Andray Blatche. Potential All-Star? Stat Stuffer? Neither?

[EGarrett]

So I was reading up earlier on Blatche, including some of his bizarre history with the Wizards, and I've had a hard time figuring him out. He averaged 17 and 8 one year for them, then only a couple seasons later, while still in his mid-20's and apparently not injured, they cut him, due to "lack of conditioning." He of course then signs with the Nets, and averages just under 20 and 10 per 36 minutes. Then he re-signs here for the minimum.

I thought that young players who produced that much, especially big men, got big contracts, whether they deserve it or not? I also thought that if their original team didn't want them, they would end up traded, not cut. Was Andray some kind of locker room cancer on the Wizards? Or did he have some specific issue with the Coach or front office? Was his conditioning really that bad? Or is there another issue?

And how good is he? His production and age would indicate that he should be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year and maybe even an All-Star if he was given heavy playing time? So does he stuff his stats, or is he really that good? And how the heck did we get him back for the minimum?

Feel free to answer any of these.

[624]

The reason he re-signed for the minimum was because he is still getting his amnesty money from Washington.


If it was under a normal situation he would have gotten paid coming off this past season.

[VCRJKidd15]

LOL No, seems like people are forgetting how many bone head plays this guys made last season. Yeah his numbers are good and he is a game changer on the court but he still can potentially go full returd

[jeff1624]

Neither. If we were playing 36 minutes a night his efficiency would go way down because he has the habit of taking.making some really stupid shots/decisions. But he isn't an al thorton like player either because he was one of our best bench player last season.

[Paradise]

Stat stuffer.

(4 games) 30-39 minutes: 19ppg, 9.3 rebounds, 2 assists on 53% FG.
(31 games) 20-29 minutes: 13.1ppg, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists on 51% FG.
(43 games) 10-19 minutes: 8.2ppg, 4 rebounds, 1 assist on 50% FG.

No matter what his minutes were last season, his production stayed the same, his efficiency stayed the same. The reason for that was the fact, he's much more of a threat at Center. He didn't actually take many bad shots either. I really hope KG and Kidd can teach him some things, he has the tools to be a mismatch every single night and collect assists along wit his improved efficiency and rebound rate. Next up, improve his man to man defense.

[S A A]

Needs to stay focused and motivated. He's a guy who likes to eat and party a lot. Blatche Could be really good but I think he'll always fall short of really getting anywhere near maxing out his talent. He made strides last year but was also inconsistent at times. I would like to see his overall defense improve.

[dlts20]

Wiz fan here. Blatche is an All Star talent point blank, period. Will he ever be an All Star? He has a chance but most likely he never will be because of his mentality. Some guys never get it until its too late. He obviously has got it more now than in Washington but he still just doesnt all the way get it. He just doesnt.

We had Jamsion for alot of years and Dray was his backup. AJ use to rag on him all the time for being so unproffesional. To me it was 50/50. 1st off he also had mentors like Arenas who are terrible to have and he also knew that no matter how hard he worked, AJ would always get 40 plus minutes per game with Eddie Jordan but you still have to be a pro and work hard.

AJ was terrible. Everything he added on O he gave back double on D. Blatche shouldve been playing and alot. When we finally blew the team up and Dray got his chance, he was dominant. I saw him destroy top notch guys. I remember him killing Nene in Denver and I could hear Nene asking his teammates to help him guard Dray.

That Dray was slim. Probably still wasnt working that hard but was young. Then he got a big head, got the big money, and got fat. Everything you heard about his condidtioning is true. He went from being a slimmer PF who could easily play the SF position into a fat overweight Center. His body & head were twice the size and he was super slow. He was never athletic anyways so it made it even worse.

The change came at the very end of our last season. He was booed non stop by the fans which I thought was over the top. Literally every time he touched the ball our own fans would boo. He then had to sit like the last 20 games because he was out of shape but most of all he got benched. He lost his spot before we made him sit. There is nothing more humbling then losing your spot to guys you know cant hold your jock.

