Andray Blatche - Resurgence Thread ( Merged )

[verbal8]

Why would his outside shoot change. The biggest difference is that he is shooting like a number 1 and shooting in rhythm. There is no one on this team that would cause that to change.

I'm a little surprised you would ask why his outside shot would change.
It's simple. As a general rule, longer shots are harder and require the
shooter to be more 'on his game' than layups and dunks. If you're a little
off one game, you can still probably make the easier shots, but the harder
ie longer shots are probably NOT going to fall as often. That's why jump shooting
teams are hot and cold. That's why the foot on the 3 pt line jumper is the worst
shot in basketball. That's why we were an inconsistent team since the last
time we had really good post players (Ruland?).

Not to mention the fact that some players get the 'yips' and lose their mojo completely.

That being said, confidence and muscle memory go a long way in separating the consistently dead-eye shooters from the "practice shooters" who can't get it done in game conditions. And, most inconsistent/streaky shooters are guards/swingmen; it's rare to find a tall F/C who ends up being streaky from outside (Spencer Hawes, perhaps?). Maybe they're less likely to be effectively challenged/bothered on their jumper; I dunno. I tried doing a quick query on Basketball Reference, but I couldn't really suss out a conclusion from the data. Still: when I think of streaky shooters, players 6'7" or so and under come to mind.

In any event, Blatche was showing a marked improvement on his jumper at the beginning of the season as well - which indicates that he put in the time to get his form down. You can see the difference in his shooting from now versus that YouTube clip somebody posted of his high school highlights (his release point is more consistent, and a little higher/behind his head than before). And, at this point, he's generated enough positive reinforcement that his confidence is likely at an all-time high. As such, while Blatche might have the occasional game where his jumper is "off," I don't see him completely regressing to an impossibly streaky shooter like a Juan Dixon or Flip Murray.

I can't think off anyone currently who really qualifies. However I think Clifford Robinson and Antoine Walker would have counted as streaky bigs.

Robinson didn't shoot from 3 much the beginning of his career, but in his 6th year he took 385 3s.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... elog/1995/

[hands11]

However, since he joined the four letter word he's become a mindless talking head with no real insight and I generally disagree with everything he says/writes.

therein lies the turning point in my opinion. the hype machine has rubbed off on him and now everything he writes seemingly is the obvious just taken to some extreme to hype it. for example how the wizards would go through a rough spell after trading away our core. duh. but we aren't the d-league team he claimed we'd become among other things.

i'd rather read sally jenkins. (and that's not some joke, i genuinely like her stuff)

Right. I posted the link to that article and commended as such.

He is just going to extreme views because it's splashy. He didn't have to go all in. He could have taken a wait and see angle and hedged toward the positive.

Something like...

Big Three Gone.. Time To See What The Younger Guys Really Have..
Dray would have been the most obvious to speculate about. He had posted monster games in the past and had done well starting. Would have been easy to take that position. Then when Dray broke out it would be easy to do a follow up.

People would like to read him a lot more if he took that angle and actually added some insite and perpective.

As is, he is the last person I get around to reading. To negative when it's easy to be negative. Then when it's obvious, he writes about that.

Sounds like some of our posters here.

[hands11]

Keynote

You nailed what I was getting at.

Sure he will have games when his shot isn't falling from outside. Even the best players have that happen. Kobe had one the other night. So far, Dray has not had one of those games since he got it going.

But I don't see him reverting to inconsistent. Even last nights game against the Bucks he was nailing shoots from the outside that were amazing. Honestly, it's still hard to believe so many go in. Every time he shoot from out there I'm still a little on pins and needles wondering if it will go in. But it does and I'm like.. Damn. Dude is stroking it. That last second shot from baseline on the turnaround the other night was even more amazing. It's another piece in the puzzle of shots a great scorer needs to have.

I break it down into the separate shots and separate situations.

Can you shot wide open shots ala MM ?
From range ?
Mid range ?
Close up ?

Can you do it off the dribble ?
From range ?
Mid range ?
Close up ?

Can you do it with the clock running out ?

Can you do it with the clock running out to close a game ? Be the go to guy ?

Can you do it in traffic when a body on you ?

Can you do it from the line ?
Can you do it from the line under high pressure when things are tight ?

And, can you extend to the 3 line?

So far, Dray is scoring well on all but the last one and maybe the go to guy one, but he has a lot of options. That lends to it being less lightly he would go stone cold on any given night. But it will happen eventually if he is the number one option.

With every game he produces I am getting more comfortable expecting a shot he takes to go in, but I'll admit, it's still hard to believe 100%. Another 10-20 games of him doing this and everyone will sold.
As for to many outside shots. Players go through streaks. Dirk played all outside for a while before developing any inside game but he is still mostly outside. Kobe, Gil, etc...they go through periods of being outside shooters.

