Why did I even put the score as the headline of this post? It’s just not about the results anymore — even though tonight the Wizards (21-41) did stay within some kind of striking distance of the Hawks (41-23) for the entire game.
But after a contest in which Andray Blatche hit the 30-point mark for the third time since the All-Star break (the fourth this season) and got his ninth double-double, and in which JaVale McGee had a career-high 20 points, had 9 rebounds, and matched Dwight Howard with 8 dunks, a one-game season-high in the NBA this year, it’s time to talk about more than simply their increased production.
Are Blatche and McGee actually getting better?
Blatche, who also had 7 turnovers – the fourth time in the last five game that he’s had at least four – seems to be getting the same question every night. He’s been the good soldier with his responses, too. But until he can give head coach Flip Saunders a good reason not to unload on him, it seems unlikely that the direction of the questioning will change.
Here’s Saunders: “Dray’s had problems with [turnovers] lately, and seven again tonight. As we’ve said, a lot of times when he turns the ball over in his position, he throws crosscourt passes, which he’s been doing a little bit, it leads to layups going the other way.”
Blatche’s response: “I’m not used to getting double-teamed. That’s going to be an issue until I – I gotta learn by playing, and it’s going to get better. Can’t no guy just come from being on the bench, not used to getting double-teamed and start playing and not have turnovers. This is all new. They double-teamed, they rotated, and I’m trying to make plays, and it’s just new.”
Buy uh-oh, the dreaded follow-up. When won’t it be new? “It’s going to be there until I learn. I can’t control stuff like that. It’s not like I’m out there just giving the ball away. I’m trying to make plays, and it’s not working out.”
As for McGee, Flip called his number on three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. But it ain’t about the offense.
Said Saunders, “He’s still got to get better defending his man one-on-one. He gives up position trying to block shots on his guy, and he’s got to give a little more resistance down there, and get him off his spot and be in a situation to contest shots better.”
Please allow McGee to retort: “I feel like I’m still going to leave my feet sometimes because that’s what has people scared to come to the hole half the time. So if I stop doing that then there’d be more scoring. I’d rather just be one foul and I leave my feet all the time and there’s five misses than everybody score and just shoot it and not be afraid of me.”
Judge for yourself.
“When he figures it out,” said Mike Miller of McGee, “it’s going to be something I think a lot of people are happy to see because if he continues to try to block shots from the floor and finish above the rim like he’s capable of, it makes the game a lot easier for everybody.”
Speaking of Miller, the speculation about what the Wizards will look like next year started to creep into the locker room tonight, too, with the confirmation that Gilbert Arenas is changing his number to 6 next year. What’s that mean for Miller, the number’s current holder?
“He gave me a call, asked me about it, and I gave him the go-ahead,” said Miller. “If he wants the number six, he can have it.”
What about Miller’s future number and future with the Wizards? “We’ll see. I’ll probably go back to 33 if I have the opportunity to, we just gotta play it out, and we’ll see what happens.”
A ringing endorsement for the upcoming Wizards offseason.
Add Pick & Roll to your RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Pick-and-roll
Follow me on Twitter @craigstouffer
