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The video below will answer that question and more…
On Sunday against the Detroit Pistons JaVale McGee had just two rebounds, both defensive, in over 30 minutes of play. He also contributed 12 points on 5-6 shooting (2-4 from the free-throw line), three blocks, a steal, an assist and a single foul to his stat line.
The rebounding? McGee lacked a lot of energy in the early going and simply wasn’t able to contribute past a couple flailing attempts at the ball. The Detroit big men – Greg Monroe, Chris Wilcox, Jason Maxiell and Charlie Villanueva — also seemed intent (or instructed) to be as physical as possible with McGee at every opportunity. And so goes the scouting report for JaVale: run with him, dissuade his athleticism with physicality, and either pump fake him or go into his body rendering him unable to block a shot. His effort changed in the third quarter, but the Wizards still lost to the Pistons 113-102, and the goal with McGee, as it is with the inexperienced Wizards as a whole, is a complete work of gamesmanship art. NBA players don’t get paid part-time.
McGee’s grinding progress continues to provide frequent repetitive mistakes. It’s no secret how other teams, coaches and players treat him in their preparation (and how that affects his game), and it’s no secret that McGee will sometimes make plenty of his gaffes on his own. Will he learn through continued frustration from fans, teammates and coaches? That’s up to him, but there are two abundant factors working in his favor: his franchise’s presence in rebuilding mode and plenty of playing time chances. Taking advantage, however, seemingly hasn’t always been a prevalent function of McGee’s basketball thought process.
Nonetheless, we plod on. The below video breaks down instances of the 23-year old center against the Pistons on Sunday … The Continued JaVale McGee Learning Experience. As Flip Saunders and the Wizards coaching staff continues to pound the stubborn rock sheltering McGee’s cerebral willingness, the familiarity of the lessons remains consistent.
Entitlement. It’s a word Flip Saunders has used before when referring to his “starters”, i.e., JaVale McGee and especially Andray Blatche (I’m assuming).
“Do some of our starters — and I don’t know that — do they feel right now that they’re entitled as far as to play 30 or 35 [minutes] no matter how they’re playing?,” said Saunders after his team embarrassingly lost to the Indiana Pacers at home in their first contest after the All-Star break. His inference was on minutes instead of starting versus coming off the bench, but does it make a difference?
Evidently not, as Saunders seemingly still hasn’t found the answer he’s been looking for from his team. And as McGee and Blatche are still trotted out on the floor night in and night out, pretty much no matter what they or the team do. Including the Indiana game, Washington has lost six in a row since the festivities in Los Angeles (seven overall); the only games in which the Wiz Kids were competitive? The matches against Dallas and Miami when Blatche didn’t play, supposedly due to a hip injury. (And no, trying to mount a furious comeback against a mediocre Golden State team at home doesn’t fully count as competitive.)
To the point at hand, why do Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee continue to have starting lineup security? Because their psyche is potentially so fragile that the team must handle them like trying to get a stick of butter to stay on a hot grill for more than 45 seconds? Hint: they are soft and their attention-span and/or effort usually lasts about as long as that stick can stay consistently solid under grill-like temperatures.
What if I told you that two seven-footers battled this summer for a chance to play center for Team USA at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in Turkey? That the older one coming off surgery made the team, while the younger, healthier one was cut? Those same two players met earlier this year, and the one who got cut from Team USA was again dominated by the older, wiser center. Would it be a surprise if I told you that these same two centers squared off Saturday night, and again the younger center came up short, partially because the older one beat him at his own game in running up and down the court, catching alley-oops and making highlight dunks?
This is the story of Tyson Chandler’s dominance over JaVale McGee.
Chandler came into Saturday’s game against the Wizards averaging 10.7 points an 9.5 rebounds and proceeded to score a season-high 23 points to go along with his 13 rebounds. He also had a key offensive rebound and put back over McGee with 1:36 left in the game that put a stop to a furious Wizards’ comeback run and gave the Mavericks the lead for good. In contrast, McGee, who had a monster game the night before against the Miami Heat with 18 points and 17 rebounds, had just six points to go with his 11 rebounds against Dallas. To make matters worse, most of Chandler’s dunks came as a result of McGee’s defensive negligence. McGee often got caught watching the ball while Chandler consistently and easily rolled to the basket.
