The Javale McGee Appreciation Thread

[pcbothwel]

I could of posted this in the game thread, but most of the information was centered around McGee so I figured I would post here. I was watching the game last night with a friend/agent and a former NBA player and 1st round pick who calls games for his college alma mater. We were talking all things NBA, college and Wizards. Needless to say that plenty of opinions came up about the Wiz with that performance last night. Opinions were:

-NY: Best Rucker park player you'll ever meet, great scorer but will never be part of winning because beyond stats, he kills flow of team(ball movement)
- Wall: Get some winning players around him before making firm opinion.

- McGee: Will not get DeAndre money, agent believes he'll get 3/28-30 or 4/35. He thinks Jordan got the money cuz the Clips were making a move to win and couldn't let him walk and they like that he know his role and how to best contribute on winning team.
McGee could start for a winning team, but you would need a strong back-up big who can keep him in check and take minutes away when his head gets to far up his a$$.

Jut a little info for the discussion. BTW, when I showed them the pics of JR Smith and his fam getting thrown out of game in China they were laughing their a$$ off.

[Ruzious]

JaVale was never going to be worth Deandre Jordan money. And what is so special about Tyson Chandler that we ought to be holding on to McGee like he is gold just in case he becomes Chandler-esque. Chandler is overrated and replaceable. I don't think he's that much better than Dalembert. Players of that caliber can be obtained later through trade or free agency. We don't need to overpay for McGee now just in case he ever reaches that level.

I actually never got the comparison of Javale to Chandler. They might have been built similarly, but Chandler's always been physically tough; he's never been soft - or a finesse player. He's an outstanding defensive player who understands his offensive deficiencies. Javale is the opposite - he's a very soft player - except when he has a clear path for a dunk - and he doesn't seem to understand his deficiencies.

[Higga]

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/ph ... 5KZwK1O34_

Biggest idiot in NBA history.

And you wonder why Wall gets demoralized playing with dumbasses like McGee...

[FAH1223]

[dangermouse]

looks like mcgee was having 'problems' with the burrito he ate for lunch and was heading to the locker room

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If CCJ can play I told you so about previous draft prospects, so can I about McGee. His best value is as a trade chip, and we should have cashed him in during last year's draft. Can we even trade McGee at this point of the year? Certainly, he has hurt his trade value with his play.

JaVale was never going to be worth Deandre Jordan money. And what is so special about Tyson Chandler that we ought to be holding on to McGee like he is gold just in case he becomes Chandler-esque. Chandler is overrated and replaceable. I don't think he's that much better than Dalembert. Players of that caliber can be obtained later through trade or free agency. We don't need to overpay for McGee now just in case he ever reaches that level.

I don't post negative stuff about Wall in the Wall appreciation thread.

Javale has slumped for about 10 games. theboomking, I'll play your game. Look at the column that says similarity score under McGee. He is compared to a lot of former players and some present. DeAndre Jordan indeed comes up in both columns as having had a similar career.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... eja01.html

I pointed out that H2H McGee has been pretty even with Jordan until the past two meetings, where Jordan killed him. Having Blake Griffin and Chris Paul helps DeAndre the very same way Gilbert Arenas was able to help get Caron Butler and Antawn and Larry Hughes get paid. DeAndre Jordan isn't THAT good, either.

Everybody, even Ray Charles if he weren't dead can see that McGee is getting pushed around the past 10-15 games--but you want to use it as proof he's never going to do anything. I will even concede Javale loses to physical guys. Well guess what?

Last night: Dwight Howard had 33 points, 14 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan had 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 fouls. Everybody has bad nights, but DeAndre Jordan got pwned by Howard just as badly as McGee does.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/gameTrax?gameId=2012020619

theboomking, Tyson Chandler and the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz when the Knicks were without Amare and Carmelo Anthony. Jeremy Lin was the star of the game and other guys like Jeffries and Steve Novak stepped up, but Tyson Chandler dominated his match up. I watched the game. Chandler played volleyball with Utah player's shot attempts, including one incredible blocked dunk attempt. Tyson Chandler is an elite player player.

http://mobile.newyork.sbnation.com/new- ... nba-scores

Despite being in foul trouble, it’s pretty incredible when you realize the effect Chandler had on the game. In just 22 minutes, he led the Knicks with a +18 rating, finishing with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals

McGee will look better in another uniform. Folks in DC have soured on him, and McGee has certainly fallen off a cliff effort/performance wise the past 10 or so games.

