Nets/Wiz Gamethread

[Notorious_1]

PS--The Wizards might as well fire Tapscott and make Antawn the player-coach.

Then we would have the M. Jordan era all over again. I don't want to deal with that and have another skilled big be destroyed by a player coach and UNC alumni.

By the way, just wanted to say Hello...It's my first post even though I've been reading on here for a couple years now.

Welcome aboard, Notorious_1 !

Your opinion's as valuable as anybody's and I'm glad you're offering it.

This IS getting like when MJ was here! One guy has a conflict of interest as a player who has too much influence over management and coaching decisions.

Which skilled big are you talking about getting destroyed? Javale or Andray?

To me, both those guys have their heads in the game way better than Kwame did. Jamison doesn't have that much pull over anything but their minutes right now. Also, Kwame's had a whole lot of chances at redemption. MJ and Doug should have talked him up and traded him IMO. Ripping him didn't do anybody any good.

I'm talking about both. Javele and Andray...But I agree they do seem to have a better head on their shoulders then Kwame and the situation wasn't handled by MJ and Doug well at all.

But like you and someone else mentioned there is obviously an issue between Jamison and the young guys. And if he has that much influence over management and the coach then it can hinder development. He doesn't seem like he trusts them and even though he wants them to grow he has to give them a chance to go through growing pains. I'm not saying they haven't had chances. Jamison has just become a black hole with the ball and that's not going to help us win games either.
I think it's just time for him to realize the season is over and mentor the kids through this tough time rather than blame them.

[Ced67]

It's kind of crazy when you think about it. The top 7 players on the team last year were Arenas, Butler, Haywood, Jamison, Daniels, Stevenson and Blatche. We are currently playing this game without 6 of them.

Yeah, Tapps sucks.

I was just about to quote the same post. What gets me is that, last season without Gil, this team magically played pretty well with Eddie Jordan as coach and with Jamison as the leader along with Butler. You know why that was? It was because they had "professionals" in the rotation. Including Haywood, Roger Mason Jr. and yes, DeShawn Stevenson. I personally can't stand DeShawn Stevenson but I will also say that he is a great team player despite his inablilty to hit a consistent shot. The reason Taps like Stevenson is not because he's just his "main man," its because he's a team player and allows the ball to move within the offense. Nick Young may have some spectacular plays but most of his stuff is 1 on 1 and outside the flow of the offense, this is great for him but not great for the offensive flow of the team.

Stevenson, Roger Mason and Haywood are professionals. Although the young guys show flashes they are not consistent enough to be considered professionals at this point. To blame the record or state of the team on the only professionals is ridiculous. Jamison was a pretty good leader when he was leading Butler, DeShawn, Haywood, Roger Mason, and Antonio Daniels. There's only so much you can do with rookies and really young guys. Name me a team full of young guys that has had any success. You can put Ray Lewis on the Oakland Raiders and it will turn out a lot worse than if you put him on the Patriots.

McGee plays with extreme hussell and I love the guy, but he gets pushed out of position by 240lb PF's consistently, you play the guy 35-40min a game he wont be able to walk by the end of the season. I personally like both McGuire and Critt. And by the way. If Taps hates rookies so much, why is McGuire starting and playing pretty good minutes????? It's because he's the most mature of the group. He gives max effort, he has an NBA body and can take hits and he's a great team player. Nick Young can get hot and hit shots, but when his shot isn't on, what the hell else does he do. A lot of you guys seem to really be in stats, go back and take a look at a lot of his game logs. Last time I checked he had 22 games with 2 or fewer reb's and 27 games with 2 or fewer assists.

[Ced67]

Ced, I think I get what you are saying, but not everyone needs to be led. As long as the team knows what they are supposed to do and do the jod, all will be fine. Though, most don't know what their job entails yet. Also, I think you are using the wrong word when you say we are short on talent. It's cohesiveness and experience together that we lack. IMO.

I agree with the lack of cohesiveness but can you seriously tell me we don't lack talent. We don't have a single big man that can hold their position with consistency in the paint. There isn't a PG on this roster with any experience, and we have a SG who can score, but only seems to be able to score when he's hot. Times two if you count Stevenson. Thats a lack of talent. The only big outside of Songaila that plays with any enthusiasm has no clue what he's doing on the court, on either side. Now, I really like McGee, especially his enthusiasm and energy, but he's got a long way to go as far as skills are concerned. Athleticism doesn't equal talent. Same for Nick Young. I said in an earlier post. The cohesiveness was great just one year ago when the glue guys where Stevenson, Roger Mason, Haywood, Songaila and Antonio Daniels around Caron and Jamison. Those guys are seasoned professionals. These current guys aren't them Again, athleticism and highlight plays doesn't mean your ready to be a starter in the NBA and contribute consistently. Thats been the problem with these guys so far, consistency, and when the most consistent player on the team has 1 bad shooting night he gets attacked and blamed for all the problems. THINK ABOUT IT.