The take away by most is that it was one of the most entertaining NBA All-Star weekends in a while, and JaVale McGee helped anchor it with his performance in the dunk contest on Saturday night. But just as some people are entertained by reality television that’s actually scripted, the show put forth by the NBA can follow the same narrative. Was Blake Griffin really ever going to lose the contest in Los Angeles? Maybe … if Griffin had failed to complete a dunk within the allotted time when it counted. But that wasn’t going to happen. The city of LA, the fan vote on the final and the made-for-SportsCenter player all but predetermined the deal, according to McGee’s teammate Rashard Lewis. There was no topping Griffin jumping over a car, an “officially sponsored by the NBA car,” with a choir in the background, the hype-man efforts of Kenny Smith bringing it all together, and the icing on the cake if you ask Nick Young, LA Clipper teammate Baron Davis popping out the sun roof to throw Griffin the oop.
What about Serge Ibaka’s role? His dunk where he grabbed a stuffed animal hanging from the rim with his teeth before dunking was very similar to a dunk McGee had in mind. McGee originally displayed a maneuver where he grabbed a piece of paper from the net before dunking; the video of him doing so after practice went viral back on January 6, perhaps an unfortunate consequence. Still, there’s no way to know the inception of Ibaka’s creation. McGee said that his version for the dunk contest involved grabbing a judge’s scorecard and showing it to everyone afterward. After Ibaka’s similar attempt (or, “exact same dunk” as JaVale says it), McGee was forced to move the three-ball dunk he was saving for the final higher in the program. Using that dunk as a last attempt might have kept him in the conversation, but again, with Griffin winning 65-percent of the fan vote in the end, it’s highly unlikely.
According to Flip Saunders, McGee would’ve had to pull of a 720-degree dunk from the free-throw line to top the pomp and circumstance surrounding Griffin. However, the Wizards coach also admitted that McGee probably should have won the contest because likely no one else could replicate two of his dunks — the two-ball, side-by-side basket dunk and the three-ball dunk (with help from John Wall). Also to note, as I’ve readily reminded people, some dude named Marko Milic has dunked over a car before … Griffin’s version was special, but not that special.
Note: Rashad Mobley is in Los Angeles for the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities following the entertaining activities of John Wall and JaVale McGee as they put their great individual talent on display to the world. He covered the Rookie-Sophomore Game, the All-Star practice, and last night, the Skills Competition and the Dunk Contest…
When John Wall set the NBA Rookie-Sophomore game record with 22 assists on Friday night, he gave NBA viewers all over the world a glimpse of his limitless potential. JaVale McGee had that same opportunity on Saturday night and he showed NBA fans some creative dunks that had not been seen in quite some time, and in a couple cases, ever.
First up was Wall and his brief Skills competition appearance. Earlier in the weekend, Wall informed Washington Post writer Michael Lee that he expected the passes to be a problem for him, and that turned out to be a prophetic statement. His initial chest pass rattled in and then back out, and Wall had to run back and try again. After hitting the jumper on his second attempt (where I fully expected him to struggle), Wall then took two attempts to complete the outlet pass. His time of 39.3 seconds in the first round was not good enough to advance — however, it was good enough to beat last place Chris Paul, who finger-rolled and missed a point blank layup. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors ended up defeating Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final with a time of 28.2 seconds.
Next it was JaVale’s turn to shine, and he seized his moment and then some. For his first round dunk, he aligned two baskets right next to each other, and dunked on them both in with two separate balls. It took him several tries to get it right, but once he did, he was awarded with a perfect score of 50.
JaVale McGee is participating in the dunk contest tonight, obviously. So this post is wishing luck to him … and if you’re looking for TAI original photographic examples of Epic Vale dunking, we got you covered below.
Pictures, commentary and links…
Sometimes I feel like on offense, when he gets the ball, JaVale McGee is like that guy who receives a particularly funny chain email (well, at least it’s funny to him), and then gets so overwhelmed with excitement that he forwards it to everyone he knows when it’s probably not appropriate to do so. Or maybe when he gets the ball he’s more like a little kid who sees a dancing puppy holding an ice cream cone and a PS3 outside, whereas the kid goes running through a clear glass door to get to the puppy (or to the rim) in a fit of enthusiasm.
