Dat2U wrote:Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:Ed Wood wrote:Yes, I do not have any idea what precisely occurred CCJ, but I'm not providing anyone with a pass when the entire roster and coaching staff has conspired to produce some truly abominable basketball over the course of the year. I'm certainly not toasting Flip for the histrionics on his part that have characterized this season. I don't care how frustrating it's been for him to have to helm our trash barge (extremely I'm sure) and I don't loose sleep at night as I imagine he might over what this year is doing to his reputation and his ability to find another job should he part ways with this one. I'm even very fond of Andray, insofar as a fan can be fond of a player without knowing him and while he's part of a dirty dozen tasked with the desperate mission to attempt to convince that fan to never want to watch basketball again. That's why I'm coming down on Andray here, because I care about Andray and I want to see the guy accomplish something in a Wizards uniform.
And you know what, maybe Andray is in the relative right here. Maybe he had no intention whatsoever to do anything but everything he could to follow Flip's instructions and is genuinely mystified by Flip's indignation. Maybe he wanted to get in that game and be a part of that loss yesterday and it hurt him that Flip did not share that desire. Maybe five hundred years from now when we build an all-knowing all-powerful supercomputer to reveal to us the mysteries of the universe it will inform us that the biggest son of a bitch in the history of creation was Flip Saunders on the night of Tuesday, March 23, 2010. I must reiterate, I don't give a **** about Flip Saunders. As far as I'm concerned at the end of the year we can see him off with a firm handshake and a tattoo of the team's record across the forehead and that'd be swell. But I do care about Andray, and I want him to be a good player, and he's closer than he's ever been, closer than I expected he'd be when the Wizards traded Antawn Jamison.
And what I'm seeing right now is from Andray is bush league as hell. Flip should not have come crying to the media with his various woes but again, if I were Flip Saunders secret Santa I'd be chewing ten **** bucks worth of gum when I looked the man in the eyes and told him I didn't have the cash to buy a gift; you get the idea. Andray could have stepped up and earned some respect, which is apparently a pretty big deal for him, and kept it in house, talked with Flip, worked things out, been the professional. Instead we're running play-by-play for a dick waving contest. Yeah, I'm sure it rankled Andray's pride to have to hear Flip kvetching about him to anyone who'd listen, but there ain't no escalator to the high road. I will certainly say that from what has been attributed to Andray he comes off better here than Flip, but that's not the better I want when I want better from Blatche. If Andray is tired of dealing with Flip I want him to be the bigger man until Flip's so small he disappears. I don't want to hear about what fraction of the problem Andray thinks he's responsible for, that's a number that's going to get bigger every time Andray mentions it.
I read your prose and am not as impressed as others. Great on style points. Low on substance.
When someone maligns your character publicly it could be called defamation. If a coach, and a losing one at that does it, you don't earn respect as a professional by keeping quiet. Why should Andray be the bigger man?
Honestly, I don't care any more for Blatche than Saunders. I don't care if either is affiliated with the Wizards or another team. On principle, I'd like both to prosper professionally and for the team to win. Subjectively, I'd like the coach to be the bigger man since he's closer to my age and I would think would know better.
If you don't want to hear Andray admit to feeling partially responsible I think you tacitly approve of Flip not taking any responsibility. You want Andray to be the Martin Luther King or the Gandhi or the Jackie Robinson. Fine.
Personally, I want Flip to be held accountable for the terrible job he's done this season.
Um, lets remember what started the incident?
I have no problem with Flip initially sitting Blatche for sleepwalking on D. Frankly, I'm not interested in having Blatche mimick Antawn Jamison's defensive effort. Nor am I interested in Blatche having that same since of entitlement by believing its okay to blow off a coach b/c its "too early to be talking about talking bad shots".
I want Flip to nip these bad habits in bud right now. Flip needs to ride Blatche hard. There's a different level of expectation from a guy that's a 7th man and THE man. And I think Flip was not going let Blatche get away with slacking off.
If this was a test, Blatche failed miserably.
However, there's no doubting Flip went way overboard in that press conference following the game. That was too far over the top. I think Flip lost it. He may have realized that by his willingness to forgive and forget despite Blatche's explosive comments to the media the next day.
This definitely could have been handled in-house. But Flip let his emotions get the best of him. But that doesn't excuse Blatche though.
Both Flip & Blatche showed major flaws in this episode. Right now, the only thing that seperates Andray & Kwame Brown right now is production. They both have the same idiot gene. And Flip is continuing to prove he may not have the right personality (too high strung, too negative) or the golatas (weak/soft) to lead a rebuild with a young roster.
Dat I agree with everything in bold and you pretty much nailed this whole situation.
Now I'm going to say the last thing ANY of you will expect me to say: Flip's only human, too. It's been a long season and I'm sure he's frustrated. That part is understandable.
My perspective is that Flip's gotta respect that microphone and back off when he's really miffed at a player. I have the same issue when I'm really emotional with certain family members. Lots of emotion. Lots of history. Personal stuff. One of them hits the hot button and it's oh too easy to speak out in anger or with unforgiveness. Every time, in retrospect, I would have been much better off being slow to speak, and very slow to anger. It is so counterproductive to say the very first thing that comes to mind when you're really disappointed. And I'm not talking about saying things in front of a camera with millions watching. This is what I see with Flip. He's lashing out a lot, and usually at young players.
As for Andray, Dat I agree he needs to remain coachable. He did initially ignore Flip and that's what Flip was talking about. He did make this whole thing worse. But after that, he and Flip didn't communicate.
Ruzious, you're right that I'm almost always on the players' side, as if the coach has to coddle them or soothe them and come to them just the right way. That shouldn't have to be the case. Respect has to go both ways.
To quote Strother Martin in "Cool Hand Luke", the Wizards have a "failure to communicate".
What I've been going off about since November is that Flip doesn't seem to value relationships, team building, trust, respectful communication. It's to me as if he doesn't really care about them. On the flipside (no pun intended) his young players seem both obtuse and hypersenstive. They seem to tune him out after a while.
Man, no wonder the team sucks.
Tre Johnson is the future of the Wizards.
Hang in there Andray.