Ive actually been in favor of a Jamison trade if we can get Brand, but its because he's a tweener and really doesn't have the ability to defend either position. Its not because of his leadership and Im not going to blame the problems of this team on him and Taps.

And as far as the leadership question. You're right, not everyone needs to be lead but I don't think those guys are on this team. Guys who don't need to be lead=Battier, Roger Mason, Bruce Bowen, Steve Blake....Just to name a few off the top of my head. These are the types of role players that do their job and don't need to be lead. Most young guys need to be lead. Name me some that don't and let me know if there are any on this team, Id really like to know. I think your really underestimating what leadership is. A coach can only do so much. Name me a team that's had any success in recent years that hasn't had a defined leader. Look at Detroit, they've been consistent for years, lose Chauncey Billups and the season goes down the ****, conversely he goes to Denver and turns a team with Carmelo Anthony around. Carmelo Anthony like Gil is the best player but not a leader. Detroit has a lot more talent and a lot more veterans than us. So our situation is a lot worse.

[W. Unseld]

On another topic did OPech play well or are those inflated stats?

[spaceman_E]

Again, I agree with you but I still think you are using the wrong word when you say we lack talent. Yes, we DO lack professionalism and mature talent and fully realized potential. This is because... we are a very young team this season so I think it's to be expected. But to say we lack talent, you are saying we lack the potential to become a very good team when these guys realize their potential. Which I think is very much in the wrong. It will never happen but if we kept all these guys until they hit their prime, we would have a very nice team.
Our roster is not complete and yes we lack a big who can hold his ground and a true experienced point, but those things have nothing to do with talent. That's mature bodies with years of weight training and guards spending a couple years in a system and knowing their jobs and how opponents will react and how to counter even further.

I'm not in the camp that is going to throw Jamison under the bus just for 1 game, but we all know he has his flaws. Just a random point, but there was a play in the 2nd quarter I believe where Pech got an open look at the 3 off a pick n roll, meanwhile Jamison was standing under the hoop unguarded and Pech didn't see him. I'm assuming he didn't see him, but if those players had been switched around, everyone would be bashing Jamison as a selfish gunner. I can't remember if he hit the shot or not but that's not the point.

Also, not really important but I think the reason the Nuggets have been better with Billups is simply because he is a better player than Iverson. It's his leadership ON the court that is the difference. He knows when to push it, when to slow it down, when to take a quick 3, when and how to set up a teammate for an easy look, when to feed Melo if he's rolling. Iverson is a great player with a world of ability, but he rarely gets the most out of these abilities and that Pistons team has also not been built around him which is what would need to happen if you want to win with a player like that.

Sort of like how our team is. This is a lost season. We have an interim coach who is just running the previous system as there isn't time in season to implement an entirely new offense and defense. We also are playing without the players who this team was built for causing players to have to do more than they can.

For the young guys, it's like having a substitute teacher. They see it as free reign to goof around and figure they don't have to listen to Tapscott because he won't be the coach next season. Jamison is the teachers pet, announcing what the homework assignment was and thus is looked at with resentment by the others.
I don't think it has truly gotten to that stage but that's the best analogy I can come up with. Next season it will be back to business when Gil(who is a goofball but works his a** off), Wood, Deshawn all return and a new coach and system are put in. I think the young guys will see pretty quickly next season that it's a new season and it's time to get serious about winning again. If they don't then I imagine they will be gone. This is a year to grow and I truly believe it will help us in the long run, whether that is through more maturity for the players next year or simply by landing a very high pick.

The future is bright everyone, keep your chins up!

[Notorious_1]

On another topic did OPech play well or are those inflated stats?

Pech actually played well. He grabbed a few boards and hit some shots in the 2nd quarter when the game was actually close. It was when McGee and Pech were in the game that the Wiz came back from being down 10 to take the lead by 10. If I recall correctly he was the leading scoring for the Wiz at halftime.

