Wiz vs Charlotte Game Thread 7PM

[dlts20]

Why dont you guys wait until you hear both sides of the story? It could be that Blatche has a bad ankle but gets benched for not getting back quick enough when you know he's hurt, after he's been carrying the team? He might just be sick of Flip.

Dont automatically take Flip's side. He's been a jerk alot this year and I think Blatche is tired of it. Blatche loves to play and put up big numbers so I have a hard time believeing that he's just going to lose it for no real reason. Wait until we here his side. Blatche is probably also upset that guys like Jamison were the worst defenders and biggest ball hogs in the league but never get benched and always get praised yet Flip constantly rips on Dray, takes KG's side over him, and now this.

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Here is what a Wiz fan who was at the game said:



I was at the game and here is what I saw: The exchange between Flip and 'Dray happened during a timeout. As the other coaches waited for Flip to join them, Flip was talking with 'Dray and obviously telling him that he wanted him to do something other than what 'Dray was doing. 'Dray appeared to be trying to explain why whatever Flip wanted done was either not possible, or at least difficult. They finished the discussion. It didn't apear to have ever become heated. Flip joined the coaches; 'Dray joined his teammates. When the timeout ended, 'Dray went back onto the court. A few minutes later he was replaced by Singleton. I can't believe that Flip would have allowed 'Dray to go back into the game after the timeout if 'Dray had told him he didn't want to play during their discussion. After 'Dray came out of the game, I didn't see any other coaches approach 'Dray, but that's not to say that that didn't happen.

A couple of things:

As a coach I can't imagine a player telling me that he didn't want to play, and my players were amateurs. I certainly can't imagine a professional basketball player saying that he doesn't want to play. Of course he wants to play. It's what he does. It's how he earns his living. He "played" basketball most of his life and now someone is paying him big $ to do what he always wanted to do. The issue is not that he doesn't want to play, it's that he doesn't feel that he can play the way the coach wants him to play. However, someone has to be in charge of those 12-15 super athletes with the big egos. That someone is the coach. So, regardless of what actually transpired, the player is wrong, and the player is the loser. The coach has the bully pulpit. If 'Dray is smart, we'll never hear his side of it.

More importantly: a good coach would not be discipling his team by calling-out players to the press (which Flip does all the time), or by making his point during a game (yanking guys after single mistakes). Those are the types of issues that are addressed and resolved during practice or, at least, when the team is not playing, but certainly not during a game. It appears to me that Flip's ego is greater than the sum of the parts of the entire teams' ego. He said that 'Dray let his teammates down. I say that Flip let the entire organization, team, and loyal fan base down with a monumental display of ego in his attempt to demonstrate that he is in charge.

I've been critical of Flip for a few months now for being, IMHO, devoid of any creative offensive schemes. I believe that he tries to mold the players into his offensive scheme rather than developing (as he said he would) an offense that places the players in the best position to succeed. I believe that Flip has demonstrated that he is technically inadequate. I don't care that he has been coaching for 15 years. Fifteen years of making the same mistakes doesn't make you any good at what you're doing. There are very good reasons why coaches are replaced. Flip's behavior tonight could be counted among those reasons.

[nate33]

that's what happens when your gm doesn't draft CHARACTER, WORK ETHIC, and LEADERSHIP and looks for the guy with the longest arms, and biggest dick.

Ernie Grunfeld needs to take one Gilbert's guns, put it in his mouth, and pull the trigger.

Yeah, EG sucks. He should have drafted Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard with the 47th pick.

[verbal8]

why dont you guys wait until you hear both sides of the story?

Blatche based on his track record doesn't get much benefit of the doubt.
He really seems to have a knack for sabotaging himself. He is not at the level of the guys who get into serious legal trouble or are completely uncoachable. However there have been a lot of little things here and there over his career.

It could be that Blatche has a bad ankle but gets benched for not getting back quick enough when you know he's hurt, after he's been carrying the team?

If his ankle is an issue, he should have approached the training staff. He has had an issue with not getting needed treatment in the past.

He might just be sick of Flip

Even if he is, Flip is still the boss and playing for him is Blatche's job.

I think Blatche is in someways similar to Zach Randolph without the oversized contract. A very productive basketball player, who isn't a cornerstone for a team. Blatche has more of an ability to play good defense than Randolph, but if he isn't willing to it doesn't matter.

