probably Blatche as well. For some reason, this Wizards team has move past being ridiculed for their record to being hated for their record. It was just 2 years ago that New Jersey started the season 0-18 but that didn’t inspire half of the invective aimed at the Wizards this year.
I’d rather have McGee’s successful showboat dunk than Singleton’s botched dunk of last week.

I don’t think it was that risky a play. Yes was showboating, but this is only a bad thing if it spreads to the rest of his game and start causing really bad errors. He knows its not really on, so he’s not going to do it that often.

The ball went in for pete’s sake, give him a break unless he tries to do it with 3 guys on him.

Who cares?

HE FINISHED THE PLAY! That’s more than we can ask for on most possessions!

While lots of great players did fancy dunks, they were natural manifestations of what was going on in the game. It was part of the game. Or their team were winning and showboating is more acceptable. That’s not what Mcgee does. His dunks are all about him, and unrelated to the team, the game, or any sense of reason.

Are people forgetting his FT line miss dunk? Or how embarrassed we were at his triple-double attempt when we were down twenty against Chicago? He earned a technical for hanging on the rim. We were down twenty. This isn’t his first offense. It’s his third.

McGee showboats when his team is down. He creates risks, playing for a highlight over making a basket. That’s the truth of his current game.

You don’t have to like Flip Saunder to realize that he’s right. As for people who want more fun in their games, I’d prefer a little less losing. That’d be fun for me. If you want to claim McGee is a top 5 center, you have to wonder why he’s almost never had a winning record as a pro. It’s his head. Fans encouraging him to stay immature only makes it worse.

Could you guys put a site rules section on the main page for easy access? That way you could just refer people to that so you guys don’t have to deal with so many individual questions. Maybe a FAQ would be helpful, just a thought.

I have plenty of opinions but who really cares. Javale is still a young player with bad habits but I think he’s shown continuous improvement. Let it go and move forward.

Superstars get a pass on stuff like that. Mediocre players don’t. And as long as our record is crap, all of our players are mediocre or worse.

Didn’t Flip say just a few weeks ago that he was going to fine Wall if he doesn’t start smiling in games?

Now McGee does something fun, which also happened to help his team (with two points), and entertain the fans, and Flip complains. He needs to make up his mind.

So if McGee had just dunked normally, but thrwon it down really really hard, would that have been better? Because htat’s also showboating, and arguably even more difficult (players miss emphatic dunks all the time because it hits the back of the rim).

There are much more pressing issues to be concerned about.

vince carters done that before and no one made a fuss about it. anyway the si powerrankings guy said the wizards should be a run and gun team. i think we should propose a trade of flip saunders for mike d’antoni

The idea that somehow this has wider spreading implications certifies to me that Flip is completely clueless when it comes to this team and hypercritical of the teams only inside presence and one of the best young centers in the league.

Culture change is determined by roster change the bottom line you can’t go inside this collective groups personality and labotomize it.

This is a team without veteran leadersip or leadership from a head coach who’s stature and ability to teach cultivates the right sorta mentality.

Mcgee is not a leader has never claimed to be just his 2nd year in the league as a starter and still developing as a player. He’s moldable clay he will bend to whatever cuture is established on the team the team has none so his immaturity at times is the way he expresses himself.

why can’t Flip reach him or anyone else simply because Mcgee see’s the dysfunction as a whole and laughs in the face of Flip trying to make an example of him but no one else.

Hard to take the coach serious when he allows Nick Young to play selfishly going on 3 years take shot after shot disregarding open teammates and not playing the right way.

Hard to take the coach serious when he allows Blache not compete on defense not even try, show up to the team every year out of shape and then claim leadership and preach unselfishness as he shoots 20 ft fadeaway jumpers. time after time.

so when Mgee see’s all this nonsense going on unrestrained by the coach he figures and rightly so that the coach is picking on him for every ill fated thing he does.

After all Mcgee has to be thinking he shows up in shape every year, he improves and works on his game every year adding different facets is the ONE PLAYER on the team who ACTUALLY is unselfish enough to DEFEND and REBOUND.

Has curtailed the coaches main pet peeve the dribbling up the court and now has to hear bs about him being a selfish player in a game where his clueless teammates only give him the ball for 7 shots not thinking an athletic 7 fter might actually be of some assistance in a game offensively. Funny how the Rockets thought Dalembert could help them.

Mcgee is averaging 12,10,3 shooting over 50% from the field when has no real plays drawn up for him on a team with no real defensive principals.

Flip makes a mountain out of THE DUNK to distract people from his terrible decision making as a coach to how pathetic this team is.

Its a good ploy by Flip. Make it about Mcgee try and sully his reputation when he’s one of the 2 quality nba players you have on the dreadful roster a player that Ernie Loves and a bunch of teams would gladly take right now.

Try this Flip try making the unselfish thing a real concept and bench the violaters not named Mcgee then reward the guys who are unselfish get the guys to understanding that Mcgee can be a valuable part of the offense impress upon Mcgee that sharing is caring and don’t worry when you kick it back out we will look for you again.

and then Mcgee and others might actually buy what the heck you are selling. Might not feel as Mo Evans put it entitled because they are gonna get big time irregardless how selfish they play.

it can’t be all hot air it has to have bite behind it for everyone.

So things like DUNKGATE can be things of the past. I think about Mcgee like I think about Vernon avis of local fame and Niners football he was called out and summariyly embarrassed by Singletary learned his lesson a new coach arrives with a posiive upbeat attitude and Davis kills himself for the coach taking over the game and making the winning plays.

Mcgee could be just like that in the right environment.

I would have never tried the dunk didn’t think it was a good idea by Mcgee just because it was a risky thing to do in a tight game but I have seen others do other things with flair in the course of the game Rubio threw a slick no look behind the back pass his team’s record is dreadful and they were losing the game was it criminal of him NO

Its just a play. except with the Wizards and their coach. Mcgee won’t attempt again.

I’m with the crowd who think it’s being blown out of proportion. Basketball on a certain level
is entertainment and when that play happened, I was entertained…I laughed out loud. I
never thought for a minute about whether he should not have done it or not! I happen to
think Mcgee is really coming along as a young player and maybe he should get a few more
post touches. Hold your head high, brother. You’re on your way!!