Blatche's Numbers From Late Last Season

[dlts20]

I was looking for a sucky blatche thread that I thought we had but maybe we didnt. Feel free to move in you want:



Check out this bum Dray that everyone is talkin about and what he did in Game 1 last year after the trade.

Wolves and matched up against big Al & Love- Dray had 33 & 13 on 14-22 in 36min shooting and used both of those guys.

Next game against Denver & NeNe he had 18, 11, & 3ast on 8-13 shooting in just 28min.

Next game against Bargs in Toronto he had 24, 6, & 3ast on 11-21 shooting in 33min.

Next game against the Bulls & Noash he had 25 & 11 on 8-13 shooting.

Next game against Memphis & both Z-bo & Gasol he had 24, 8, & 5 on 10-19 shooting.

Next game against NY he had 26, 18, & 6 on 11-21 shooting.

Next game at NJ matched against Lopez alot he had 36, 15, & 4 on 17-31 shooting.

Next game against the Bucks and there beast defense he had 18, 9, & 3 on 8-14 shooting.

Against KG & Sheed he had 23 & 9 on 10-20 shooting.

Against Josh Smith & Horfford he had 30 & 10 on 12-19 shooting.

At Detroit he had 23 & 10 on 11-22 shooting.


Then he clearly started to wear down with the new load & not being in top shape but he still got

Against Orlando he had 32, 4, & 4 on 14-23.

At Utah & Boozer & Milsap he had 24, 6, & 4 on 9-19 shooting.

At Denver he had 23 & 9 on 10-19 shooting. Another game I had on tape where Denver fans after the game said they never seen a PF crossover like that. He was killing Nene so much that dude was yelling at his teammates for help. Even had a sequence where he got the ball at the top of the key, hit an AI type crossover and pulled up for the J in Nene's mouth, on D blocked a dunk from Melo, and then back on O, spun baseline on Nene in the post and dunked on him. Unfortantutely that was the game he sprained his ankle badly and went into a bit of a shooting slump after that just like I knew he would but then still rebounded with games of:

Against Houston & Scola he had 31, 10, & 3 on 13-23 shooting.

At NO he had 23 & 4ast on 10-17 shooting.

Against GS had 21 & 6 on 8-16 shooting.



Then ended the season with these 4 games


At Boston & KG again he had 31 & 11 on 12-23 shooting.

Against Atlanta, Smith, & Horrfod he had 24, 9, & 7 on 11-24 shooting in 36min

At NY had 24, 7, & 6 on 8-16 shooting in 36min

and finally against Indy had 26, 7, & 3 on 11-19 shooting in just 29min and sat out the whole 4th.

I even totally forgot about the infamous missed triple double game where he got 20pts, 13ast, and 9 boards. 13 ast from a PF.

Im not even going to post some youtube vids of how much better he looked. People just forget the kind of things he was doing and that was a guy who was just getting his 1st shot, wasnt in great shape, wasnt prepared to carry the load, and just learning what it was to be the man. He was going to beast this year until the injury. Give up on him if you want but you will be wrong because this guy that everyone thinks sucks isnt him. He did this against great comp and matched up against the best bigs in the league. Every teams fans at the end of the game talked about how much of a beast he is.

[fishercob]

Im not even going to post some youtube vids of how much better he looked. People just forget the kind of things he was doing and that was a guy who was just getting his 1st shot, wasnt in great shape, wasnt prepared to carry the load, and just learning what it was to be the man. He was going to beast this year until the injury. Give up on him if you want but you will be wrong because this guy that everyone thinks sucks isnt him. He did this against great comp and matched up against the best bigs in the league. Every teams fans at the end of the game talked about how much of a beast he is.

I don't think people forget at all. His performance last year is the source of the frustration. Since the aforementioned run of good play, he's signed a contract extension and been kind of a turd off the floor -- all while playing like crap. Yes, he got hurt. But lots of guys get hurt and work through it a lot better then Dray has. It's not like he popped a knee or something (thankfully).

We were hoping that we'd see Blatche get better and continue to be 7 Day Dray from a work/professionalism standpoint. He's done the opposite. It's up to him -- and only him -- to work his way out of it.