And as poor as we looked last night, Dray was still...

8-14 9 rebounds 3 assists 2 steals 18 pts not bad but not great but good
downside was 5 turnovers and no blocks.

one block. two less turnover and 6 more pts and he would have had another great game.

14 shots wasn't enough. Biggest problem I had with his game was he didn't try to take over more. I wanted to see him exert himself more as the leader. Offensive, Defensively and as the captain talking to his teammates and challenging them. This is all new to him. I will give him time to grow into that big paws.

Hopefully that will come in time. Hopefully Flip is talking to him. Lets remember, Flip was around for the molding of KG.

I find that encouraging and ironic.

[hands11]

So what are the prediction on Dray vs KG tonight ?

[likwitdesi]

From Wizards Insider:

Blatche has heard comparisons to Garnett ever since he entered the league, but while he got the better of him statistically, Garnett wasn't going to let Blatche come away with the win. He started barking at Blatche in the fourth quarter and decided to fall into Garnett's game. James Singleton spoke with Blatche after the game, and they got a little heated as Blatche tried to explain how he wasn't going to back down to Garnett.

"I see myself as defending myself as a player. I'm a man, just like they a man. If a man is talking to me this close to my face," Blatche said, moving his hand toward his cheek, "I'm going to say something back."

Good for Dray. I am tired of having loser nice guys like Jamison around. This is a 180 for Dray. I remember how he didn't do anything 2 years ago when LeBron punched him in the face during the playoffs.

[Jimmy Recard]

Nice mix of Dray, Nick and Javale here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq5CD5R9gMY

[Donkey McDonkerton]

From Wizards Insider:

Blatche has heard comparisons to Garnett ever since he entered the league, but while he got the better of him statistically, Garnett wasn't going to let Blatche come away with the win. He started barking at Blatche in the fourth quarter and decided to fall into Garnett's game. James Singleton spoke with Blatche after the game, and they got a little heated as Blatche tried to explain how he wasn't going to back down to Garnett.

"I see myself as defending myself as a player. I'm a man, just like they a man. If a man is talking to me this close to my face," Blatche said, moving his hand toward his cheek, "I'm going to say something back."

Good for Dray. I am tired of having loser nice guys like Jamison around. This is a 180 for Dray. I remember how he didn't do anything 2 years ago when LeBron punched him in the face during the playoffs.

Very good of Dray, everyone (outside of BOS) knows KG is a punk and he's done. This is the same guy that lost a lot, couldn't win as the #1 guy on his own team, but always loves to talk trash to younger/smaller/(usually whiter or European players).

Dray is growing up, he kind of needs this as part of the growing process, so I like that he stood up for himself.

[Donkey McDonkerton]

maybe KG was trying to kiss Dray?

"I could feel his lips touching my cheek," he added, emphatically. "I wasn't bragging, I was just saying back up."

[Donkey McDonkerton]

Kg is a fool...anyone remember his rant about going to WAR? Said he had his guns and grenades....what a fool, but at least he learned to kill that talk.

“It was a bar fight,’’ said Garnett, who had his worst shooting night since his second year in the league, going 0 for 7 from the floor, his most attempts without a make since Jan. 27, 1996, when he went 0 for 5. “Chairs was throwin’, bottles were breaking. You had to get your back to something and just swing. That’s what that was.’’

[closg00]

Per the Wiretap article on AB vs KG, I am really concerned about how the Flip lash-out might affect his performances.
http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... encounter/

[DCZards]

From Wizards Insider:

Blatche has heard comparisons to Garnett ever since he entered the league, but while he got the better of him statistically, Garnett wasn't going to let Blatche come away with the win. He started barking at Blatche in the fourth quarter and decided to fall into Garnett's game. James Singleton spoke with Blatche after the game, and they got a little heated as Blatche tried to explain how he wasn't going to back down to Garnett.

"I see myself as defending myself as a player. I'm a man, just like they a man. If a man is talking to me this close to my face," Blatche said, moving his hand toward his cheek, "I'm going to say something back."

Good for Dray. I am tired of having loser nice guys like Jamison around. This is a 180 for Dray. I remember how he didn't do anything 2 years ago when LeBron punched him in the face during the playoffs.

Very good of Dray, everyone (outside of BOS) knows KG is a punk and he's done. This is the same guy that lost a lot, couldn't win as the #1 guy on his own team, but always loves to talk trash to younger/smaller/(usually whiter or European players).

Dray is growing up, he kind of needs this as part of the growing process, so I like that he stook up for himself.