Personally, I am not unhappy to see this and I want him to go elsewhere, too. I do believe he will have a good career somewhere else. He's not the future of the NBA like his mom thinks, but Javale can be a spectacular glue guy elsewhere. He's going to be a great role player in the right system.

Just like Tyson Chandler.

[hands11]

Now that is to funny. I missed that during the game. I remember the shot but ...


WOW

[theboomking]

There have been times when McGee played the best of any Wizard. Things run in cycles.

I am convinced Seraphin is a much better defender than Javale, and I am also sure Seraphin can hold position inside and potentially give the team more points in the paint. I think right now Seraphin is really pushing to start at C because he's playing the position better in many ways than McGee.

HOWEVER, I am also convinced McGee is a better-than-average NBA player. His strength is his capacity to give weak side help and block shots at the rim. McGee has a PER of 18.7, by far the highest on the Wizards. (Booker is next at 16.3). By Win Score/48, McGee is second to Booker. By block percentage, Javale McGee is #1 in the NBA for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW. McGee is also #10 in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage. IMO Wittman is right to tell McGee to block shots. I also like the fact, that Wittman is using Seraphin well off the bench, unlike Flip Saunders.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... eja01.html

Right now, McGee is slumping and Seraphin is coming on strong. I see that as a good sign, provided McGee just keeps doing what he has been good at.

I don't know CCJ. I've come to trust your draft analysis, but I disagree with you about Wall and McGee. Whatever McGee's win share and PER are, he has terrible on off stats, fails the eye test, and the team just looks better without him. The blocked shots mean nothing. Nothing. The team is terrible at protecting the rim, McGee is the biggest part of that problem. If you are constantly out of position and don't rotate on defense and average 0.5 goal tends for ever block (stat pulled out of my a**) and the team defends better without you on the floor, then your blocks don't matter.

Talking about McGee is frustrating, and just reminds me of the scene from '28 Days Later' when they are about to go through the underground tunnel and Jim says, "Do you know why this is a bad idea? Because it is just so f***ing obviously a bad idea!". McGee is a tantalizing player athletically, but he just so obviously doesn't have the mental makeup of a successful player. Running to the wrong side of the court?!? Aaaaahhhhhh! I can't take any more.

Furthermore, Wall has quietly been much better of late. Wall's PER is now 16.79 per Hollinger, and is trending up. Wall looks like a different player defensively this year, and for all of his inefficiency last year, and the beginning of this year, over the last 10 games, Wall is averaging 46% from the floor with 15.4 points in 33.5 minutes. In the last 15 games Wall is averaging .441 from the floor with 17.1 points in 35.1 minutes. John is improving. Yes, he pouts sometimes. He is out of control sometimes. But, Wall still looks like he will be an All Star and potentially a franchise player. Especially if we can ever surround him with decent talent.

McGee looks like he is a big part of the problem with this team. I'm glad he is here, because I want us to suck this year, but we should trade him before the trade deadline for whatever draft picks we can get for him. JaVale isn't worth the money he is going to get.

[llcc25]

That clip of Javale running back on defense after his missed shot when John Wall had the ball was crazy. My friend was at the game and his said the look of Wall's face was priceless.

Is there a dumber center in the NBA right now?

[Nivek]

I chose to look at the bright side of that clip: at least he was hustling back on defense.

[queridiculo]

CCJ, what I'm trying to understand is how exactly Javale can help a team win without playing defense, not rebounding on the defensive board and given his propensity to take poor shots.

You make the Chandler comparison, but McGee himself seems to be rejecting the idea that he is/wants/could play anything like him.

Take offensive rebounding for example. When McGee isn't converting an offensive rebound with a put back dunk, he forces a poor shot nearly 70% of the time. Chandler on the other end gives his team extra possessions by passing the ball back out to allow his team to reset the offense.

McGee's WTFs have gone down, but they're still too big of a part of his game. What makes you think he will ever adopt a winning basketball mindset?

I love McGee's potential, but I simply don't see the sort of progression from him that makes me think he understands what it takes for him to help this team.

If I saw him do only two things better, boxing out and setting proper screens, I'd be elated, but the fact that he can or won't do either of those things 4 years into his playing career isn't very encouraging.

[queridiculo]

I chose to look at the bright side of that clip: at least he was hustling back on defense.

