So JaVale McGee was benched for showboating with an off the backboard pass to himself that was finished off with a dunk.
Coach Saunders decided that substance over style is the way to go with his young Washington team… in which case I partially agree.
Hit the jump for more…
I will say this, as a Guard, my pet peeve is when big guys fail to properly implement the pick and roll. McGee failed to properly implement the pick and roll within the first 2 minutes of Monday’s game… in-executable in my personal opinion. The pick and roll is quite possibly the easiest play to complete and one of the most effective, this is my personal opinion however, Stockton & Malone don’t lie…
Now, on the other hand… Washington is a young team and they aren’t exactly entering the new season with the best record. While this is something we are used to at this point, I do feel the fans should be able to enjoy the game at least a little bit, even when being slaughtered by the competition. Plays such as this are also considered moral boosters for the entire team and could have helped these younger guys to get a little more motivated on court.
All in all, highlights are great and entertaining but lacking basic fundamentals is something that should be a punishable offense. If I were the Coach, I would have benched McGee after he failed to properly complete a simple pick and roll… not let his fundamental-less (probably not a real word) play remain on-court for the next two quarters until he showed off a little for the fans… but that’s just me.
What do you guys think; anyone even watch the game? Share your thoughts below.
Whole team was playing like crap, McGee is a great athlete I always say but a terrible basketball player. You do need to keep the fans entertained so I personally don’t mind the showboating, but when you’re getting your ass kicked it just doesn’t look right.
I agree. This is where i have a mixed reaction to this situation. The players need to be trained more in fundamentals yet thats supposed to start at the beginning of basketball training so its hard to teach it to someone who may be stuck in their ways.
i would encourage more showboating when the oppurtunity is present(no defense fastbreak like what happened with javale). this boosts moral and gives fans entertainment. with the worst record, you should have something the fans might want to see. flip did not see that. look at san antonio, manu can do anything he wants with the ball. though with manu, his showboating is obviously functional. with the clippers last year, they threw a lot of a-oops to blake.
they ref should have thrown another ball to javale on that break though.
I totally agree. When the opportunity presents itself why not do something flashy if itll get everyone involved.
Been a suffering wizards/bullets fan for many years, and mcgee infuriates me…I havent seen such a clueless big man…the wizards seem to be filled with low IQ players (nick young and andray blatche in addition)…Mcgee, given all his athletic tools, should be leading the league in rebounding, yet he doesnt even know how to box out properly, three years in to the league….He just doesnt seem to care to win as much as he cares about showboating…
Its either he truly doesnt care about growing as a player or its the coaching staff not properly preparing these young players for the rest of their career. McGee isnt the only underdeveloped young talent in the NBA… This is also a good example of why these younger guys could use an extra year or two in college to properly develop as it seems as if NBA coaches and staff dont seem to want to bother with “teaching” someone who should have become a professional already knowledgeable.