Whatever the case may be, dude needs to chill. No one wants to seem him get hooked for the same stupid mistake he keeps making over and over again … dribbling around like he’s a 6’2″ guard.
“We explained to him, at the end of the game when he started going on his dribbling exhibition, that’s one of the reasons that we lose on the road, because we get in close games and we do those things,” said Flip Saunders after Wednesday’s match versus the Bucks. “You can’t do that, and then players lose trust, as far as throwing him the ball in a late-game situation. It becomes easier for teams to defend against you, and puts more pressure on you, especially if you’re up a couple [points],” Saunders finished, explaining his teaching moment of quickly taking McGee out of the game when he performs such acts, as he’s done countless times before.
When a player keeps doing the same thing, you bench him until he gets it … even if it serves to the detriment of the team. Otherwise, as an individual, he’ll never learn. Any other coach in the NBA would do the same thing.
“I think everyone in this room and in the arena does not like the fact that [JaVale McGee] gets the ball at three quarters court and thinks that he’s a 6’2″ guard and starts dribbling.”
Seems like a valid concern, perhaps a good teaching point. So, in hopes of helping the student, we have a handy visual coaching aid below (with the setting of D.C.’s Union Station).
The bench reaction to JaVale McGee’s dribbling turnover, to which Flip Saunders was referring, against the Orlando Magic:
[via @CJ_202SB]
It was during the first minute of last Thursday’s Wizards game against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. John Wall did a nice job of quickly recovering on Luke Ridnour after he came off a ball screen and JaVale McGee did a nice job of helping. The attention paid to Ridnour forced him to attempt a pass, but that got deflected off the backboard by Wall who made the recovery and headed in the other direction. But for some reason, as he was pressured by Ridnour — but not too much — Wall decided to get rid of the ball, which, is not necessarily a bad idea … you can pass quicker than you can run … but perhaps not ideal when the pass goes to the big man McGee in the midst of him jetting up the court.
McGee caught the ball in stride, just before crossing the half-court line, put it on the floor once … put it on the floor again, a in-and-out move versus Darko Milicic … and put the ball on the floor a third time. Before anyone knew it, McGee was past several T-Wolves and scoring at the rim, an incomparable athletic maneuver for someone his size. That’s when Wizards television analyst Phil Chenier said:
“I still say that’s a curse and a blessing … the ability to handle the ball at 7-feet … that time it worked out well.”
Sometimes the blessing of McGee’s talents can be a curse when he thinks he can use them in just about any situation. And this time, he was unfortunately encouraged because it worked. The success rate of McGee pulling off such a feat is likely higher against a team like the T-Wolves, much lower against a team like the Boston Celtics. In any case, it’s never truly ideal. Hence, it’s difficult coming to grips with how to celebrate something that often causes chagrin in the heart of a coach, yet is pretty beautiful to watch.
You appreciate the blessing and hope the result is not always cursed, or at least that young players eventually learn to limit self-induced risk. And in this instance, note that to both McGee and Wall, as the point guard who might one day better know who he’s passing to in that situation. Then you write about it and make a video of the play … JaVale McGee: A Curse and A Blessing.
During last Friday’s Washington Wizards win over New Jersey Nets, Comcast’s Chris Miller had an in-game interview with JaVale McGee’s mother, Pamela. The questions centered around her thoughts on JaVale being selected for the All-Star dunk contest. She talked about how proud she is to see his growth as a basketball player, his love of dunking, and shared a story where JaVale touched the top of backboard in street shoes at his pre-draft workout for Cleveland. Hilarity ensues at the 1:08 mark of video when Pam interrupts her backboard story to yell this to a passerby:
“Hey dude, we’re on TV … We’re on TV dude!”
There’s no video of the funny exchange, only audio while highlights of JaVale are shown, so the identity of the interview interrupter is unknown, but Gheorghe Muresan is sitting in the background. Miller later tries to prod Pam, a former WNBA player and Olympic champion, into revealing if she would be involved in any of McGee’s dunks. She coyly indicated that she would be on-hand for the festivities, but stopped short from officially announcing her participation.
