“I’m a great human being,” Blatche said recently. “[If] somebody thinks a certain way about me, then that’s their business. It takes a lot more energy to hate somebody than to like somebody, so they’re just taking the easy way out.”
Blatche was evasive when I asked about the Twitter incident and his issues with McGee, focusing instead on the “media stuff, like that with the papers and the Internet” reports. He believes the media have created an inaccurate perception of him because “those people are not there when the incidents occur. They’re just going off of what somebody else has said.”
Accepting responsibility for your actions is a big part of displaying maturity, and it seems Blatche still has a ways to go on that front.
The likelihood is the Wizards will continue waiting on Blatche for at least a little while longer.
They’ll probably convince themselves that the broken foot he suffered in June, and other injuries that have sidelined him, are primarily responsible for his season-long setback after he averaged 22.1 points and 8.3 rebounds in 32 games after the all-star break last season.
They’ll remind themselves Blatche is a skilled, 6-foot-11 player who has displayed a nice shooting touch when he’s physically sound.
They’ll take comfort in knowing Blatche is signed through the 2014-15 season to a contract that pays him a little more than $35.7 million over five years, but is a relative bargain based on his statistical performance.
Blatche probably will return next season because of his potential and the investment the Wizards have made in him. Those have been the biggest factors in his continued presence on the roster.
Leonsis, though, wants more than potential. He wants results on and off the court.
Leonsis wants players to represent the organization in the right way to help him grow the fan base in a big way. He’s not interested in the Wizards being as good as they previously were — qualifying for the playoffs only to lose in the first or second rounds — he wants the biggest prizes.
Through their actions, the players will determine whom management should retain as the rebuilding project continues, Wizards officials say. Blatche has already told them a lot. They simply need to listen.
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