[spaceman_E]

On another topic did OPech play well or are those inflated stats?

Big Pecker played really well in the second quarter when we went on our run. He grabbed a couple offensive rebounds, put them back nicely. Got a few good looks in the flow of the offense, mostly on pick and pops and hit at least one 3 ball. He had 11 points and 3 or 4 rebounds at half but then I don't think he played as much in the second half. Oh, and he also played active defense, causing at least two TO's that don't show up in the box score.

[Dat2U]

Seriously?, I think thats a pretty bold statement to make when the guy had one bad night shooting. Now, Im not the biggest Jamison fan but I don't think his leadership is the problem, look what he has to "lead" on the floor, a bunch of kids trying to find their way in this league. I think the fact that we're not winning right now has more to do with the talent than Jamison's leadership. Also, if Jamison where not the leader on this team, who would be??. It ain't gonna be Gil when he comes back, he already said that. So if we're gonna move Jamison, which I am in favor of, it better be for someone with some type of leadership skills or at least a proven "pro" or the young guys are just gonna follow Gil and on top of what we have right now, there will be a lot of joking around. Jamison is the only one on this team who can actually say something to Gil and I don;t think that should be overlooked. If you think the inmates are running the asylum now, wait until Jamison's gone and its just Gil Now, to reiterate, I am in favor of a Jamison trade, but I also think that he's taking a little to much criticism. Is he worthy of some?, absolutely!!, but look at the rest of this team.

Um, hate to burst your bubble, but THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM HERE! Lets see, Jamison basically does what he wants:

He plays as many minutes as he wants
Throws up as many contested jump shots as he wants
Gives as little effort defensively as he wants
Throws his younger teammates under the bus to the media as much as he wants
Freezes out his younger teammates on the court whenever he wants

Same goes for Caron.

Are these two acting like leaders? Are you & other saying its okay for a "leader" to act like an indignant child because he's not placed in the best of circumstances? I thought a REAL LEADER was supposed to stand strong in the good times & tough times?

It just goes to show you that Jamison & Caron were nothing more than faux leaders. Sure, we may have nobody else that we can consider much of a leader, but that doesn't mean we should stuck with the piss poor leadership we already have. I'd rather have no leadership than poor leadership.

You can't tell me that Jamison & Butler haven't set a bad example for the younger guys on this team this season. Empty stats, suggesting its not their fault this team sucks, horrible body language, bitching to the media about their teammates, etc etc etc...

We've got the worst team in the NBA with this type of leadership, I'm hard pressed to believe it could actually be worse without those two.

[no D in Hibachi]

Seriously?, I think thats a pretty bold statement to make when the guy had one bad night shooting. Now, Im not the biggest Jamison fan but I don't think his leadership is the problem, look what he has to "lead" on the floor, a bunch of kids trying to find their way in this league. I think the fact that we're not winning right now has more to do with the talent than Jamison's leadership. Also, if Jamison where not the leader on this team, who would be??. It ain't gonna be Gil when he comes back, he already said that. So if we're gonna move Jamison, which I am in favor of, it better be for someone with some type of leadership skills or at least a proven "pro" or the young guys are just gonna follow Gil and on top of what we have right now, there will be a lot of joking around. Jamison is the only one on this team who can actually say something to Gil and I don;t think that should be overlooked. If you think the inmates are running the asylum now, wait until Jamison's gone and its just Gil Now, to reiterate, I am in favor of a Jamison trade, but I also think that he's taking a little to much criticism. Is he worthy of some?, absolutely!!, but look at the rest of this team.

Um, hate to burst your bubble, but THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM HERE! Lets see, Jamison basically does what he wants:

He plays as many minutes as he wants
Throws up as many contested jump shots as he wants
Gives as little effort defensively as he wants
Throws his younger teammates under the bus to the media as much as he wants
Freezes out his younger teammates on the court whenever he wants

Same goes for Caron.

Are these two acting like leaders? Are you & other saying its okay for a "leader" to act like an indignant child because he's not placed in the best of circumstances? I thought a REAL LEADER was supposed to stand strong in the good times & tough times?

It just goes to show you that Jamison & Caron were nothing more than faux leaders. Sure, we may have nobody else that we can consider much of a leader, but that doesn't mean we should stuck with the piss poor leadership we already have. I'd rather have no leadership than poor leadership.

