Blatche Refuses to Re-Enter the Game

[Kai]

WASHINGTON -- It's the last thing a bad team on a long losing streak needs -- a tantrum and a boycott from a young player who was just starting to put up some good numbers.

Andray Blatche was benched after the first 7½ minutes of the Washington Wizards' 95-86 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.

Coach Flip Saunders said Blatche didn't want to listen when the coach tried to talk to him about playing better defense.

"He didn't want to hear it," Saunders said. "I told him, 'If you don't come and talk, if you don't want to be coached, you're not going to play.' We had coaches go up to him three different times, they said he didn't want to play. Fifteen years, never seen anything like it.

"He can be [mad] at me, whatever, but you never leave your teammates out to dry like that. Not when you've lost 11 games in a row and you've got a chance to win a game. Uncalled-for. We'll deal with it," Saunders said.

Asked if Blatche will play in Wednesday night's game at Indiana, Saunders said: "I would doubt it. I don't know, but I would doubt it."

Blatche was not made available for comment. He had left the Wizards' locker room by the time it was opened to reporters.

Blatche had become the team's go-to scorer following the suspension of Gilbert Arenas and the deals that sent Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood elsewhere before the trade deadline last month. Inconsistent, often undisciplined and slow to mature over his first 4½ NBA seasons, Blatche moved into the starting lineup by default and had been averaging 23.2 points and 9.4 rebounds since the All-Star break. Washington, however, has lost 12 straight.

Ironically, his spat came on the day the Wizards issued a flier touting Blatche as a candidate for the league's most improved player.

"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."

Saunders also said Blatche has lost the credibility of his teammates.

"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."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5023170

[Allanon]

Sounds like too much ego is going to waste another talent.

[Chieflion]

Saunders had to put up with a ton of shit from guys like Sheed, now Blatche. He can't command respect for shit. LOL defense.

"Blatche refuses to play defense" would be a better title, I suppose.

[JamStone]

Flip Saunders just alienating players he's supposed to alienate.

[ChrisRichards]

How can people even side on Blatche on this one? Coach is right with this one. Fuck Blatche.

[ezau]

The kid has been playing well lately, but that doesn't mean he can afford to not listen to his coaches. This might just ruin his promising career

[AnthonyM]

Killed me in fantasy tonight...

[bigdog]

Sucks to hear, because he's too damn talented to be acting like that. He's been playing out of his mind.

[gm5k]

what a f*cking PUNK! never read an article quite like that. can't say I'm surprised, though.

to bail out on his teammates like that... :rolleyes

[KSeal]

Killed me in fantasy tonight...

Heartbreak.

[timtonymanu]

Wizards have another ego player.

Arenas who?

[Scola]

wow total bitch move!

[namlook]

Saunders had to put up with a ton of shit from guys like Sheed, now Blatche. He can't command respect for shit.

It's not Saunders it's Blatche being a little bitch. Pippen snubbed Phil Jackson the same way. That was Pippen being a crybaby, not because Phil Jackson doesn't command respect.

[ffadicted]

What a cocknut faggot

[Mel_13]

Multi-million dollar talent.

Two cent brain.

[ElNono]

Blatche is an ass. But I can see how you would get a laugh attack if Flip Saunders, of all people, wanted to teach you how to play better defense.

[Muser]

What a fucking bitch, he's getting paid millions of $ to play a game he loves. I'd do it for a fraction of what he earns.

[lefty]

I'm really disappointed


I was a huge fan before that incident


It goes to show you how "fame" can inflate someone's ego

I mean it has been. what, a few months?

[mogrovejo]

Blatche is an ass. But I can see how you would get a laugh attack if Flip Saunders, of all people, wanted to teach you how to play better defense.

Huh? Why? Is a guy who has coached a few top-5 defensive teams in the NBA and coached one of the greatest defensive players ever in Garnett not qualified to coach defense? That's odd. More, I'm pretty sure Saunders was qualified to coach Blatche defensively even before coaching a single NBA game. His CBA teams were known for being very good defensively.

[pauls931]

Saunders had to put up with a ton of shit from guys like Sheed, now Blatche. He can't command respect for shit. LOL defense.

"Blatche refuses to play defense" would be a better title, I suppose.

Players should get pay cuts/be fired for refusing to obey orders. STFU and do your job.

[Bob Lanier]

Flip Saunders just alienating players he's supposed to alienate.

