Andray Blatche personified a lot of the problems for the post-Arenas era in Washington that the Wizards have tried so hard to shake. A hot shooting stretch after Arenas was suspended and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were traded in a blow-up lead to a huge contract. Knuckleheaded behavior and poor shot selection soon followed, and the team was a joke within a joke, a meta-basketball-gag that showed problems with the roster, coaching, and organization.
Blatche was amnestied this summer as the team looked to remake the roster completely with higher caliber and character guys.
But he can still play. And he wants to, badly.“My dream destination right now would be back on the court. For real. Just to get back on the court,” he said. “It’s something I love to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Heat or the Spurs or the D League. Whatever. As long as I’m back on the court playing ball.
“I mean, I love the game. I’m a fan of the game. I love playing basketball. That’s the only thing I’ve been doing since I’ve been little. Basketball is something that is very, very important to me.”
via Andray Blatche, released by the Wizards, hopes to reshape his image and his career | syracuse.com.
Blatche is open and candid with his comments about his mistakes, while also pinning some of the DNP-Conditioning stuff last year on the coaching staff. He’s gotten interest from some of the big teams, but it just depends on what he’s willing to take. He still gets his money for the rest of his contract with Washington, so he’s no in any hurry. He can take his time and choose the place where he’s going to have the best opportunity.
Maybe all of this in the article is genuine. Maybe he’s changed. You have to hope so. Blatche would make for a great redemption story.