[ErikChowbay023]

I find it interesting to equate poor on-court performance to a players poor work habits and professionalism. Most of us on this board question and speculate about things, while looking from the outside, in.. We have no idea, well most of us have no idea, of what goes on during the practices, meetings, and film sessions. Hell, even the most renowned insiders get it wrong, so who are we to say Blatche got lazy, or that he isnt working as hard. Its easy to say that based on his past, but we all saw the player he was at the end of last year. I honestly do not think he is healthy, and from the history of our medical staff, does it come as any surprise?

Its easy to say that Dray signed the big contract and got lazy, but the fact of the matter is, he got hurt, and from what I recall this is the first major injury he suffered. Yea, maybe its taking a little longer than expected for him to recover, but foot injuries take time, especially for big guys. Wizards fans are always prisoners of the moment. We never look far back enough, and never look down the line. We should all learn to not act or respond to situations in such haste as to trade Blatche, which in my opinion would further deter this team from ever being a championship caliber team.

[DMVleGeND]

Completely agree. I'm definitely against the "TRADE BLATCHE' crowd. It seems like people forget what he did last season. And he didn't just play well for like five games, he put up those numbers for 32 GAMES! That's a lot of games, so I certainly don't think it was a fluke. People are really underestimating the effect the injury had on him. I really hate how some Wizards fans pick Blatche as a whipping boy and watch his every move to see when he does something bad, and they try to nitpick all the time. Even though some of Dray's criticism's have been justifiable, it seems like fans even complain when he takes a a good shot and he misses.

Even though many might disagree with me, Dray is a gifted offensive player, even though he hasn't been able to show it this season. I think the main reasons why he's struggling on offense is due to him being not in shape, and having low confidence right now.

Not being in shape really hurts him on offense and defense. On offense, it affects him because most of his game is involved with using his quickness and beating his man off the dribble, but he can't do that as effectively this season due to his decreased quickness and having no lift right now. He not a physical player, so he can't just keep trying to back other big men down, and that's why he needs his quick first-step in order to be affective. On defense it affects him because even though he was never a good defender, it seemed like his defense had even gotten worse earlier in the season, but I do think that it was mainly because of poor effort. His defense has really gotten better since the Toronto game though. He been bodying up, and is contesting every shot he can. With that being said though, he still gets blown by multiple time due to his decreased lateral quickness. He also doesn't block shots at as high of a rate as he did before, and that's due to his decreased lift because of the extra weight he carrying.

And his confidence seems to be at an all-time low right now. He seems really unsure of him self when he gets the ball in the post, which he wasn't last year. Whenever he receives the ball in the post, he's looking to pass-first instead of shoot-first, and we need him to have the shooter's mentality because without him, we have no low-post scorer. It even seems like he's afraid to get the ball after he sets a pick because he's afraid to make a mistake.

With all that being said, he does make some dumb plays on the court. He makes to many mistakes late in the 4th qtr, camps all the way out to the 3-point line, takes too many ill-advised shots, makes to many wasted motions when he receives the ball, and doesn't back down as much as he should.

I agree with dlts20 when he says that he might need a full offseason to regain his form from last season so he can get in shape, refine his game, and regain confidence. All also agree with you that he might even come back better because he'll have something to prove because of all the criticism he has received. I confident that if we trade him, he'll blow up like Chris, Rasheed, and Ben did when they got traded. You guys don't get mad at EG when it happens because you guys were calling for it to happen too.

[nate33]

I'm not for trading Blatche simply because his trade value is so low right now. But I'm tired of defending him. It's getting harder and harder to excuse his poor play and bad decisions. The injury excuse doesn't fly. If his injury was so bad that it hurts his play this much, he should just shut it down.

I see that Flip still stands behind him, so that's got to count for something. I haven't given up on him. I just won't defend him anymore. I'm going to expect the worst and hope for the best.

[fishercob]

Fellas, we know Dray got in a drunken fight with his *teammate* in public. Especially given his past (getting carjacked on his way home from a club, getting arrested for solicitation), this incident -- unfortunately -- smacks of a guy who does not get it. It's completely shameful and embarrassing.

