And with that, the recap:

The Washington Wizards surrendered a large lead and played poorly down the stretch (what else is new?) in tonight’s loss in Brooklyn. With Trevor Ariza, Martell Webster, Nene, and Bradley Beal all unavailable, the Wiz didn’t have much to rely on. After Okafor exited the game with a right ankle sprain, the vaunted big man rotation of Jan Vesely, Trevor Booker, and Kevin Seraphin made the transition from the bench to center stage at the brightly lit Barclays Center and performed admirably.

Jan showed that he can still throw down alley oops and John, who has likely thrown the fewest alley oops per minute this season (due to JaVale’s departure last year), showed he can still throw them. Jan still seemed largely lost on defense and did not score in the second half, but it is inspiring to see him contribute, even if against a JV version of an NBA team.

Alarmingly, John Wall shot it poorly and often from mid-range. I get that he is confident in his jump shot right now, but he has to realize that a PUJIT (Pull Up Jumper In Traffic) during a fast break is possibly the worst shot in basketball. Not only is it a lower percentage shot (especially for John), it also has a miniscule chance of being rebounded by an offensive player. The odds of scoring there are slim. Poor shot selection is not a criticism only John was worth tonight. Every Wizard seems to much enjoy stepping a foot or two in from the three point line for a long two without considering the average points gleaned from each type of shot. The Wizards have SportsVu. This is not an organization that shuns advanced statistics, so why do the players act like that is not the case? Aside from this criticism, Wall played well, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing six rebounds while leading the team in scoring with 18.

To cap the reacp, it is only fitting that we talk about Andray Blatche. It is equally as fitting that he came up big late with a strong lay up through a foul to take the lead and a hard-fought rebound on the subsequent defensive possession. As @WizardsXtra put it, it’s easy to play free when you’re collecting two checks. Blatche played well, assuming the starring role for the Nets’ B-Team and taking it to the Wizards for 38 minutes. But! He was 2-7 from the free throw line, so can all take solace in that fact and snicker at him over the internet.

Ladies and Gentleman, Andray Baltche has lef the building

On Tuesday, July 17, the Washington Wizards used their one-time amnesty provision to erase a mistake. By letting go of Andray Baltche Blatche, the Wizards essentially paid him 23 million dollars to just go away.

Andray Blatche was the last trace of the losing culture that had plagued the Wizards for several years. The list of problems was long, but one-by-one, Ernie Grunfeld tried to amend those problems. Gilbert Arenas, Rashard Lewis, Nick Young, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche are now all gone. The Wizards have acquired what appears to be better talent, or at least less-troubled talent, for the upcoming season. Now that the incredible weight of Andray Blatche’s situation has been lifted off of the team, the Wizards seem poised to dig their way out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

I, like many of the other Wizards’ faithful fans, am ready to look ahead, but not without looking back at the good, the bad and those times that can only be described as “the Andray.”

I remember when there was still hope for Andray. I remember the way he ended the 2009-2010 season and thinking that he was going to be an all-star. From the time he became an official starter on February 17, 2010 until the end of the season, a span of 31 games, Blatche scored 18 or more points in all but five games. Over that same stretch, he had 13 double-doubles. Then came the broken foot that off-season. In the 2010-2011 season, Blatche didn’t quite make the jump we all expected him to. The numbers weren’t bad, but given the kind of players the Wizards had that year, I really expected Blatche to emerge as the best player.

Fast-forward to this past season. My expectations were significantly lower for Blatche, but I still expected him to do something. In 26 games, Blatche had four double-doubles and he only had more than ten rebounds once. He averaged 8.5 points per game while shooting 38% from the field. Believe it or not, the fans at the Verizon Center took note of Blatche’s performance and let him know how they felt. The boos from fans weren’t just a reaction to the way Blatche had played in that small portion of the 2012 season. It was a build-up of frustration from Blatche’s continued antics. Blatche finished off the 2012 season in street clothes. He missed a month with a debilitating strained calf and gave us one of the more comical box scores we’ve seen when he was listed as “NWT-conditioning.”

Anyone who followed the situation knew that this would likely be the last memory of Blatche as a Wizard. Blatche could have come back next year and handed out free puppies to season ticket holders, but that still wouldn’t have been enough. There was no way that Blatche could have remained with this team.

Andray Blatche is a fascinating case study for basketball historians. How does one person fall so far out of favor with fans? Is Andray Blatche perhaps the most misunderstood figure in sports? JaVale McGee would certainly argue against that one, but is it really surprising that these guys ended up like this? Trying to mature in a locker room can’t be easy when Gilbert Arenas is pooping in your shoes and wielding handguns.

By all accounts, Andray Blatche is a decent guy. He may just be in desperate need of a change of scenery. Somebody will take a risk with Blatche and it may just pay off. He’ll go somewhere where they can spell his name and maybe he can settle down with a nice girl who isn’t an undercover cop on a prostitution sting. Maybe that will do the trick.

When Andray finds a new home, Wizards fans won’t be left empty-handed. We’ll always have those “Andray” moments.

We’ll always remember his uncanny ability to do some really creative things around the basket.

We’ll always remember him as the Wizard with the best dance moves. (Sorry John Wall)

We’ll certainly remember how he went “hard in the paint” at Lapdance Tuesday.

We’ll remember how his coloring book encouraged kids to “eat lean protein every day” while he sat by his locker eating nachos before a game.

And how can we forget the superior athleticism?