[Silvie Lysandra]

My point was that virtually every player Grunfeld has ever drafted or traded has been either a total knucklehead, outright sucked, or an eventual team cancer.

Anyway, the sticking point is whether Saunders was actually telling the truth about Blatche refusing to re-enter the game, or whether he was lying to cover up for the fact that he's a gigantic douche. Granted, Blatche isn't the first player to walk out on Flip it seems - seems Ben Wallace (the definition of hard work, character, and discipline) did the same thing in 2006!

Oh man, oh man. It's one thing if Andray Blatche does it. But if Ben Wallace does it, all of a sudden, seems less a "player" thing than a "coach" thing.

But it does guarantee that Flip is GONE this year. Everyone he coaches seems to hate him.

[dlts20]

why dont you guys wait until you hear both sides of the story?

Blatche based on his track record doesn't get much benefit of the doubt.
He really seems to have a knack for sabotaging himself. He is not at the level of the guys who get into serious legal trouble or are completely uncoachable. However there have been a lot of little things here and there over his career.

It could be that Blatche has a bad ankle but gets benched for not getting back quick enough when you know he's hurt, after he's been carrying the team?

If his ankle is an issue, he should have approached the training staff. He has had an issue with not getting needed treatment in the past.

He might just be sick of Flip

Even if he is, Flip is still the boss and playing for him is Blatche's job.

I think Blatche is in someways similar to Zach Randolph without the oversized contract. A very productive basketball player, who isn't a cornerstone for a team. Blatche has more of an ability to play good defense than Randolph, but if he isn't willing to it doesn't matter.

yeah but you are again assuming they are always right. You talked about his problem with treatment but Blatche said it was because he told the trainer for a week that his ankle was bad and never got helped. Then when he's upset and leaving out, thats when the trainer finally tells him to come get treatment. Also, he probably has been getting treatment but that doesnt mean its not bad. He's playing through pain to help the team. I just dont think that Flip has that great of a track record either

[GoneShammGone]

This incident just furthers the point that, next year, we NEED to get a big man coach/veteran reserve. someone whos had success playing the game that Dray can look up to as a mentor, like dwight has with ewing or bynum and kareem.

Someone to say to Dray when he pulls something like that "hey, you underpayed? youll make even less in the WNBA. unless you want to stop being a little b*tch".

I totally agree that we need a veteran big-man mentor (for Javale at least), but I'm losing faith that it will have any positive impact on Dray. Dray just does not seem to have the attitude of a competitive professional. He seems more focused on "getting his", meaning respect, monetary rewards, etc. For him it isn't about winning, its about the perks that come with being a professional basketball player. He is starting to remind me of a more-talented Kwame. I remember very clearly an interview with Kwame the season after he was traded to LA in which he went on and on about how the trade had really worked out for him because "look at how big my house is now!" Some guys simply don't have the competitive drive to play in the NBA, and Dray may be one of those guys.

[dobrojim]

I really like Nike Young`s take on the whole Andray Blatche thing...

Here are all of the post game comments...


"You know what I'm disappointed in?" Saunders said. "I'm disappointed that since we've started him, he gets 60 percent of the offense run through him. Coaches aren't wrong, no matter what. When a coach wants to teach you something, and you think you're above that, because you've played 16 games, good games? I had Kevin Garnett, that guy you could say one thing, he's up there, 'What do you want, coach? I want to get better every time.' He never copped that type of attitude. That's ridiculous, it really is."

Nick Young- "Dray's still a young player, and he'll go through things like that," guard Nick Young said. "It's a disappointing situation from both ends. We really could've used Dray tonight. I told him, 'You're playing well -- you don't want to mess it up.' ... You've got to man up sometimes."

He also said, he told Blatche that this isnt like old times, its time for you to step up and be a leader...

When Nick Young is giving you pointers on maturity, you know you're an idiot.

ding ding ding

we have a winner

actually reading that from N1 is encouraging from his perspective

[dobrojim]

So first the "I'm under appreciated" and now this BS...???

Dray still hasn't grown up... Oh well, if it keeps up we can sign him on the cheap again...

So, has anyone blamed Flip already...??? It seems like it's the "in" thing to do around these parts...

I didn't get too excited about the "i'm underappreciated stuff", like another
pointed out, he didn't go out of his way to make those comments. And from
a salary perspective, he's probably right. And he even said he understood why
things were the way they were.

Last night was inexcusable until he mans up and apologizes to coaches, team,
fans and mgmt.