Which is one way to look at, but what's hilarious/sad to me is that hustling back he opts to look at floor instead of scanning the court to read the flow of the break..

I never thought you could fail at hustling, until that classic McGee WTF moment.

[keynote]

Wall gives a classic double-take there.

[llcc25]

CCJ, what I'm trying to understand is how exactly Javale can help a team win without playing defense, not rebounding on the defensive board and given his propensity to take poor shots.

You make the Chandler comparison, but McGee himself seems to be rejecting the idea that he is/wants/could play anything like him.

Take offensive rebounding for example. When McGee isn't converting an offensive rebound with a put back dunk, he forces a poor shot nearly 70% of the time. Chandler on the other end gives his team extra possessions by passing the ball back out to allow his team to reset the offense.

McGee's WTFs have gone down, but they're still too big of a part of his game. What makes you think he will ever adopt a winning basketball mindset?

I love McGee's potential, but I simply don't see the sort of progression from him that makes me think he understands what it takes for him to help this team.

If I saw him do only two things better, boxing out and setting proper screens, I'd be elated, but the fact that he can or won't do either of those things 4 years into his playing career isn't very encouraging.

Good post. To me boxing out and setting proper screens should be a fundamental thing for a big man let alone any other nba bball player. Its one thing this was his rookie or even his 2nd year, in which case, I'd give him a pass. But this is his 4th year! I recall Flip saying early in the year that McGee was slowing making strides as this year he noted that Mc Gee was no longer dribbling the ball up the length of the court on the fast break. So basically he was saying it took McGee 3 years to figure this out...LOL...I think w/McGee its a toughness issue and an IQ issue. Let's just accept the fact that he is not a bright guy so to think he will learn basic bball fundamentals elsewhere down the road is unlikely.

[REDardWIZskin]

pure comedy in that video... McGee just isnt very mentally tough. He needs to be on a veteran team. Which is probably the case with a couple of our guys. He does things similar to that quite often. Its like a silent protest when he think he does something wrong. Ive seen him start storming toward the bench thinking he was going to be yanked when he isn't. and also Conceding that he's fouled someone before the ref has finished putting the whistle to his lips. It kinda looks like he's pouting. It will take the next coach to be able to get to him to help mold that mindset if he's even here next season. He should spend a week with John Thompson lol

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

hermitkid, I suspect Javale could be ill. Lets assume there is either a lack of IQ or an attention disorder. I wouldn't even rule out something a doctor might diagnose and treat. Or, the guy could be suffering from the grind of this season. I don't know what, but something is going on with McGee. I have experienced a depression/anxiety related disorder. So, I don't laugh at that any more. I have worked with lots of youth who are special needs. I am sensitive to them, too.

If the Wizards want to move in another direction, so be it. I don't think Javale i's anything but a 24-yr old, really thin, relatively weak guy who is playing with a really bad team but doing the best he can. He's the most physically gifted guy on the team, perhaps behind Wall. McGee processes differently than most, but I find him amusing and nice. He's a good kid who until recently appeared to be trying really hard.

Right now, I just hope he gets his competitive fire back. Even if he doesn't improve one iota he's a useful basketball player.

[MF23]

Right now it looks like he really doesn't want to play. He's showing up and doing his job but something is off. I doubt anybody with the Wizards organization has asked him what really is going on. I'm in Javale's corner but his body language recently tells he's being introversive. My guess is the Wise article, criticism, contract, inner circle and coaching change are giving him a little trauma.

I just want him to go out there and ball harder, grow his confidence and everything will take care of itself.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Wall gives a classic double-take there.

It is fitting that this thread I created is 100 pages long. It will go no longer if it is up to me.

You shouldn't post hate in an appreciation thread. That is what Amazingly Sucky Threads are for.

I had the fire to post good things about Javale. I think he's going to be a fine player, elsewhere. He's not playing as hard now and I don't have the same enthusiasm about him staying in DC. I don't even want to keep up the fight in this thread. He's still a decent player and he's still only 24.

I think people who are sore at me for being right about Cousins, or mad at me for hating on Wall need to realize I know how to follow protocol. Suggest they do, too.

I can debate and even accept when I am wrong. Can you?

[Ruzious]

Heee, I'm glad that video was posted - so people who weren't watching know what I was talking about.

Umm... there's nothing wrong with his effort.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Not at all, Ruz.