Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports (via blog):
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Mired in a 12-game slide and facing the distraction of supended guard Gilbert Arenas’s sentencing on Friday, the Washington Wizards have another potential mess on their hands with the benching of Andray Blatche in Tuesday’s 95-86 loss to Charlotte.
Wizards Coach Flip Saunders removed Blatche from the game after he played 7 minutes 31 seconds in the first quarter. Saunders said initially he wanted to talk to the power forward about not getting back on defense. Blatche, however, wanted no part of the discussion and essentially boycotted the rest of the game.
That left the Wizards short-handed in a game they may have won had Blatche been reinserted. With Blatche watching from the bench, Washington ended up getting outrebounded 61-42, including a 23-11 deficit offensively. Among players still with the team and eligible to participate, Blatche leads the Wizards in scoring at 12.7 points per game.
“Yeah I guess, just because of everything,” Saunders said when asked if this incident was the low point in a season filled with forgettable moments.