You can't tell me that Jamison & Butler haven't set a bad example for the younger guys on this team this season. Empty stats, suggesting its not their fault this team sucks, horrible body language, bitching to the media about their teammates, etc etc etc...

We've got the worst team in the NBA with this type of leadership, I'm hard pressed to believe it could actually be worse without those two.

+1

In complete agreement. I seriously think that Antawn Jamison might be the most defended and highly compensated losers in the NBA over the last 20 years. Throughout his career he has been a key contributor of some of the worst teams in the NBA, aside from him stint in Dallas when he wasn’t even a starter. In fact taking out his one season in Dallas his teams winning percentage has been sub .400. That’s a decade of leading your team to suckiness.

I simply cannot understand the praise he gets from Buchantz, Chenier, Carter, Lee, EJordan, and Glen Consor. Everyone is so fast to throw the kids under the bus, but for heavens sake do not even try and hold Jamison accountable because he acts professionally in spite of being on a losing team. It’s unbelievable! I knew when the Wiz resigned him that it was a mistake, and they’ll pay for it for the next four years because they are going no where, and have gone no where under his leadership.

[DCZards]

It's not talent that's lacking. What's lacking are cohesiveness, unselfishness, and sound coaching philosophy from Tapscott. Not knowing what their job is comes straight from the coach.

No, it's talent that's lacking. Right now, the Wizards are putting on the court an assortment of guys that have some talent but it's very limited. Not a one of them would start on ANY other team--other than Jamison who doesn't deserve the grief he's getting from some of you.

[DCZards]

The funny thing is that a few months ago, Eddie Jordan was the sole problem and everything was going to turn around when EJ was gone. Now people are putting the blame on Jamison and the culture around Jamison's leadership. Now the two definitely have there faults but they are the least of the problems. The truth is, the current talent on this team is not very good. Point blank. To blame the state of this team on Jamison's leadership is ridiculous. At least he tries. Name me another person outside of Butler who would even try leading?

No Ced, it's beyond ridiculous the way that some posters want to blame Jamison for this team's shortcomings. This is a LOUSY team that would only be worse without AJ. To suggest that AJ's leadership is what's holdimg back a team of young, inexperienced, still wet-behind-the-ears players is flat-out crazy. Last night the Wizards played with one bona fide starter--no Gil, no CB, no BH, no Blatche--yet it was ALL Jamison's fault that they played so poorly. Unbelievable!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

On another topic did OPech play well or are those inflated stats?

Pech actually played well. He grabbed a few boards and hit some shots in the 2nd quarter when the game was actually close. It was when McGee and Pech were in the game that the Wiz came back from being down 10 to take the lead by 10. If I recall correctly he was the leading scoring for the Wiz at halftime.

All preseason and during regular season cameos, Pecherov has demonstrated good accuracy on his three point shot and a good rebounding rate.

Not a surprise at all to me that OPEC teamed well with McGee (and I know he would with Blatche, too.)

Problem is with Antawn and Ed Tapscott it's imperative that Jamison get 40 minutes and shots that Pecherov could take and make, too.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

It's not talent that's lacking. What's lacking are cohesiveness, unselfishness, and sound coaching philosophy from Tapscott. Not knowing what their job is comes straight from the coach.

No, it's talent that's lacking. Right now, the Wizards are putting on the court an assortment of guys that have some talent but it's very limited. Not a one of them would start on ANY other team--other than Jamison who doesn't deserve the grief he's getting from some of you.

Jamison's talent on defense is ...

Butler's talent on defense is ....

There are loads of teams that would trade for Blatche, McGee, or Young. They have talent but not experience.

[Silvie Lysandra]

Blatche could start for

Clippers (since Camby's hurt)
Warriors
Thunder
Rockets
Bulls
Maybe the Nets
Maybe the Knicks
Bucks (since Bogut's out but he could beat out Charlie V)
Minnesota

About the same list for McGee, maybe smaller.

There are about 5-7 teams that would start Young.

I'm sure even Critt and McGuire could start on a team or two.
Cleveland
Indiana

[hands11]

The funny thing is that a few months ago, Eddie Jordan was the sole problem and everything was going to turn around when EJ was gone. Now people are putting the blame on Jamison and the culture around Jamison's leadership. Now the two definitely have there faults but they are the least of the problems. The truth is, the current talent on this team is not very good. Point blank. To blame the state of this team on Jamison's leadership is ridiculous. At least he tries. Name me another person outside of Butler who would even try leading?