We've seen reports on the team shopping him/gauging his trade value. Based on some off-line discussions I've had and reading between the lines a little bit, my sense is that Dray has indeed been a turd since this summer.

The injury bit sucks for sure. I do think that set him back. And anyone can see plain as day that his confidence is shaken. BUt that's part of the equation -- the kid's mental makeup. At the end of the day is he going to get beaten down by the media or whiny fans, or is he going to use the loud criticism as fuel to get better? Is he going to use the injury as a crutch, or is he going to fight through it, work his way into shape and save the pouring champagne on himself in the middle of the club for when he's actually playing well? I'm not seeing too much to make me all that hopeful right now. I hope that changes.

[Wizards2Lottery]

His radio interview a few days ago was one of the most embarrassing things I've ever had the misfortune of listening to.

He doesn't get it and he never will. I always try to imagine a team with a winning culture and I can never picture Dray being on it. I don't even know if he can be a successful backup. He doesn't defend all that well, his rebounding is mediocre, not really a shot blocker. He's supposed to have a mid range game but we've yet to see him consistently hit on it for one whole season.

[Donkey McDonkerton]

Teams can focus on stopping him more, and I think the success got to his head because he'll throw up anything now.

[FAH1223]

Basketball is all about confidence. Blatche doesn't have much confidence in himself and that is the major difference this season. (outside of his changed physical shape and summer injury)

Summer 09, he put in work, got in better shape, became 7 day Dray.. and when he had the ball he knew exactly what he was going to do.

We also forget, he played decently when Jamison was out as well.

[Nivek]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

In 1985, Michael Jordan broke a bone in his foot and missed most of his 2nd season. He returned to the lineup on heavily rationed minutes -- battling constantly to play more. The front office held him back, officially because they were concerned about possibly reinjuring his foot, but the team was widely suspected of limiting his minutes so that they could miss the playoffs and get into the draft lottery.

Once in the playoffs, concerns about his foot magically disappeared and Jordan played 45 minutes per game in the playoff series against the Celtics. He averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the series -- including his classic 63-point game.

So, let's compare. Six months after Blatche broke his foot, he's out of shape, mystified by his apparent inability to return to what he considers to be good form (which actually wasn't all that great when you look at efficiency numbers, but I digress), and defensive about criticisms of his conditioning and performance.

Six months after Jordan broke his foot, he scored 63 as he forced the eventual NBA champion (an all-time great NBA team) to double overtime in the first round.

Is this "fair" to Blatche? Of course not. He's not Jordan, and I don't expect him to be. But (as I blogged last week), there's a striking dissimilarity between Blatche's personality and those of star NBA players. Jordan worked his ass off to get back on the floor and compete. He dragged a 30-win team (they won just 38 the year before, and 40 the following season) into mortal combat against a GREAT Celtics team. Does anyone think Blatche has even a tenth of that kind of determination or competitiveness?

[fishercob]

^-----I love when you post.

[dandridge 10]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

In 1985, Michael Jordan broke a bone in his foot and missed most of his 2nd season. He returned to the lineup on heavily rationed minutes -- battling constantly to play more. The front office held him back, officially because they were concerned about possibly reinjuring his foot, but the team was widely suspected of limiting his minutes so that they could miss the playoffs and get into the draft lottery.

Once in the playoffs, concerns about his foot magically disappeared and Jordan played 45 minutes per game in the playoff series against the Celtics. He averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the series -- including his classic 63-point game.

So, let's compare. Six months after Blatche broke his foot, he's out of shape, mystified by his apparent inability to return to what he considers to be good form (which actually wasn't all that great when you look at efficiency numbers, but I digress), and defensive about criticisms of his conditioning and performance.

Six months after Jordan broke his foot, he scored 63 as he forced the eventual NBA champion (an all-time great NBA team) to double overtime in the first round.

Is this "fair" to Blatche? Of course not. He's not Jordan, and I don't expect him to be. But (as I blogged last week), there's a striking dissimilarity between Blatche's personality and those of star NBA players. Jordan worked his ass off to get back on the floor and compete. He dragged a 30-win team (they won just 38 the year before, and 40 the following season) into mortal combat against a GREAT Celtics team. Does anyone think Blatche has even a tenth of that kind of determination or competitiveness?

