Can Blatche play center?

[ponder276]

Not a Wiz fan, so I don't know too much about your team. I know Blatche is more of a PF right now, but do you guys think he could play C in the future? He seems to be a solid rebounder, shot blocker and dunker, with good height and length, and a good (though underdeveloped) frame, but can he guard opposing Cs? And does he have the back to the basket skills you'd like to see in a C (he seems to be more of a mid-range face-up player)? I know he's not gonna be a Shaq-style center, but maybe he could be a C in the mold of Gasol?

[ZonkertheBrainless]

wha? he plays center now...

[FreeBalling]

Blatche is a point PG playing the 5 spot. You can call him cost to cost.

[MJG]

Outside of the occasional moment here or there where Haywood and Blatche are on the court together, center is the only position Blatche really plays.

[fishercob]

Last season when Etan Thomas was healthy, Blatche played much more PF than C.

[hands11]

Blatche is a point PG playing the 5 spot. You can call him cost to cost.

Dame. That was what I was going to reply.

Lets make this the most posted in thread ever


I guess he didn't want to read our thread before posting.


Yes, AB is a PF who also plays center but I think his star power is a PF. Getting stronger this off season will help at both positions.

With Etan back next year he should get some of those center minutes though we need to pick up a back up center at some point so they are ready when Etan is gone the following year or after.

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: AJ/DMAC
SG:CB/NY/RM/DS
PG:GA/AD

So really it comes down to RM or DS because NY will need many more minutes next year. Another option is NY as SF. I like these line ups better. You can go NY or DMAC depending on what you need ( offense or rebounds and D )

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: AJ/NY/DMAC
SG:CB/RM or DS
PG:AD/GA

or

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: DSONG/AB/OP
SF: AJ/NY/DMAC
SG:CB/RM or DS
PG: GA/AD


We may have to let RM walk since DS is signed.

orrrrr if AJ walks

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: CB/NY/DMAC
SG: DS/RM
PG: GA/AD

This wouldn't be so bad.

[Dat2U]

Blatche is a point PG playing the 5 spot. You can call him cost to cost.

Dame. That was what I was going to reply.

Lets make this the most posted in thread ever


I guess he didn't want to read our thread before posting.


Yes, AB is a PF who also plays center but I think his star power is a PF. Getting stronger this off season will help at both positions.

With Etan back next year he should get some of those center minutes though we need to pick up a back up center at some point so they are ready when Etan is gone the following year or after.

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: AJ/DMAC
SG:CB/NY/RM/DS
PG:GA/AD

So really it comes down to RM or DS because NY will need many more minutes next year. Another option is NY as SF. I like these line ups better. You can go NY or DMAC depending on what you need ( offense or rebounds and D )

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: AJ/NY/DMAC
SG:CB/RM or DS
PG:AD/GA

or

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: DSONG/AB/OP
SF: AJ/NY/DMAC
SG:CB/RM or DS
PG: GA/AD


We may have to let RM walk since DS is signed.

orrrrr if AJ walks

C: BH/ET/OP
PF: AB/DSONG/OP
SF: CB/NY/DMAC
SG: DS/RM
PG: GA/AD

This wouldn't be so bad.

blah, blah, blah, blah....

and by the way, I've been saying this for years, you should read my posts.

and more blah, blah, blah.

Then we can look like this:

GA/DS/CB/AB/BH:

blah, blah blah or more like this:

GA/AJ/CB/AB/BH

and little bit more blah, blah, blah.

[Donkey McDonkerton]

blah, blah, blah, blah....

and by the way, I've been saying this for years, you should read my posts.

and more blah, blah, blah.

Then we can look like this:

GA/DS/CB/AB/BH:

blah, blah blah or more like this:

GA/AJ/CB/AB/BH

and little bit more blah, blah, blah.

or

BTH WoodShaq Dame AB BH

DAME I've been saying this for about a year now, that big lineup is DAME! I was talking about this in a post the other day, you guys will soon see what im saying. I am in the video profession and I will go back and watch that part in slow mo. Im a doctor by day and I can read palms as well.

