On Tuesday, Eric Freeman relayed the news that Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time to aid the mercurial forward in getting in shape. This attempt at catching up to NBA speed comes three months removed from the opening of NBA training camps, but we're willing to look past that fact for now. What we can't overlook is the curious Twitter timeline 'Dray came through with early Tuesday morning, when it appears as if Blatche engaged in a furious early morning workout that may have lasted … 15 minutes?
Perhaps we're taking this too literally, but we found it pretty funny when D.C. Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg pointed out that Blatche tweeted to his ostensible workout partner at 3:32 to "get it," and that another workout partner tweeted that he had "just left the Gym" with Blatche and the first partner at 3:47. Blatche, wanting everyone to know that he was getting his run on, promptly re-tweeted that.
We're pretty sure that Blatche didn't just go in for a 15-minute workout just a few hours after being shamed by interim Wizards coach Randy Wittman and shunned from the struggling team, even the more bloated amongst us (and believe me, I am all about being amongst that) can withstand more than a 15-minute run, especially when Blatche averages over 24 minutes per game. It's the timing of the event that says quite a bit.
Andray's on his own, now, to figure out just how he wants to spend the next few seasons of his NBA career. Blatche signed a contract extension in the fall of 2010 that will pay him over $23 million following this season and until 2015, but even seven seasons into his career Blatche still plays a ridiculous brand of basketball based around low percentage shots and infuriating betrayals of his obvious length, touch, and creativity. The 6-11 big man is shooting just 38 percent from the floor, and his scoring has fallen off five and a half points from the 18.2 points per 36 minutes he averaged just two years ago.
Blatche is just 25, and as DIME's Ananth Pandian pointed out on Wednesday morning, he's not too far removed from the time he printed up workout t-shirts for his Wizards teammates in the hopes that they'd join him in attempting to stay in shape during last year's lockout. This sort of showing is typical -- anytime Andray goes the extra mile, he wants people to know all about it. Be it on Twitter, or on a t-shirt. He's full of this stuff.
It's more than frustrating, because discussing an impulsive early-morning workout on Twitter is just as expected of Blatche as reporting to his team out of shape, failing to take care of his body, or taking silly shots when a quick pump fake and jump hook will do. He's an easy target even when he's attempting to get things right, so willing to do so many things like Andray Blatche.
Our advice would just be to go silent for now, Andray, because you've used up just about all of your team and the fans of your team's patience.
My advice to Wizards fans would be to not hold your breath, and hope that some other team wants to take Andray off your hands this offseason.