No Ced, it's beyond ridiculous the way that some posters want to blame Jamison for this team's shortcomings. This is a LOUSY team that would only be worse without AJ. To suggest that AJ's leadership is what's holdimg back a team of young, inexperienced, still wet-behind-the-ears players is flat-out crazy. Last night the Wizards played with one bona fide starter--no Gil, no CB, no BH, no Blatche--yet it was ALL Jamison's fault that they played so poorly. Unbelievable!

Your totally right that we would suck without CB and AJs leadership. This is part of the catch 22. We need AJs leadership but we need AJ to not be starting at PF. That means he has to move to SF but CB is there and we need his leadership as much or more then we do AJs.

IMO, Haywood is going to step up big time as a team leader when he returns. So with Haywood and CB as leaders, AJs leadership won't be as needed. Again, I would have loved it if we signed him to 8M a year average. I wanted a declining contract where he could have gotten 10M this year but by next year he was coming off the bench. Then we could have had it all. His pts and his leadership. But he got paid to much to bring off the bench so he has to go.

Haywood and CB will lead for now. If we traded for someone like R Wallace, he would lead also. This would present the time for GA and Blatche to mature more. Also, I think McGee will show leadership skills very quickly. He is going to mature more quickly then either Haywood or Blatche did.

It all just sucks right now mostly because we don't have Haywood. However you slice it, with AJ or without, we would be a lot better with Haywood playing center right now.

[hands11]

On another topic did OPech play well or are those inflated stats?

Pech actually played well. He grabbed a few boards and hit some shots in the 2nd quarter when the game was actually close. It was when McGee and Pech were in the game that the Wiz came back from being down 10 to take the lead by 10. If I recall correctly he was the leading scoring for the Wiz at halftime.

All preseason and during regular season cameos, Pecherov has demonstrated good accuracy on his three point shot and a good rebounding rate.

Not a surprise at all to me that OPEC teamed well with McGee (and I know he would with Blatche, too.)

Problem is with Antawn and Ed Tapscott it's imperative that Jamison get 40 minutes and shots that Pecherov could take and make, too.

I know, you ever stumble across this one before. Its been this way with OPs mug on the top for a for while, but I never posted it because of the small sample size.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/sta ... 48&split=0

Play this line for 48 minutes LOL

Crit
NY
OP
Blatche
McGee

96.8 Pts 48 rebounds ( 20 offensive ), 13.7 assist ( ok, they dont pass ( except AB and Crit) ,
5.89 Blocks

Actually, I started with kind of joking, but I wouldn't mind seeing them play a half. If nothing else, it would be entertaining. Crit needs to get that alley-op going with McGee. McGee is great at that. Blatche and Crit could slash and dish. NY could slash and shoot. OP could sit on the 3 line. We could grab all kinds of boards and they can all run.

[Ced67]

Seriously?, I think thats a pretty bold statement to make when the guy had one bad night shooting. Now, Im not the biggest Jamison fan but I don't think his leadership is the problem, look what he has to "lead" on the floor, a bunch of kids trying to find their way in this league. I think the fact that we're not winning right now has more to do with the talent than Jamison's leadership. Also, if Jamison where not the leader on this team, who would be??. It ain't gonna be Gil when he comes back, he already said that. So if we're gonna move Jamison, which I am in favor of, it better be for someone with some type of leadership skills or at least a proven "pro" or the young guys are just gonna follow Gil and on top of what we have right now, there will be a lot of joking around. Jamison is the only one on this team who can actually say something to Gil and I don;t think that should be overlooked. If you think the inmates are running the asylum now, wait until Jamison's gone and its just Gil Now, to reiterate, I am in favor of a Jamison trade, but I also think that he's taking a little to much criticism. Is he worthy of some?, absolutely!!, but look at the rest of this team.

Um, hate to burst your bubble, but THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM HERE! Lets see, Jamison basically does what he wants:

He plays as many minutes as he wants
Throws up as many contested jump shots as he wants
Gives as little effort defensively as he wants
Throws his younger teammates under the bus to the media as much as he wants
Freezes out his younger teammates on the court whenever he wants

Same goes for Caron.

Are these two acting like leaders? Are you & other saying its okay for a "leader" to act like an indignant child because he's not placed in the best of circumstances? I thought a REAL LEADER was supposed to stand strong in the good times & tough times?

It just goes to show you that Jamison & Caron were nothing more than faux leaders. Sure, we may have nobody else that we can consider much of a leader, but that doesn't mean we should stuck with the piss poor leadership we already have. I'd rather have no leadership than poor leadership.