DAME~

[Dat2U]

or

BTH WoodShaq Dame AB BH

DAME I've been saying this for about a year now, that big lineup is DAME! I was talking about this in a post the other day, you guys will soon see what im saying. I am in the video profession and I will go back and watch that part in slow mo. Im a doctor by day and I can read palms as well.

DAME~

[nate33]

Seriously, does anybody read past the first two sentences of Hands11's posts anymore?

My eyes glaze over immediately. I just can't help it.

[Donkey McDonkerton]

Seriously, does anybody read past the first two sentences of Hands11's posts anymore?

My eyes glaze over immediately. I just can't help it.

I just find "Magic WoodShaq-Johnson to AB 2 pts"

and know im at the end.

[ZonkertheBrainless]

Hands you're a good guy and I don't mean to pile on. But yeah. I haven't read past the first two sentences of your threads, ever. I just don't have time to read garbage, you know? You've got to learn to get your reader's attention in the first two sentences. You never say anything interesting in your first sentence, your writing is all "wasted motion" as Bobby Knight would say. Get to the point!

[Dat2U]

Seriously, does anybody read past the first two sentences of Hands11's posts anymore?

My eyes glaze over immediately. I just can't help it.

But how else would you ever know about the brilliance of putting Jamison at SG, or how much better the offense is this year with Gilbert jacking up shots from everywhere like he did last season?

[hands11]

Hands you're a good guy and I don't mean to pile on. But yeah. I haven't read past the first two sentences of your threads, ever. I just don't have time to read garbage, you know? You've got to learn to get your reader's attention in the first two sentences. You never say anything interesting in your first sentence, your writing is all "wasted motion" as Bobby Knight would say. Get to the point!

Not a problem. I only read certain people longer posts myself.

Everyone has folks they like to read.

Thanks for chiming in though.

[doclinkin]

Not to ruin a good dogpile but might as well answer the OP's question before we get back to the fun.

Not a Wiz fan, so I don't know too much about your team. I know Blatche is more of a PF right now, but do you guys think he could play C in the future? He seems to be a solid rebounder, shot blocker and dunker, with good height and length, and a good (though underdeveloped) frame, but can he guard opposing Cs? And does he have the back to the basket skills you'd like to see in a C (he seems to be more of a mid-range face-up player)? I know he's not gonna be a Shaq-style center, but maybe he could be a C in the mold of Gasol?

He needs a couple years seasoning and a bit more dedication to the weight room, some fundamentals on defensive footwork (not up to par with his more instinctive offensive body control). Right now he's a foul factory, no good at defending any position without hack-work. But he's got long arms and a natural instinct to find the ball, either rebounding or swatting shots. As his conditioning improves I expect him to get the benefit of the doubt more often from the refs. They still treat him like a rookie, since most of them have never seen him before (blame a gunshot wound his rookie year). He'll grow into his respect, even if it takes a bit of time.

Remember he's the second-to-last Highschool kid taken in the draft, younger than all our rookies, in a profession where it takes big men a looong time to develop. Fortunate for the Wiz they benefited from his immaturity, an offseason indiscretion means we were able to lock him up (figuratively) longterm to a cut-rate contract. Relatively speaking. Still a multimillionaire.

Defensively it took a while before Mutombo (for instance) wasn't a constant foul threat. He put out a ton of players with those elbows. I see Dray on Dekembe's defensive spectrum once he gets a few more years adult weight and pro trainers.

Offensively? He's got a remarkable eye for an assist, he'd be an ideal princeton center given time, able to take his match-up off the dribble from the top of the key, hit a standstill jumper, or catch the cutter with a backdoor pass. No telling if we keep the same system long enough to benefit from his development here, but more than a few teams around the league are running similar sets so there's a chance even if the cattle stampede here gets their wish.

Now back to the fun.