I knew he would change that following year and I did not want to Amnesty him. I knew someone would get a huge huge huge steal. Ofcourse it was you guys. He played great just like I thought. However, even though he lost alot of weight and was in better shape, you could still see that he wasnt in tip top shape. If he just had that burning desire to be great and put it all in one offseason, he would dominate in this league.

Some Wiz fans talked about his dumb plays which is true but I always argued that 99% of them were just because he was fat and out of shape. You saw those plays come way down last year and they would be even less if he got into max shape. Thats why I think its great you got KG and probably Kidd also. Those are the 2 type of guys who can save him and take him to the next level but it starts in the training room and with his diiet. If he goes all out then he will be All Star like

[EGarrett]

Thanks for the great post DLTS. Answered a lot of questions.

[MaxZaslofskyJr]

From what I've put together, I think that he still lacks a little maturity. I base this mainly on the fact that he seems to really want to stick it to Washington. Yet, from all accounts, he brought things upon himself. Had he really turned the corner, he would have dealt with his own mistakes internally and realized that he pretty much got what he deserved. Of course, if he had done that, he might not be with Brooklyn...

[DrazenForThree]

neither.

he is a talented player who was put in a perfect position. As a backup 5 all his positives are maximized and all his negatives minimized. he has a quickness and skill advatage over basicaly any backup center and a lot of starters. in less time his energy level stays higher and we see less lulls. playing at the 5 keeps him closer ot the paint and gives him less permieter touches and dribbling.

as a starter, i think you would see all those old habits come back. and at the 4 i think he would have alot of train wreck moments.

outstanding backup C. probably best in the league. all-star? not likely

[DJ Pauly P]

A role player who hopefully will get some sense knocked into him by KG. Those fadeaway jumpers were a great way to kill the team's momentum.

Ideally Blatche will help limit Lopez's minutes in unimportant games, for games that matter I'd want more AK-47 at the four and Blatche strictly seeing spot minutes at center to give Lopez a breather.

[Boarder Patrol]

One of the best backup Cs in the league. Possibly/probably second to only Mahinmi to be honest. He produces big numbers and everything would point to him being a solid starter, but I think he'd fall back into bad habits.

Excellent signing to back up Brook.

[TheMightyHumph]

Needs to improve strength, focus and aggression.

I think that sums it up

[cdouglas]

Wiz fan here. Blatche is an All Star talent point blank, period. Will he ever be an All Star? He has a chance but most likely he never will be because of his mentality. Some guys never get it until its too late. He obviously has got it more now than in Washington but he still just doesnt all the way get it. He just doesnt.

We had Jamsion for alot of years and Dray was his backup. AJ use to rag on him all the time for being so unproffesional. To me it was 50/50. 1st off he also had mentors like Arenas who are terrible to have and he also knew that no matter how hard he worked, AJ would always get 40 plus minutes per game with Eddie Jordan but you still have to be a pro and work hard.

AJ was terrible. Everything he added on O he gave back double on D. Blatche shouldve been playing and alot. When we finally blew the team up and Dray got his chance, he was dominant. I saw him destroy top notch guys. I remember him killing Nene in Denver and I could hear Nene asking his teammates to help him guard Dray.

That Dray was slim. Probably still wasnt working that hard but was young. Then he got a big head, got the big money, and got fat. Everything you heard about his condidtioning is true. He went from being a slimmer PF who could easily play the SF position into a fat overweight Center. His body & head were twice the size and he was super slow. He was never athletic anyways so it made it even worse.

The change came at the very end of our last season. He was booed non stop by the fans which I thought was over the top. Literally every time he touched the ball our own fans would boo. He then had to sit like the last 20 games because he was out of shape but most of all he got benched. He lost his spot before we made him sit. There is nothing more humbling then losing your spot to guys you know cant hold your jock.

I knew he would change that following year and I did not want to Amnesty him. I knew someone would get a huge huge huge steal. Ofcourse it was you guys. He played great just like I thought. However, even though he lost alot of weight and was in better shape, you could still see that he wasnt in tip top shape. If he just had that burning desire to be great and put it all in one offseason, he would dominate in this league.