You can't tell me that Jamison & Butler haven't set a bad example for the younger guys on this team this season. Empty stats, suggesting its not their fault this team sucks, horrible body language, bitching to the media about their teammates, etc etc etc...

We've got the worst team in the NBA with this type of leadership, I'm hard pressed to believe it could actually be worse without those two.

Wow, I really don't know where to start with this one. You might want to take your emotion out of it because a lot of this is pretty exaggerated. So I guess if these two where real "leaders" we'd be in contention for home court right. Bottom line is that this team sucks, and yes the talent right now sucks outside of Jamison and Caron. Yes they may have some bright spots but pretty much everyone on this team is inconsistent outside of Butler and Jamison, if you dont think it can get worse, consider both Blatche and Young having off nights, which they are prone to having. Who's going to score?

Yes, Jamison and Butler has knocked some of the younger players in the media. Why???? Because what they said was true. These guys are not ready yet and they'd probably be a year away from stepping in and contributing consistently. Outside of that though most of these guys have had golden opportunities to step in with others out and show something and the only one who has shown up is McGuire and maybe Critt as of late.

Also before you accuse someone of freezing someone out on the court, Id really like some proof. Both of these guys have been all stars before and deserve the right to be the #1 and #2 offensive options. Id rather have them shooting the ball than have Nick Young thinking he's Kobe and shooting nothing but fade aways all the time, or Andray Blatche trying to cross someone up from the top of the key.

As for "empty stats" OK, this team is not winning and its because of the empty stats of ther vets, that really makes a lot of sense. If Caron and Jamison are putting up empty stats, what would you call the stats that the great young talent are putting up????? THE TALENT ON THIS TEAM OUTSIDE OF JAMISON AND BUTLER SUCKS. DID YOU EXPECT THEM TO WIN???? Nick Young will have a good shooting night ever so often, but he's inconsistent, same for Blatche, McGee, Critt, and McGuire. You know what, you're right without Jamison and Butler this team would actually be better. Just let me know who's going to put points on the board and who's going to at least attempt to distribute the ball outside of Butler. You may say that he's been jacking up shots, but Butler's also been trying to get others involved, not freezing them out. Again if you want to accuse someone of freezing out the younger guys you better have some proof. Oh wait, you're right again I forgot we do have OJ Mayo and Brook Lopez as two of our young guys.


My main point is this. The young guys are really inconsistent. I don't see the problem with Jamison or Butler saying that publicly if its the truth. Now, both of these guys are pretty bad defenders but they aren't terrible players. My question to you is this. Did you really expect this team to win with this talent. If so, your as big a fool as anyone and to now blame it solely on the only leadership on this team is pretty stupid IMO. For some reason guys like Critt and McGuire are playing pretty hard and are defending and playing team ball. McGee is giving max effort, what example has been set for them. If the leadership message is effecting guys like that positively and guys like NY and Blatche negatively who's fault is that?

Last thing I'll say is this. Jamison and Caron called some of the younger guys out in the media, boohoo, I forgot we had 12 year olds on this roster. GROW A PAIR, seriously. What they said was true. It ain't like NY and Blatche are Derrick Rose and Brooke Lopez.

[Ced67]

The funny thing is that a few months ago, Eddie Jordan was the sole problem and everything was going to turn around when EJ was gone. Now people are putting the blame on Jamison and the culture around Jamison's leadership. Now the two definitely have there faults but they are the least of the problems. The truth is, the current talent on this team is not very good. Point blank. To blame the state of this team on Jamison's leadership is ridiculous. At least he tries. Name me another person outside of Butler who would even try leading?

No Ced, it's beyond ridiculous the way that some posters want to blame Jamison for this team's shortcomings. This is a LOUSY team that would only be worse without AJ. To suggest that AJ's leadership is what's holdimg back a team of young, inexperienced, still wet-behind-the-ears players is flat-out crazy. Last night the Wizards played with one bona fide starter--no Gil, no CB, no BH, no Blatche--yet it was ALL Jamison's fault that they played so poorly. Unbelievable!

BINGO, for some reason I think people think that Nick Young is the next Jordan and Blatche is the next KG or something. They aren't even starters in this league yet. Nick Young is great making the difficult shots but can't make the easy shot for anything. Not only that but if people are mad about Jamison taking contested jumpers that screw up the offense, what exactly is it when NY dribbles the ball 20 times only to take a fade away jumper from 8 ft. Thats all he can do. If people want to think he's a starter right now, keep dreaming. Same can be said for Blatche. Its ridiculous.