[Bob Lanier]

Huh? Why? Is a guy who has coached a few top-5 defensive teams in the NBA
Thank you, John Hollinger.

and coached one of the greatest defensive players ever in Garnett
Think that might have had a little to do with it?

[Brazil]

Killed me in fantasy tonight...

welcome to my world, this week the wiz have a 4 games schedule, I don't give a shit of what are the issues between Blatche and Sanders, play the kid tomorrow Sanders ! :bang

[MarCowMar]

What a ..., he's getting paid millions of $ to play a game he loves. I'd do it for a fraction of what he earns.

I don't get the impression he loves the game.

[ChrisRichards]

Blatche is an ass. But I can see how you would get a laugh attack if Flip Saunders, of all people, wanted to teach you how to play better defense.
Flip had a very good defensive team in Minnesota and Detroit. He's not Mike D'Antoni.

I'm really disappointed


I was a huge fan before that incident


It goes to show you how "fame" can inflate someone's ego

I mean it has been. what, a few months?

QFT. 16 games god to his head. What a punk ass.

[Indazone]

Trade him to the Nets. Let him learn his lesson the hard way. lol

[ambchang]

This guy's got Stromile Swift 2.0 written all over him.

This is even worse than refusing to shoot in the 2nd half of a Game 7 just to prove a point.

[lefty]

This guy's got Stromile Swift 2.0 written all over him.

This is even worse than refusing to shoot in the 2nd half of a Game 7 just to prove a point.
There is no need to drag Kobe into this conversation :lol

[Flux451]

I'm really disappointed


I was a huge fan before that incident


It goes to show you how "fame" can inflate someone's ego

I mean it has been. what, a few months?

Rather, Blatche's ego is finally famous.

[Mr Bones]

The main reason he didn't start before was his defense... and now that he gets minutes and scores, he feels like the coach doesn't have a right to tell him to play D!
The Wizards are a great example of how character and work ethic matter when trying to build a team.

[angelbelow]

lol blatche

[mingus]

i was PO that someone grabbed him ahead of me in fantasy, but looks like it's working out in my favor now.

isn't this the dude that picked up a hooker and got arrested for it, too? or was that someone else?

wasn't taught anything growing up, but that can be said for a lot of these guys in the NBA. glad the Spurs generally pass on immature guys like this.

[Mel_13]

Blatche wants an apology:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/03/andray_blatche_disputes_flip_s.html

Does he want to stay in Washington?

"I mean, we have great management, Ernie Grunfeld, Tommy Sheppard, Milt [Newton], them all great guys. This situation, I wish it never occurred, but you know it's gonna blow over after a while. To me, I think this will all go away if I receive an apology, because to abuse my name like that, that's disrespectful and that's hurtful. And you want me to play for you after you made all these stories about me in the paper and after the game? That's crazy."

[kamikazi_player]

damn people, blatche is still young, of course he's going to act immature. If he did this around his mid 30's, then you guys can rip on him.

[weebo]

damn people, blatche is still young, of course he's going to act immature. If he did this around his mid 30's, then you guys can rip on him.

Since when does age excuse you from being an asshole? He and Saunders can hate on each other all they want all day, but the bottom line is that HE LEFT HIS TEAMMATES OUT TO DRY.

[sribb43]

WTF is he playing tonight??? Pussy ass Wizards organization

[FkLA]

Im with people that are asking how the hell can you side with Blatche? He may be young, he may be beasting, Saunders may not have the best credentials but regardless of all that Coach is always right. Bitch move by a player that was finally coming into his own.

[JoeTait75]

Blatche is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Even if he does have a legitimate beef with Flip Saunders he's only hurting himself by playing it out this way. Suck it up and be a better man. Chances are he'll outlast Saunders in Washington anyway.

[angelbelow]

damn people, blatche is still young, of course he's going to act immature. If he did this around his mid 30's, then you guys can rip on him.

Age is not an excuse. hes a fucking professional that makes millions a year. He has no excuse to be immature.

[Whisky Dog]

Biatche is as Biatche does.


FYI - Saunders is a little bitch for crying to the media about it too. Then dragging Garnett's name where it doesn't belong - horrible leadership Flip. Handle your shit in house, not gossiping about a player to the media.

[Indazone]

18 yrs old and stupid as fuck. He should be very coachable at that age. Not some Michael Jordan wannabe. He's not even half as good. He should have just sucked it up and played. Now his NBA stock is dropping like a rock.