Some Wiz fans talked about his dumb plays which is true but I always argued that 99% of them were just because he was fat and out of shape. You saw those plays come way down last year and they would be even less if he got into max shape. Thats why I think its great you got KG and probably Kidd also. Those are the 2 type of guys who can save him and take him to the next level but it starts in the training room and with his diiet. If he goes all out then he will be All Star like

Agree with this post 100 percent. I'm a Wiz fan tand didn't want the team to amnesty Blatche because he has alot of potential and can be an All Star if he takes the game more serious. I think he can do great things in Brooklyn, I'm just sorry it wasn't in DC.

[jerseyjac]

Stat stuffer.

(4 games) 30-39 minutes: 19ppg, 9.3 rebounds, 2 assists on 53% FG.
(31 games) 20-29 minutes: 13.1ppg, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists on 51% FG.
(43 games) 10-19 minutes: 8.2ppg, 4 rebounds, 1 assist on 50% FG.

No matter what his minutes were last season, his production stayed the same, his efficiency stayed the same. The reason for that was the fact, he's much more of a threat at Center. He didn't actually take many bad shots either. I really hope KG and Kidd can teach him some things, he has the tools to be a mismatch every single night and collect assists along wit his improved efficiency and rebound rate. Next up, improve his man to man defense.

So refreshing, what a difference a year makes...w/out a doubt, he needs to man up on D...

[Trader_Joe]

One of the best backup Cs in the league. Possibly/probably second to only Mahinmi to be honest. He produces big numbers and everything would point to him being a solid starter, but I think he'd fall back into bad habits.

Excellent signing to back up Brook.

Mahinmi?

For real?
I think Scola will be the main back up C this year.
Mahinmi is nothing special even for a back up, slightly above average perhaps.

[Trader_Joe]

Blatche is simply one of the best reclamation projects I can think of in some time.
We are so fortunate he resigned with us.

And as the Washington fan said.. if he wanted it, and improved his conditioning he's a top offensive talent among big men. His defense was pretty bad, but at least he can rebound as is 6'11".

[Boarder Patrol]

One of the best backup Cs in the league. Possibly/probably second to only Mahinmi to be honest. He produces big numbers and everything would point to him being a solid starter, but I think he'd fall back into bad habits.

Excellent signing to back up Brook.

Mahinmi?

For real?
I think Scola will be the main back up C this year.
Mahinmi is nothing special even for a back up, slightly above average perhaps.

I always liked Mahinmi for whatever reason. Stats definitely won't do him justice, and even at that 5 points and 4 boards in 16 minutes is nice. Protects the rim well too.

But yeah, Blatxhe is probably better.

[Trader_Joe]

One of the best backup Cs in the league. Possibly/probably second to only Mahinmi to be honest. He produces big numbers and everything would point to him being a solid starter, but I think he'd fall back into bad habits.

Excellent signing to back up Brook.

Mahinmi?

For real?
I think Scola will be the main back up C this year.
Mahinmi is nothing special even for a back up, slightly above average perhaps.

I always liked Mahinmi for whatever reason. Stats definitely won't do him justice, and even at that 5 points and 4 boards in 16 minutes is nice. Protects the rim well too.

But yeah, Blatxhe is probably better.

This year I'd take..
Blatche
Andersen
Asik

Over him.

He's more
Koufos
Mozgov
Pachullia

Center is actually very deep these days.
Lots of young guys with much more potential too.

[Boarder Patrol]

Mahinmi?

For real?
I think Scola will be the main back up C this year.
Mahinmi is nothing special even for a back up, slightly above average perhaps.

I always liked Mahinmi for whatever reason. Stats definitely won't do him justice, and even at that 5 points and 4 boards in 16 minutes is nice. Protects the rim well too.

But yeah, Blatxhe is probably better.

This year I'd take..
Blatche
Andersen
Asik

Over him.

He's more
Koufos
Mozgov
Pachullia

Center is actually very deep these days.
Lots of young guys with much more potential too.

Yeah I definitely think the argument that center is weak is fading now. When healthy you've got a lot of talent and depth.