Got to join in giving kudos to AB for standing up to KG. But I also give props to vet Singleton for trying to make sure AB knows that you can't let KG's trash talking get into your head and affect your play.

[Wizards2Lottery]

Too bad the vet talk from Singleton should have been coming from the coach. The coach decides to call out HIS guy and defend his ex player. Flip wants nothing to do with this squad. Hate to give him props, but EJ never ridiculed his own players like this. For all his short comings, it seemed like the players genuinely liked him. Flip, I don't think many of our players respect him since he doesn't seem to respect them.

Good for AB though. Glad we have some fire on this team. Hopefully a humbling experience like this only motivates him more to go out there and play even better.

[DCZards]

Kg is a fool...anyone remember his rant about going to WAR? Said he had his guns and grenades....what a fool, but at least he learned to kill that talk.

“It was a bar fight,’’ said Garnett, who had his worst shooting night since his second year in the league, going 0 for 7 from the floor, his most attempts without a make since Jan. 27, 1996, when he went 0 for 5. “Chairs was throwin’, bottles were breaking. You had to get your back to something and just swing. That’s what that was.’’

I love KG's game and intensity. He can play for my team anytime. As for suggestions that KG didn't win anything until he got to Boston and became part of the Celts "big three," let's not forget it was KG who raised the bar defensively when he arrived in Boston, which was the main reason they won it all a couple of years ago.

KG may be on the downside of his career. But he was a beast in his prime. One of the top PFs of all time.

[dobrojim]

Very good of Dray, everyone (outside of BOS) knows KG is a punk and he's done. This is the same guy that lost a lot, couldn't win as the #1 guy on his own team, but always loves to talk trash to younger/smaller/(usually whiter or European players).

Dray is growing up, he kind of needs this as part of the growing process, so I like that he stood up for himself.

No question right now 7DD is better than KG (too many minutes on those legs).

that said, Dray made a critical mental lapse letting RA get open for one of the
late shots that helped BOS rally for the W. KG might have done better on that
play.

[Donkey McDonkerton]

Kg is a fool...anyone remember his rant about going to WAR? Said he had his guns and grenades....what a fool, but at least he learned to kill that talk.

“It was a bar fight,’’ said Garnett, who had his worst shooting night since his second year in the league, going 0 for 7 from the floor, his most attempts without a make since Jan. 27, 1996, when he went 0 for 5. “Chairs was throwin’, bottles were breaking. You had to get your back to something and just swing. That’s what that was.’’

I love KG's game and intensity. He can play for my team anytime. As for suggestions that KG didn't win anything until he got to Boston and became part of the Celts "big three," let's not forget it was KG who raised the bar defensively when he arrived in Boston, which was the main reason they won it all a couple of years ago.

Didnt forget, he was a BIG part of them winning...but it only took having three stars together. PP couldnt do it alone, Allen couldnt do it alone...and so on.

Anyway, he's still a punk in my eyes and that intensity is very annoying when it is warranted, like when getting whooped on by Blatche.

[closg00]

This is bad, how can AB pretend that everything is normal, how can he go-back to listening to Flip? Don't forget that Andray is in the final year of his contract next year, keep it up Flip and AB will flee like Wood did. Negative reinforcement never works.

[Pradamaster]

:evil: This is bad, how can AB pretend that everything is normal, how can he go-back to listening to Flip? Don't forget that Andray is in the final year of his contract next, keep it up Flip and AB will flee like Wood did. Negative reinforcement never works.

Uhh, what? Blatche is under contract until 2012.

[closg00]

:evil: This is bad, how can AB pretend that everything is normal, how can he go-back to listening to Flip? Don't forget that Andray is in the final year of his contract next, keep it up Flip and AB will flee like Wood did. Negative reinforcement never works.

Uhh, what? Blatche is under contract until 2012.

Oops, Al Thornton will be in the last year of his contract.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/washington.htm

Still, I don't like Flips hands-off attitude with respect to Mike Miller. Flip would never speak that way of a precious vet they way he has the young guys.

[likwitdesi]

:evil: This is bad, how can AB pretend that everything is normal, how can he go-back to listening to Flip? Don't forget that Andray is in the final year of his contract next, keep it up Flip and AB will flee like Wood did. Negative reinforcement never works.

Uhh, what? Blatche is under contract until 2012.

Oops, Al Thornton will be in the last year of his contract.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/washington.htm

Still, I don't like Flips hands-off attitude with respect to Mike Miller. Flip would never speak that way of a precious vet they way he has the young guys.

Mike doesn't shoot much but, if you were coach,would you call out the guy who is playing through a dislocated shoulder and still dives for loose balls?

[Donkey McDonkerton]

..and you still cant buy a Blatche jersey.