[DCZards]

Blatche could start for

Clippers (since Camby's hurt)
Warriors
Thunder
Rockets
Bulls
Maybe the Nets
Maybe the Knicks
Bucks (since Bogut's out but he could beat out Charlie V)
Minnesota

About the same list for McGee, maybe smaller.

There are about 5-7 teams that would start Young.

I'm sure even Critt and McGuire could start on a team or two.
Cleveland
Indiana

So tell me, Chaos, who do the Rockets sit to start Blatche--Yao, Scola or Battier? And do the Thunder sit Durant or Green for Blatche? And you need to pay more attention to Charlie V. of the Bucks. He's a lot more consistent than Blatche.

[Ced67]

Blatche could start for

Clippers (since Camby's hurt)
Warriors
Thunder
Rockets
Bulls
Maybe the Nets
Maybe the Knicks
Bucks (since Bogut's out but he could beat out Charlie V)
Minnesota

About the same list for McGee, maybe smaller.

There are about 5-7 teams that would start Young.

I'm sure even Critt and McGuire could start on a team or two.
Cleveland
Indiana

This post is the definition of people overvalueing talent on this team. As for Blatche:

Clippers: He might be able to start right now, but its because Camby, Randolph and Kaman are all hurt, he'd be the 4th best big man on that team. Actually 5th behind Deandre Jordan. So even though he might start right now, thats not saying much, and there could be someone else, Im not looking at the roster.
Warriors: He's not starting over Biedrins and Nelson wouldn't start him at the 4 because he would slow them down, he also can't hit the 3 so the only spot he can play is the 5 and Biedrins, like Lee and Collison shows more effort, are better rebounders and know their limitations.
Thunder: I think they're content with Jeff Green at the 4 because it allows Durant to guard 3's, he might be able to start over Collison but Collison is going to give you a consistent 9 and 9 every night.
Rockets: No way he starts over Scola, he gives you energy and effort, and even if Scola where hurt, Carl Landry would start over Blatche because of defense and effort and consistency, not really Blatche's strengths. Being that they'd be complimenting Yao, thats what they need.
Bulls: He could start for the Bulls but I think athletically Tyrus Thomas is a better option, but they really dont have much at the 5 beyond Noah, so thats a possibility.
Nets: Not at the 5 because Lopez is killing it right now and even Ryan Anderson would be a better option at the 4, he's playing pretty well right now. He's also a rookie.
Knicks: He's not starting over Lee at the 5 and Harrington is the perfect fit at the 4. Plus Blatche would slow them down and he can't hit a consistent 3. With that said Lee can only play the 5 in that offense and would easily beat out Blatche because he can actually rebound and he shows effort.
Bucks: Maybe at the 5 because Boguts out but he's not beating out Charlie V. I personally don't like Charlie V but he is a lot more athletic and if you're going to have a soft bigman I'd rather have one that's athletic and can execute finesse moves. There's nothing worse than an unathletic, soft big man in my opinion. Because he can't play to his strengths.
Minnesota: At this point I think I would take Kevin Love as the compliment to Al Jefferson mainly because Jefferson will be the one with the ball most of the time in the post. Kevin Love is a better rebounder, gives more effort and has better range on his shot and he can also pass pretty well, so Blatche doesn't get a huge edge there. Love is also a rookie showing more than a 4th year Blatche so his upside is a lot higher.

So realistically the huge list you gave Blatche comes down to 2 maybe 3 teams. Again realistically. And for McGee, I love the guys effort and think he will become a pretty good player down the line, but he has no clue what he's doing out there right now and he can't hold his position, meaning he's always out of position. I don't see the list being that long for McGee either. He can dunk it and block shots but if all you have to do is pump fake to get him up and dish it to man under the rim, its not that great.

Id also like to see the list for Nick Young. Notice that JR Smith is still not starting in Denver, there's a reason for that. He's a pure offensive guy that gets a lot of his shots outside the flow of the offense, the difference between he and NY is that he can actually shoot the 3 pretty well.

I think the best chance for a starter out of the young guys would be McGuire because of his passing, defense and hustle.

To end it, this is what Im talking about when I say people highly overvalue the talent on this team. You got to look at it objectively and actually compare it with other teams talent.