[doclinkin]

Since we're on a referendum on hands11. Me I'd rather insult a Cavs fan than ratpack a Wiz loyalist, whether I agree or disagree. Especially now. There's plenty of time to kill each other in the offseason. But in the interest of positive critique:

DAMN

-not-

DAME

A dame is a gal, a chick, a broad -- or to the Brits she's a lady knight. No big deal, just it weakens the impact of your screed. Donk loves it though.

DAMN -- how you use it, is an exclamation of emphasis. Appreciation for the the profane or profound.
--

A double or triple post is usually bad form on the internet. I violate that from time to time, trying to pack in all my thoughts at once, but then --I'm a bit of a bastard.

--

No matter how much thought gets put into them, Line-ups are pretty boring to read. There are a finite number of combinations. We could run through 'em all, or post the same few again and again, but it rarely makes a compelling argument, and even people who agree tend not to read.
---------

Consider those suggestions only. But no sense conforming with the herd. Might as well give 'em something to talk about. Gets boring if we all agree.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

-= original quote snipped =-



But how else would you ever know about the brilliance of putting Jamison at SG, or how much better the offense is this year with Gilbert jacking up shots from everywhere like he did last season?

I believe since Glen Rice, Steve Smith, and George George Gervin at times all played SG; so could Antawn Jamison. Toni Kukoc and Hedo Turkoglu have played some SG as well.

Jamison doesn't have a good handle nor is he a passer, but after averaging 32 and 10 in a series last season as the only offensive player I came to the conclusion Jamison can play some SG, SF, or PF.

If I were a coach I would have already tried him at SG against Cleveland. Cleveland's SG last season, Pavlovic is 6'8" and darn near as big as Antawn. Antawn's a shooter/scorer. Why can't he do just that?

If he's the SG, on defense just have him defend Ben Wallace. Duh.

When resting Butler, I might try a lineup of Daniels, Jamison, McGuire, Blatche, and Haywood. Let Dominic defend SG. I'd have Jamison do the matador defense on Lebron.

The whole idea would be to get athleticism and size out there in order to keep Lebron from dominating. If he had to cover McGuire he'd be covering a guy sprinting down court after every rebound.

The Wizards have way too much talent and the coach has too little imagination IMO.

I'm not talking about a whole game of strange lineups, but this is the kind of thing a coach should TRY when his team's getting outrebounded by 20 with Butler and Jamison at the Fs.

[joeisabigdork]

Seriously, does anybody read past the first two sentences of Hands11's posts anymore?

My eyes glaze over immediately. I just can't help it.

I agree. I do the same to the long since gone, SD.

[Davekn]

DAMN

-not-

DAME

A dame is a gal, a chick, a broad -- or to the Brits she's a lady knight. No big deal, just it weakens the impact of your screed. Donk loves it though.

DAMN -- how you use it, is an exclamation of emphasis. Appreciation for the the profane or profound.

At first I thought maybe he was trying to say "damn". But when he posted it again I thought that maybe this was some inside term that you guys use that I was unfamiliar with.

I'm dead serious.

Oh yeah, back on topic one of the first things I was impressed with was how much bigger Blatche got in the offseason. I hope he continues to improve, I think he holds one of the keys to the team's future.

[doclinkin]

-= original quote snipped =-



At first I thought maybe he was trying to say "damn". But when he posted it again I thought that maybe this was some inside term that you guys use that I was unfamiliar with.

I'm dead serious.

Nope, just a spell-check fix left uncorrected. No biggie, it adds character, but it's just a little bit goofy, like lace frills on a boxing glove.

On Dray, I fully expect him to put on size, the hope is he puts on muscle weight though, not just thickening up around the middle. Reports suggest he's not really addicted to the weight room. That's one reason I was hopeful we'd get Etan back for some part of the season, to provide an example of the fierce dedication to fitness required to take a pounding in the post. Etan's undersized at the center spot but the board forgets there are times he's more than held his own against some of the bigger beasts due mostly to muscle-power activity and grit. If Dray had Etan's weight room habit he'd quickly be an all-star in the East.