The answer is no and the reason I have always maintained that he will never be anything more than an ok back-up guy. You can just watch how this guy carries himself on and off the court and approaches the game to see he just doesn't have the "it" factor. I think Blatche has always cared more about the NBA lifestyle and looking cool than he has ever cared about wining or losing, and I don't think that will ever change. Just watch the guy warm-up prior to games. Most of the players look like they are mentally preparing themselves for the game, while Dray plays around with Cartier Martin or one of the other scrubs, chucking up 3 pointers and joking with the crowd. I know, this is not necessarily proof that he is a slacker. However, it certainly fits in with everything else we have known about this guy. Despite his individual skills, the guy just is not a winner. There is a reason that Blatche was picked late in the second round, and it wasn't because of a lack of skill. It was because he is lazy.

[dlts20]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

In 1985, Michael Jordan broke a bone in his foot and missed most of his 2nd season. He returned to the lineup on heavily rationed minutes -- battling constantly to play more. The front office held him back, officially because they were concerned about possibly reinjuring his foot, but the team was widely suspected of limiting his minutes so that they could miss the playoffs and get into the draft lottery.

Once in the playoffs, concerns about his foot magically disappeared and Jordan played 45 minutes per game in the playoff series against the Celtics. He averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the series -- including his classic 63-point game.

So, let's compare. Six months after Blatche broke his foot, he's out of shape, mystified by his apparent inability to return to what he considers to be good form (which actually wasn't all that great when you look at efficiency numbers, but I digress), and defensive about criticisms of his conditioning and performance.

Six months after Jordan broke his foot, he scored 63 as he forced the eventual NBA champion (an all-time great NBA team) to double overtime in the first round.

Is this "fair" to Blatche? Of course not. He's not Jordan, and I don't expect him to be. But (as I blogged last week), there's a striking dissimilarity between Blatche's personality and those of star NBA players. Jordan worked his ass off to get back on the floor and compete. He dragged a 30-win team (they won just 38 the year before, and 40 the following season) into mortal combat against a GREAT Celtics team. Does anyone think Blatche has even a tenth of that kind of determination or competitiveness?

The answer is no and the reason I have always maintained that he will never be anything more than an ok back-up guy. You can just watch how this guy carries himself on and off the court and approaches the game to see he just doesn't have the "it" factor. I think Blatche has always cared more about the NBA lifestyle and looking cool than he has ever cared about wining or losing, and I don't think that will ever change. Just watch the guy warm-up prior to games. Most of the players look like they are mentally preparing themselves for the game, while Dray plays around with Cartier Martin or one of the other scrubs, chucking up 3 pointers and joking with the crowd. I know, this is not necessarily proof that he is a slacker. However, it certainly fits in with everything else we have known about this guy. Despite his individual skills, the guy just is not a winner. There is a reason that Blatche was picked late in the second round, and it wasn't because of a lack of skill. It was because he is lazy.

all of that maybe true about how he carries himself and I wont argue that but that is still stuff that a good coach, GM, and Franchise could change. I dont think Dray would be like that if he was on SA. Flip has to have more of a role like that and EG the same. We have weak leadership and it trickles down to the players.

[JonathanJoseph]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

In 1985, Michael Jordan broke a bone in his foot and missed most of his 2nd season. He returned to the lineup on heavily rationed minutes -- battling constantly to play more. The front office held him back, officially because they were concerned about possibly reinjuring his foot, but the team was widely suspected of limiting his minutes so that they could miss the playoffs and get into the draft lottery.

Once in the playoffs, concerns about his foot magically disappeared and Jordan played 45 minutes per game in the playoff series against the Celtics. He averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the series -- including his classic 63-point game.

So, let's compare. Six months after Blatche broke his foot, he's out of shape, mystified by his apparent inability to return to what he considers to be good form (which actually wasn't all that great when you look at efficiency numbers, but I digress), and defensive about criticisms of his conditioning and performance.

Six months after Jordan broke his foot, he scored 63 as he forced the eventual NBA champion (an all-time great NBA team) to double overtime in the first round.

