The Wizards center situation seems like a dead-end for fantasy production. As it stands right now, the path finally seems clear for Brandon Haywood to begin getting regular minutes as a starter. It would look like he's the best option, at first glance. But honestly, do we trust a dude who a) loses his starting job to a guy who looks like he belongs at the Poetry Slam at your local coffee shop and has a very serious heart condition, b) then gets in fights with that same guy and c) has to resort to hair pulling? No, we don't.
Andray Blatche has been tantalizing fantasy owners for two years now with the potential to put up Josh Smith-esque numbers. With Antawn Jamison out for the first few weeks of the season, Blatche is going to get some run as the starting PF for the Wiz. His per 36 stats last year were fantastic. 47%, 70% FT, 15.1 points, 8.0 reb., 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.6 blocks. In his 36 starts last year, Blatche gave us the following line: 28 MPG, 47.4% FG, 71.6% FT, 11.8 points, 6.3 reb., 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks. Good numbers that are likely to go up, considering Blatche's age (he turned 23 this August).
Andray Blatche has been tantalizing fantasy owners for two years now with the potential to put up Josh Smith-esque numbers. With Antawn Jamison out for the first few weeks of the season, Blatche is going to get some run as the starting PF for the Wiz. His per 36 stats last year were fantastic. 47%, 70% FT, 15.1 points, 8.0 reb., 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.6 blocks. In his 36 starts last year, Blatche gave us the following line: 28 MPG, 47.4% FG, 71.6% FT, 11.8 points, 6.3 reb., 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks. Good numbers that are likely to go up, considering Blatche's age (he turned 23 this August).
Haywood is a free agent after this year, and with Blatche and second-year man Javale McGee (also worth keeping an eye on as the season wears on) on their roster, I think the Wiz will want to see what they have in the young guys rather than sticking with Haywood. I suspect Blatche will impress early in Jamison's absence and ultimately snatch a lot of Haywood's minutes as the year progresses, if not the starting job. In a league that continues to put a premium on athleticism, Blatche is a potential goldmine. At the very least, Andray will likely get a lot of minutes off the bench as an energy guy and provide fantasy GMs with solid back-end production (not the kind I produce after a big coffee in the work bathroom at 9:47 EST like clockwork every morning). But I expect big things from Blatche this year, and so should you. As a vote of confidence, I'm starting him tonight in place of "limited role" Marcus "Dainty Ankles" Camby. Snatch him. Stash him. Look really smart.
UPDATE: Um. Apparently the incomparable Fabricio Oberto got the start tonight alongside Haywood. I don't think this changes anything. It still stands to reason that Blatche's talent will ultimately shine through. Also, Flip Saunders is a bad coach.
UPDATED UPDATE: Apparently Etan Thomas has published a book of poems. Unfortunately, it's out of stock on Amazon. It's not just a joke. Wow.
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