Do you still believe in Andray Blatche?

[Joel Embust]

I've been following this guy for a while now. Last year we were all hoping for him to become a consisistent player off the bench who shows us signs of becoming an eventual go to guy and starter.

He did show some promise but was inconsistent and even got benched quite a few times by EJ for several reasons. He also had to deal with off the court issues and seems to be a party animal. I know, he's 21, but I don't think that's an excuse for an NBA player.

This year the Wizards resigned Antawn Jamison, drafted Javale McGee and welcome back Etan Thomas after a tough recovery from open heart surgery. They add two big man to the mix of Haywood, Jamison, Blatche, Songaila and Pecherov.

What does this all mean for Andray Blatche's future as a Wizard? Will he see a decrease in minutes? Does this mean he's expendable?

Do you still think he has a great future as a Wizard and he'll become the player we thought he was going to be?

[nate33]

I think 21 is an excuse for an NBA player, particularly a big man. At 23, I'd start to become nervous.

[Wizards2Lottery]

I don't think he played bad last year like some think... he was very good for a 20 year old as a starting big man. He played decent as a reserve, showed flashes and was inconsistent just like most young players are... especially big men.

I think people are down on him for his off the court stupidity which seems to occur every off season....

[Joel Embust]

I think 21 is an excuse for an NBA player, particularly a big man. At 23, I'd start to become nervous.

I was talking about the off the court issues.

There are a lot of 21 year old players in this league who do their job and take good care of themselves on and off the court.

[LyricalRico]

I don't think Blatche will ever be a star. I'd put his ceiling as a 15 and 8 starter with average defense, which isn't bad at all. (Think Donyell Marshall without the range.) But he's not anywhere near untouchable in my book.

[nate33]

I think 21 is an excuse for an NBA player, particularly a big man. At 23, I'd start to become nervous.

I was talking about the off the court issues.

There are a lot of 21 year old players in this league who do their job and take good care of themselves on and off the court.

And there are a lot that don't.

7 footers grow up under different circumstances than average people. It's pretty common for them to exhibit patterns of poor judgement and poor discipline well into their 20's. Obviously, there are exceptions (Garnett, Duncan, etc.) but that doesn't mean that one should be quick to give up on the young knuckleheads so early.

I take solace from the fact that Blatche seems like a pretty decent guy. Generally, he gets in trouble for doing stupid things, rather than mean/evil things. He's not beating women, abusing animals, getting in brawls, committing major felonies or anything like that. Nor is he disrespecting the coach or other players. I don't think any of the stupid things he has done in the past are a convincing sign that he won't mature emotionally as he gets older.

[Macker]

I think 21 is an excuse for an NBA player, particularly a big man. At 23, I'd start to become nervous.

I was talking about the off the court issues.

There are a lot of 21 year old players in this league who do their job and take good care of themselves on and off the court.

And there are a lot that don't.

7 footers grow up under different circumstances than average people. It's pretty common for them to exhibit patterns of poor judgement and poor discipline well into their 20's. Obviously, there are exceptions (Garnett, Duncan, etc.) but that doesn't mean that one should be quick to give up on the young knuckleheads so early.

I take solice from the fact that Blatche seems like a pretty decent guy. Generally, he gets in trouble for doing stupid things, rather than mean/evil things. He's not beating women, abusing animals, getting in brawls, committing major felonies or anything like that. Nor is he disrespecting the coach or other players. I don't any of the stupid things he has done in the past are a convincing sign that he won't mature emotionally as he gets older.

What're you saying, Nate? That height is inversely correlated with intelligence?

[nate33]

And there are a lot that don't.

7 footers grow up under different circumstances than average people. It's pretty common for them to exhibit patterns of poor judgement and poor discipline well into their 20's. Obviously, there are exceptions (Garnett, Duncan, etc.) but that doesn't mean that one should be quick to give up on the young knuckleheads so early.

I take solace from the fact that Blatche seems like a pretty decent guy. Generally, he gets in trouble for doing stupid things, rather than mean/evil things. He's not beating women, abusing animals, getting in brawls, committing major felonies or anything like that. Nor is he disrespecting the coach or other players. I don't any of the stupid things he has done in the past are a convincing sign that he won't mature emotionally as he gets older.

What're you saying, Nate? That height is inversely correlated with intelligence?

Sorry. I wasn't clear.

What I meant was that extremely tall people with basketball skills are pampered throughout their childhood. They don't deal with much adversity because nobody says "no" to them. It results in a delay in their emotional maturation.

The best cure is a hardass college coach like John Thompson.

[FreeBalling]

I wonder why John Thompson never coached in the NBA.

[Wizardspride]

I still believe in Andray. As a matter of fact, Andray is damn near untouchable as far as I'm concerned.

[mohammed10]

I wonder why John Thompson never coached in the NBA.