Blatche was all the entertainment Wizards fans could handle these last few years, but somewhere along the line, we got tired of being the butt of the joke. We are ready to play some meaningful basketball in D.C. Blatche may be one of those people who just needs a push in the right direction to get back on his feet, but the only push the Wizards could have given him was a push out the door.

So, farewell Andray, it’s been “real”.

After being selected 49th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft straight out of high school, Andray Blatche was on his way to becoming the Washington Wizards’ great enigma.

It wasn’t long before Blatche made headline news either. Nearly three months after being selected by the Wizards, Blatche was shot by a man that was attempting to steal his vehicle. Needless to say, Andray Blatche’s career as a professional basketball player was already off to an awful start.

Blatche’s beginning years in Washington were spent developing and watching former All-Star Antawan Jamison from the bench. With injuries plaguing the Wizards, Blatche received occasional playing time in which he was able to showcase his abilities. Coming out of high school, Blatche was advertised as a 6-foot-11 power forward who had the skills to stretch the floor and even penetrate the basket. Then in 2007, Blatche was caught trying to solicit a prostitute who was later revealed to be a uncover cop. But with youth comes irresponsibility. Management and the fan base were willing to give Blatche yet another chance.

As injuries and off the court disputes became too much to bare for the team, change became inevitable. Former All-Stars Caron Butler and Antawan Jamison were traded in order to give the the team a fresh start. With virtually no one on the roster in store for the long haul, Blatche savored the opportunity to become the team’s first option. With Blatche putting up career numbers — like 36 points against the New Jersey Nets — Ernie Grunfeld and the rest of the Wizards front office extended Blatche’s contract for a total of five years, costing them over 35 million dollars. At the time, this seemed like a decent move since Blatche was on the rise and was touted as being part of the future core for the Wizards. During that forgettable 2010 NBA season Blatche averaged a career high in both points and rebounds, by scoring nearly 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds per game. Ted Leonsis even compared Blatche’s statistics to former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.  An extension to an up-and-coming player such as Blatche came with high praise from the Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, as he went on to say,

We wanted him to become part of a young core that is focused on teamwork and winning. A fresh beginning … He is still developing. He believes in his teammates. He is a vocal leader and he will continue to put up impressive numbers as the season progresses. I have spent quality one on one time with this young man and I like him. I believe in him. I know he has great upside and that he believes in his teammates. And himself.

After coming off a career best season, fans as well as those running the Washington Wizards organization expected Blatche to become a top tier player. His versatility and skill were overshadowed by his antics and lack of IQ on the court and off the court. After injuring his foot, Blatche appeared to be overweight and out of playing condition. During the start of the 2012 lockout shortened season, Blatche was visibly out of shape, which didn’t help Blatche’s performance what so ever. This eventually led to a overwhelming amount of ‘boos’ from the Wizards fans attending the games. Blatche made his emotional discomfort public when he stated that the ‘boos’ got inside his head.

I’m letting the crowd get to my head, making me second guess, not letting me be the player that I am. It’s very frustrating.

On March 20, during the course of last season, Blatche was sent home due to his poor conditioning, and his poor play. It was reported that Blatche had “ballooned” over 280 pounds. Head coach Randy Wittman who was than coaching on an ‘interim’ label, called Blatche’s chances of playing again during the season “slim”. After Blatche was sent home, rumors sparked that he has been a part of several trade scenarios, which in hindsight never came about. With team president, Ernie Grunfeld, unable to deal Blatche, chances that he would be waived as a result of the leagues new amnesty provision grew. And with the emergence of Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker, Blatche became as expendable as he had ever been.

As the NBA off-season began to roll around, several players such as former Philadelphia Sixer Elton Brand and former Houston Rocket Luis Scola, were waived by the use of the new amnesty provision. Several inside sources let it be known that the Wizards were ‘seriously considering’ using their amnesty clause on Andray Blatche in order to free up some flexibility and playing time for their emerging big men. On the deadline for the amnesty clause, Blatche was waived, and was set to be paid the remaining 23 million dollars left on his contract.

Was it time for Blatche to go? It most certainly was. His situation in D.C. had become dire, and his off the court antics and partying had become more widespread than his play on the court. With the organization looking to move in a different direction by trading players from the “Gilbert Arenas era” including Nick Young and JaVale McGee, the only logical next step was to let go of Blatche. We all know how enamored Ernie Grunfeld had become with Blatche’s talents. And let’s face it, Blatche is just as talented as many of the top forwards in todays NBA. New owner Ted Leonsis gave Ernie Grunfeld a chance by extending his contract, it was up to him to fix his previous mistakes. Grunfeld isn’t well known for great strategical moves, but during Ted Leonsis’ tenure as the Wizards owner, he’s been doing a decent job improving the roster. After trading for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, drafting Bradley Beal with the third pick, his next step was to amnesty Andray Blatche this off-season.

Blatche has had his up and downs during his seven years as a Wizard, and I’m frankly glad that his time in D.C is done. As I noted before, your self proclaimed “captain”, has all the talent in the world to succeed. The only thing holding Blatche down from a great long career as a basketball player, is Blatche himself. I’ve heard that “Dray” is a very nice person off the court, and I certainly hope he can get it together. I’m also glad the the Wizards front office has acknowledged the fact that extending Blatche’s contract was indeed a mistake, in which they plan to move on from.

Have we seen the last of “Seven Day Dray” in the NBA? Maybe.  But we’ve certainly seen the last of Blatche as a Washington Wizard.