ErikChowbay023 wrote:Took this from the McGee thread.Hoopalotta wrote:I love Javale personally and threw it out in the 'Wizards trade the 5th pick' thread just today that I still think he has a chance to be better player than anyone taken in 2009 from 5th on back.
But I think as to the team before, we shouldn't overlook the chemistry and politic problems going on. We could see it on the court, and that once in the media, but Mike Lee came out and said that Butler and Arenas basically 'strongly disliked' each other. And I can hardly imagine what Jamison would have done had he been benched for Blatche. And that's just scratching the surface. That kind of stuff's just a big problem.
I gotta say, that squad was doomed.
Looking forward though, I'm ready to get drunk on the Kool Aid with our young bigs.
I knew they didnt like each other, thats probably why Gil was hesitant at returning to this team when all the suspension and alienation by the Wizards organization. Once Caron was traded, you then heard from Ernie first giving hints that Gil would be a Wizard next year, and now Gil is coming out and saying that he wouldnt mind playing for the Wizards again.
I always knew there was more to it than just bad basketball and Flip`s system with this team pre-trade. It was bad chemistry and egomania going on in that locker room... It was so clear.
I was just thinking about why this could have emerged. Butler was probably resentful towards the amount of attention that Gilbert Arenas drew in Washington. When the Wizards were winning games in 2007-08 without Arenas, the Wizards only got national attention when Arenas said something to the media. Butler's game winner in Cleveland did not get as much props as Arenas's buzzer beater in 05 against Chicago, or even the ones he had in the regular season against Utah, Milwaulkee, etc in 2007.
Butler had also developed selfish habits under Tapscott that progressed to Flip Saunder's regime. In the 08-09 season, Butler took shots that were in the offense, played little defense, and wasn't punished at all by Tapscott with fewer minutes. Younger players were held to a different standard and could only maintain basketball time by playing a flawless game.
In the offseason, everyone was optimistic. Guys like Jamison and Butler talked about championship. Interesting that Gilbert Arenas is the one who showed restraint and indicated that the Wizards still had to prove it on the court.
I think that pessismistic behaivior began to grow throughout the season. While Arenas directed remarks to the media, I thought it was interesting that Haywood's comments also called for Caron Butler to get in line. It was clear to everyone involved that Butler was putting forth the same effort offensively as he would if he were the first or second option offensively. In Butler's mind, he probably felt it was unnecessary to take his feud to the public. Butler may also have jealous of the fact Arenas earned twice as much money as Butler, not including endorsement deals.
Still, it would have been interesting to see how it all would have played out without the guns incident. I think Butler was simply adjusting to a new system and the Wizards only began to reap the benefits with Butler close to the trading deadline. I suspect Arenas's play would have also picked up sometime after the all star break.
Interesting, that the Wizards ultimately chose to build around Arenas instead of Butler. Or maybe the Wizards assessed that it would be impossible to move Arenas in the forseeable future and that having Arenas and Butler would be toxic.