Is this "fair" to Blatche? Of course not. He's not Jordan, and I don't expect him to be. But (as I blogged last week), there's a striking dissimilarity between Blatche's personality and those of star NBA players. Jordan worked his ass off to get back on the floor and compete. He dragged a 30-win team (they won just 38 the year before, and 40 the following season) into mortal combat against a GREAT Celtics team. Does anyone think Blatche has even a tenth of that kind of determination or competitiveness?

The answer is no and the reason I have always maintained that he will never be anything more than an ok back-up guy. You can just watch how this guy carries himself on and off the court and approaches the game to see he just doesn't have the "it" factor. I think Blatche has always cared more about the NBA lifestyle and looking cool than he has ever cared about wining or losing, and I don't think that will ever change. Just watch the guy warm-up prior to games. Most of the players look like they are mentally preparing themselves for the game, while Dray plays around with Cartier Martin or one of the other scrubs, chucking up 3 pointers and joking with the crowd. I know, this is not necessarily proof that he is a slacker. However, it certainly fits in with everything else we have known about this guy. Despite his individual skills, the guy just is not a winner. There is a reason that Blatche was picked late in the second round, and it wasn't because of a lack of skill. It was because he is lazy.

Well that's mostly true, but when you have a legit 6'11'' 18 year old with a handle, can pass the ball really well with three point range and an uncanny feel for the game he doesn't slip out of the lottery no matter how lazy he might be.

All of these points are valid but I am also tired of being patient and I've been consistently optimistic up til now. But there's no way you can trade a talent like after you've invested 6 years into during a rebuild. If he were the final piece holding us back, sure trade him.

I'm still hoping that the lightbulb goes on for the young man. He looked to be on the verge of big things last season.

[TheBigThree]

I'm not for trading Blatche simply because his trade value is so low right now. But I'm tired of defending him. It's getting harder and harder to excuse his poor play and bad decisions. The injury excuse doesn't fly. If his injury was so bad that it hurts his play this much, he should just shut it down.

I see that Flip still stands behind him, so that's got to count for something. I haven't given up on him. I just won't defend him anymore. I'm going to expect the worst and hope for the best.

This is essentially how I feel.

I completely understand why the trade Blatche crowd is irate with his play and demeanor. I think that if his shooting was not as poor as it has been he would be viewed a lot more positively, but there is no excuse for some of the ridiculous plays he has been making of late.

It's fine to be a finesse player, and I do see him rebounding aggressively and going to the basket at times, but he just needs to be smart about it.

[Kanyewest]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

To compare Jordan to Blatche is completely unfair to Blatche. Jordan is the same guy who could barely stand before tip off against the Jazz and dropped 38 points in game 5 of the NBA Finals. In fact, the same could be said of Pau Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies, right before they traded him to the Lakers.

[hands11]

Fellas, we know Dray got in a drunken fight with his *teammate* in public. Especially given his past (getting carjacked on his way home from a club, getting arrested for solicitation), this incident -- unfortunately -- smacks of a guy who does not get it. It's completely shameful and embarrassing.

We've seen reports on the team shopping him/gauging his trade value. Based on some off-line discussions I've had and reading between the lines a little bit, my sense is that Dray has indeed been a turd since this summer.

The injury bit sucks for sure. I do think that set him back. And anyone can see plain as day that his confidence is shaken. BUt that's part of the equation -- the kid's mental makeup. At the end of the day is he going to get beaten down by the media or whiny fans, or is he going to use the loud criticism as fuel to get better? Is he going to use the injury as a crutch, or is he going to fight through it, work his way into shape and save the pouring champagne on himself in the middle of the club for when he's actually playing well? I'm not seeing too much to make me all that hopeful right now. I hope that changes.

And this is why loosing teams and loosing cultures are hard to break. It is hard to keep egos in check.

A player shows a flash of something and they get ahead of themselves. They think they have done something more than they have. Dray did start off rough but then he had his 7DD summer and seemed to turn the corner. Last year, I'm sure he saw himself as having an opportunity to be the key offensive piece to this team that they would run the offense through. After years of feeling like he was ready to start and was more talented complete player at his position than the player ahead of him, he was finally getting his day in the sun. If you look at his FGAs, that seems clear.