I recall JT got close a few times with the Wizards/Bullets and Denver a while ago, methinks. It would have been great to see how his coaching style would have translated into the pro game.

Unfortunately, his time has past. Still has a wealth of b-ball knowledge. He would be a great consultant for any team and I would welcome his input on our Wizards...

[mohammed10]

I still believe in Andray. As a matter of fact, Andray is damn near untouchable as far as I'm concerned.

Well, I think sooner or later, players actually have to reach their potential. His time for tapping into that potential is tantalizingly close (or so we all seem to believe). I am willing to give him another year or two to see what develops. But in no way do I see 'Dray as being untouchable. I have the mentality that anybody is tradable, given the right deal coming along...just so much as it improves our team.

[MJG]

Blatche is:

[1] Seven feet (give or take an inch).
[2] 21 years old.
[3] Already proven to be an effective backup that is capable of filling in for injured starters.
[4] Signed for dirt cheap for another four years.

Is he untouchable? Certainly not. He isn't Dwight Howard or LeBron James. And if another Garnett situation happens, he could certainly be shown the door. But the combination of the four things above should make him someone the other team has to work damn hard to get in a trade, rather than someone we just casually include in deals to make our side more attractive.

Will he ever be an all-star, as his natural gifts practically scream out for him to be? I doubt it. But it's really easy for me to see him being a critical player on a high-level team. That's good enough for me. I still believe in that much.

[W. Unseld]

Hypo: If you had to give up Javal or Blatche in a trade, who would you give up and why?

[Benjammin]

For me, it would be an easy choice to give up McGee rather than Blatche. We have some sense of Blatche's floor while McGee may never develop into a good player. JaVale's ceiling may be higher, but the Wizards are in win now mode with Jamison, Butler, and Gil. Blatche is close to being a quality rotation player and still has some upside. His contract is reasonable. McGee's is even lower, but if he does develop, it will likely take time and then he'll be under a much larger 2nd contract.

[Silvie Lysandra]

I think Blatches probable ceiling is "Rasheed Wallace" - highly talented, somewhat enigmatic, may disappear at times.

I think his absolute ceiling is KG.

I think his probable floor is where he is now - good backup.

I think his absolute floor is maybe where he was last year.

[Wizards2Lottery]

I think talent wise Sheed is a good comparison... Blatche might even develop a decent three point shot sometime in the future. His mid range game improved a lot since he came in the league.

Blatche will max out as a 18/10 guy most likely which isn't bad.

[keynote]

I think Blatches probable ceiling is "Rasheed Wallace" - highly talented, somewhat enigmatic, may disappear at times.

I think his absolute ceiling is KG.

I think his probable floor is where he is now - good backup.

I think his absolute floor is maybe where he was last year.

I just don't see a ceiling of KG. He's not *nearly* as explosive as KG is now, let along KG as a young, springy pup. Even now, Blatche's nimble moves and soft touch around the basket are merely ways to make up for the fact that he can't drop step, rise, and dunk on people. Blatche has plenty of regard for human life, unfortunately.

Blatche is agile for his height, sure; but he's not going to get more explosive over time. No one does. And, Blatche doesn't have the frame to become a power inside player. If Blatche is smart, he'll do squats for days, and develop a lower-body core to turn himself into an unexplosive but extremely polished finesse post player. With his long arms, agility, and touch around the basket, Blatche should be thinking *Kevin McHale*, not KG.

[AAEXPRESS]

In no way have I given up on Andray. He seems to have worked very hard since the season ended. I am still holding out hope that one day he will be our starting PF. I expect this to be his best year yet. Do I expect their to be some bumps along the way, of course I do. I really would like to see him play well enough to start at PF and AJ come off the bench. I am sure it wont happen this year, but next season that should be his goal.

One question I have is if Blatche is ready to start next year, how bad will it then be for the Wiz with AJ's having a 4 year deal? Or what if AJ gets injured and is out for an extended period and Blatche plays well enough to hold down that spot will EJ be able to keep Blatche as the starter and bring AJ of the bench? I know its only speculation but it is something to think about.

[ZonkertheBrainless]

*Kevin McHale*

Excellent comparison.

People get a little too caught up in his lack of athleticism, which I did when I first saw him play. Then I saw those arms reaching, reaching, reaaaaaaaaaching and realized that I'll take long arms over hops any day. I agree it wouldn't hurt to become a lot stronger but he is already just fine athletically. Play smart like McHale, get stronger on defense, he'll be fine. Actually I thought he looked just fine during summer league, wasn't trying to do too much (most of the time anyway). Look forward to him putting it together a little more on the floor this season. We'll see what happens.

I agree his ceiling is probably somewhere around 15/8 with two blocks a game, which is FANTASTIC for someone picked in the second round, and great for the contract he signed.