Andray Blatche out 3 months with broken foot
Since the Wizards cannot be permitted to simply enjoy good fortune, the addition of John Wall, the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, was accompanied by a serious injury to the team's starting power forward, Andray Blatche. While practicing at the Verizon Center Blatche broke the broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot and will be out the next 3 months. If he misses July, August and September Blatche would return just in time for Wizards training camp, though we can't know exactly what shape he will be in at that time. Of course, this being the Wizards, odds are that Blatche will miss not the next 3 months, but the next 3 years with a series of crippling injuries arising out of this one.
This is unfortunate for the Wiz because it seemed Blatche was finally coming into his own. After management blew the team up at the All Star break last year, Blatche took over as Washington's best player and go-to player. He averaged 22.1 points on 48.5 percent shooting with 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals, over his last 32 games and, apart from an ugly run-in with Coach Flip Saunders, seemed ready to become one of the better power forwards in the NBA.
The offseason is a dangerous time for Blatche, who has previously been shot in a botched carjacking and arrested for solicitation during the summer or early autumn. For the Wizards to show real improvement this season, Blatche must be healthy and ready to play when the season begins.