But all this confusion as to who he is on this team and what his role would be started over the summer. I can remember the interviews. He was confused and frustrated. He ended the year the main stud on the team where he shot inside and out, in volume, and passed and on return from his foot injury, it was Walls team, Gil was back and they were asking him to be more of a post player. Probably close to what KG did in Boston later in his career only Dray probably saw visions of KG earlier in his career.

Hell, even Dirk had problems adjusting when they started asking him to do more of that stuff and that team was going to the playoffs every year.

A big problem with this team is centered on the fact that they have lost so much. They are a small pound that has had to many medium fish that believe they are big fish. Neither Gil nor AJ were rounded players or top flight big fish but they were treated like it and acted like it. Gil would never have put up those kinds of numbers on a deep playoffs team because a team of that quality would have post and wing players that needed more shots. CB was the more complete player but he was getting injured and in his prime, he shared the stage with two other high volume shooters.
Gil, AJ and CB with EFJ was never going to go anywhere. No D with 3 high volume, mostly perimeter players, one of which was your PG. Had they just feed Haywood the ball more, they would have been better. Gil, AJ, and CB needed to shoot a few less each so Haywood could get 10-12 shots a game instead of the 5, 6 or 7 he would average. When they played like that, they looked solid.

So back to Dray and this team. Of all of them, Nick is actually ending up to be the most grounded and humble young talent on the team. He may have more talent currently then anyone on the team but he is just going about his business and doing what the coaches want him to do. He is working on expanding his game but he is being patient and not forcing things. In a sense, he shyness is a gift. He doesn't expect anything. He has earned it and is continuing to earning it on the court with his play. If the coaches decide to tell everyone on the team, go to Nick first, there isn't one things any of them could feel bad about.

Players on this team that I think could learn something from Nick and need to get their egos in check.

Yi - he is maybe the worst. No one on this team has done less yet still thinks it's his job to be the first option when he is out there. Shades of OP. Totally clueless. NY used to be this way.

Wall - They should have never made him a captain right out of the gate. He shoots to much. He is reminding me to much of Gil. He is a talented PG if he would focus on that more. Same thing I said of Gil. Went he focuses on setting up his teammates and drives at the right time, he looks amazing. He needs to get in line behind Lewis and then maybe Dray for shooting. Wall, you need to get back to about the Kirk level of shooting. No way you should be taking 19 shots when Nick has only 8 and Lewis 5.

Dray - Part of this I blame on what happened to the team since he has been here and on his great play last year to end the season. And, on himself. Dray brother, this team would be best with Nick as the first option scorer. The offense can be run through you sometimes, but not all the time, not always first and not every game.

Fix these egos and this team would be better.

[hands11]

I'm about to make a comparison that's a) totally unfair, and b) illustrates the point about Blatche.

In 1985, Michael Jordan broke a bone in his foot and missed most of his 2nd season. He returned to the lineup on heavily rationed minutes -- battling constantly to play more. The front office held him back, officially because they were concerned about possibly reinjuring his foot, but the team was widely suspected of limiting his minutes so that they could miss the playoffs and get into the draft lottery.

Once in the playoffs, concerns about his foot magically disappeared and Jordan played 45 minutes per game in the playoff series against the Celtics. He averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the series -- including his classic 63-point game.

So, let's compare. Six months after Blatche broke his foot, he's out of shape, mystified by his apparent inability to return to what he considers to be good form (which actually wasn't all that great when you look at efficiency numbers, but I digress), and defensive about criticisms of his conditioning and performance.

Six months after Jordan broke his foot, he scored 63 as he forced the eventual NBA champion (an all-time great NBA team) to double overtime in the first round.

Is this "fair" to Blatche? Of course not. He's not Jordan, and I don't expect him to be. But (as I blogged last week), there's a striking dissimilarity between Blatche's personality and those of star NBA players. Jordan worked his ass off to get back on the floor and compete. He dragged a 30-win team (they won just 38 the year before, and 40 the following season) into mortal combat against a GREAT Celtics team. Does anyone think Blatche has even a tenth of that kind of determination or competitiveness?