The historical invitation of JaVale McGee, a Washington Wizard, to the 2011 NBA slam dunk contest got the franchise all excited (which in turn got Dan Steinberg all bloggy). You see, this is the first player in Wizards/Bullets franchise history selected to participate in the dunk contest, so there’s little shame in taking the extra, perhaps unnecessary, step of hyping it up, along with showing the player that he has the team’s support. Plus, this franchise, fresh off an 0-17 start on the road this season, needs any good news it can get … and yes, this is good news. But is McGee really the franchise’s first?
On Wednesday night’s television broadcast of the Wizards-Sixers game, the trivia question of the night for the hometown D.C. crew, Comcast’s Phil Chenier and Steve Buckhantz, was to name the former dunk champions who have played for the Washington franchise (but for other teams when they won) — Michael Jordan and Kenny Walker was the answer. Other dunk contest participants who have played for the franchise (but again, who played for other teams during their participation) include: Rex Chapman, Robert Pack, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, DeShawn Stevenson, and of course, Darvin Ham.
Peruse this all-time list from NBA.com, nary a participant from the franchise for the “official” NBA dunk contest that started in 1984. But there was something about Chenier’s contemplative words as he can Buckhantz bantered about their trivia question before the answer was revealed.
“I know Elvin Hayes participated …,” Chenier trailed off.
Huh? Elvin Hayes? He played for the Washington franchise, starting in Baltimore in 1972-73, and stayed with the team in the District before moving on to the Houston Rockets for the 1981-82 season. Hayes played with the Rockets for three seasons before retiring after 1983-84, before the first official dunk contest and at age 38.
Limbs get tangled all the time in the NBA. But for some reason, when it involves tangled arms, you can depend on a two things: arms from two opposing players will become inexplicably intertwined so fast that you’d think elastic were involved, and the result is going to be tension filled until there is separation.
Sometimes the tangles and locks are unintentional. Sometimes the maneuver is enacted by a foe with the simple intent of getting under someone’s skin by quite literally, getting under their skin … knowing that referees are more likely to see and respond to retaliation rather than the instigator’s act. And the instigator can be an offensive or defensive player.
Such an instance happened in the waning minutes of Saturday night’s game versus the Hornets. Nick Young had just made a shot with 1:36 left in the fourth, still keeping the Wizards just outside of striking distance at what would be the final tally, 92-81 New Orleans.
Back on Christmas Eve, when the story broke about Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee getting in a bit of a tiff at a nightclub, I was willing to give McGee a pass. Unlike Blatche, who has put together an (un)impressive list of brushes with the law, McGee has managed to steer clear of that type of trouble.
Sure, his lack of a go-to move in the post is maddening, and yes he falls for every eyebrow twitch of a pump fake, and I’ll give you the fact that he fouls more often than Ted Leonsis blogs. Still, McGee is relatively quiet off the court, and he plays hard on it, which is an enviable quality for a young player to possess, especially on a young team. He’s averaging career highs in every major category, and almost every opposing coach mentions him in their how-do-we-stop-the-Wizards pregame speech.
In a December 29 match against the Indiana Pacers, McGee totally flustered the improved Roy Hibbert. After the game, he sounded like a seasoned veteran when asked about his approach:
“I was watching film on him. So I was definitely just seeing what he does in the post, and I was trying to front him every time so he really didn’t have a lot of touches in the post. That was the game plan, just stop Hibbert and go out there and try to work as hard as we can on defense, and that’s what we did.”
I don’t know if this is the highest JaVale McGee has ever touched on a backboard, likely not. But by my rough calculations, McGee’s touching at least the 12-foot mark here, if not higher. Probably higher.
Now, that photo I took prior to the Wizards-Hornets game on Saturday might not be the most dynamic, basketball high-jumping photo I’ve ever taken in my brief career — that title still probably goes to the picture I took below at last July’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas where Jason Rich, playing for the Golden State Warriors’ squad, appeared to be close to kissing the rim … during a game.
But this post was really just a reminder of something you already know … that JaVale McGee can get up.
Oh, and JaVale can also wave is hands in the air as if he were apathetic toward waving his hands in the air.
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