The answer is no and the reason I have always maintained that he will never be anything more than an ok back-up guy. You can just watch how this guy carries himself on and off the court and approaches the game to see he just doesn't have the "it" factor. I think Blatche has always cared more about the NBA lifestyle and looking cool than he has ever cared about wining or losing, and I don't think that will ever change. Just watch the guy warm-up prior to games. Most of the players look like they are mentally preparing themselves for the game, while Dray plays around with Cartier Martin or one of the other scrubs, chucking up 3 pointers and joking with the crowd. I know, this is not necessarily proof that he is a slacker. However, it certainly fits in with everything else we have known about this guy. Despite his individual skills, the guy just is not a winner. There is a reason that Blatche was picked late in the second round, and it wasn't because of a lack of skill. It was because he is lazy.

all of that maybe true about how he carries himself and I wont argue that but that is still stuff that a good coach, GM, and Franchise could change. I dont think Dray would be like that if he was on SA. Flip has to have more of a role like that and EG the same. We have weak leadership and it trickles down to the players.

And as I sad in my last post, I think this has more to do with the small pond with to many thinking they are the big fish. I comes with being a losing team. Flip is clearly trying to get these guys in line. He did it with Nick and now look at him. He is trying with McGee. Dray and Wall seem to be the tougher nuts to crack. Yi, I just have no answer for what I saw last game from him. Totally clueless as to his role.

The good news is, players like Gil are gone and they have been through the process with Nick so they can point to that as the way.

You are right. This has everything to do with who they play for. Wall would not be a captain on the SA team and Dray would not be thinking he was the primary option to score. Nor would Yi.

But of all of them, I blame Dray the least. He at least has been here and earned his wings. He waited behind AJ for years and when given the chance last year, he was doing similar to what Nick is doing now.

Once healthy again, they need to get this straighten out. Who does what and in what order. What does the TEAM need from each player first and foremost. Wall, run the offense and pass. Nick and Lewis scoring options 1 and 2 wit Lewis rebounding. McGee - rebounds and hold the middle and deter shots in the paint. Dray - glue, rebounds and score and be the center of the offense when needed.

Until this gets straightened out and they are healthy, they will be up and down.

Dray missing a game right now may be a blessing. Now it will be easier for Nick and Lewis to become the offensive focus. That is if Yi isn't out there chucking up shoots and Wall doesn't try to make up the difference himself.

[LyricalRico]

I'm not for trading Blatche simply because his trade value is so low right now. But I'm tired of defending him. It's getting harder and harder to excuse his poor play and bad decisions. The injury excuse doesn't fly. If his injury was so bad that it hurts his play this much, he should just shut it down.

I see that Flip still stands behind him, so that's got to count for something. I haven't given up on him. I just won't defend him anymore. I'm going to expect the worst and hope for the best.

This is essentially how I feel.

I completely understand why the trade Blatche crowd is irate with his play and demeanor. I think that if his shooting was not as poor as it has been he would be viewed a lot more positively, but there is no excuse for some of the ridiculous plays he has been making of late.

It's fine to be a finesse player, and I do see him rebounding aggressively and going to the basket at times, but he just needs to be smart about it.

But this is the problem - the endless cycle between "we can't trade him because his value is low" when he plays like suck and then when he plays better for a stretch it changes to "we can't trade him because he's turning the corner". Either way, people find a reason not to trade him and all we have to show for it is frustration.

It's like when people make excuses to stay in a bad relationship. They know they should leave, but either the sex is great or the other person says they will change or whatever. And then years pass by until they finally realize how much of their life has been wasted waiting for something that will never come.

I'm just trying to save the Blatche lovers from this 100% guaranteed and inevitable fate. At some point you WILL have to break up with him because he WILL continue to disappoint you. He has proven that time and again. But don't worry, you'll find someone else. Some 6'11 guy with skills will come along and steal you heart soon enough. Hey, life went on after Kwame, didn't it?

[TGW]

I say get him off the team. His unprofessional attitude and laziness is infectious, and his conduct off the court is terrible. We need to get the loser mentality off the team, and that starts with this guy. Trade him for Taj Gibson and a ham sandwich.