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JaVale McGee News & Rumors

Nick Young, JaVale McGee have contrasting performances in playoffs
May 1
Washington Post
 
"The Wizards freed Nick Young and JaVale McGee from lottery purgatory last month, shipping them both to playoff teams and ensuring that they couldn't go on vacations until at least May. Leaving Washington in a three-team deal that put Nene in a Wizards uniform meant that they are now playing with a purpose. It also gave them the chance to make cameo appearances on South Park (Yes, after providing several moments of comic relief with the Wizards, the duo was immortalized last week on the Comedy Central cartoon)."
Washington Wizards made the right move in trading disappointing JaVale McGee and Nick Young
March 16
Washington Post
 columnist Mike Wise
"An immediate reaction after hearing JaVale McGee and Nick Young had been traded: "Great. Beautiful. Now no one from the Wizards will make 'Sports Center' at 11." One Nene for essentially two knuckleheads is a bit harsh, especially considering neither player left over from the Gilbert Arenas years in Washington ever got into any real trouble off the court. The truth: Whether McGee was inexplicably sprinting back on defense when his team was still on offense or Young was missing a layup by throwing the ball over the stanchion while impossibly missing the rim and the glass, they were almost blissfully unaware of how comically bad their misdeeds came across."
Wizards' JaVale McGee out of slam dunk contest
February 17
Washington Post
 
"When JaVale McGee was asked nearly two weeks ago about participating in the slam dunk contest this season, he said, "It's possible. Always possible." Now, it's impossible. The NBA announced the four participants in the signature event of all-star Saturday night and neither McGee nor reigning champion Blake Griffin were among the players on the list. Houston forward Chase Budinger, Indiana swingman Paul George, New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert and Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams – all first-time contestants – will compete for the slam dunk title."
JaVale McGee playing better after getting new asthma medicine
February 14
Washington Post
 
"JaVale McGee could feel that the task of running up and down the court and competing at a high level was getting more and more difficult. Breathing was a challenge, he was having a hard time staying on the floor, and his production had taken a noticeable dive. After the Wizards lost to New York last week, the coaches convinced McGee finally to get checked out because he was getting exhausted too quickly. He visited with the same doctor who had discovered his athletic asthma nearly two years ago and found out his symptoms were more complications from the condition."
JaVale McGee fighting through 'dog days'
February 10
Washington Post
 
"JaVale McGee attracted attention for the wrong reasons this week, with his mad dash to get back on defense against Toronto — while the Wizards still had the ball — becoming an unfortunate Internet sensation. But the bizarre sequence — which included him missing a swooping hook shot, John Wall inviting him to come back into the play, then missing a terrible lob from Wall and falling to the ground — has also demonstrated how much McGee has been struggling since the calendar switched to February."
JaVale McGee joins Gheorghe Muresan on Wizards' franchise list
January 30
Washington Post
 
"JaVale McGee, meet Gheorghe Muresan. In the nearly 15 years Muresan played his last game for the Washington Bullets, the franchise has had five players record games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, but none had ever done it multiple games in the same calendar month – until McGee joined Muresan on Saturday in that exclusive company."
Wizards' JaVale McGee 'unlikely' to receive contract extension
January 26
Washington Post
 
"JaVale McGee is "unlikely" to receive a contract extension before Wednesday's midnight deadline, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation. McGee is averaging career highs of 11.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots in his fourth year with the organization. He will become a restricted free agent this summer, but the Wizards remain high on the incredibly athletic 7-foot-1 big man and intend to keep him by matching any offer he receives or signing him outright, according to sources with knowledge of the talks."
Wizards need to part with Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and Nick Young
January 22
Washington Post
 columnist Jason Reid
"Maybe someday, the Washington Wizards will get serious about rebuilding. To this point, they've only dabbled in it unsuccessfully. Until owner Ted Leonsis moves on without Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and Nick Young, he's not truly committed to winning. Leonsis sets the agenda. He instructed Washington's basketball staff to start over and build through the draft. Ultimately, it will be his call to finally give up on Blatche, McGee and Young — most likely for little or nothing in return — after years of investing heavily in them. The correct choice is clear. Granted, dumping three core players, none of whom has turned 27, would be difficult for any owner. Typically, that's not how things"
JaVale McGee 'is not a knucklehead;' just ask his mom
January 20
Washington Post
 columnist Mike Wise
"This is the night the hammer comes down, you've decided. This is the night to call out the brain lock and the boneheadedness — everything embodied by their starting center's inability to understand that you don't throw down a showboat dunk when you're down six points and about to be 1-12 on the season. This is the night to eviscerate that kid, just in time for his 24th birthday on Thursday. Until you meet that kid's mother."
Wizards vs. Rockets: John Wall scores career-high 38 points, JaVale McGee benched in 114-106 loss
January 17
Washington Post
 
"His coach was furious. Most of his teammates weren't very amused. Nick Young praised him for having the bravery to even consider attempting such a play during a game. But JaVale McGee didn't have any qualms about a third-quarter dunk during the Washington Wizards' 114-106 loss to the Houston Rockets that revealed his incredible athletic gifts and also presented one of the many reasons why his team has been the most dysfunctional in the NBA this season. With the Wizards trailing by six points, Trevor Booker dived to save a loose ball to John Wall, who threw it ahead to McGee, all alone on the break. As he approached the foul line, McGee tossed an alley-oop pass off the glass to himself,"
JaVale McGee's "unacceptable" highlight dunk
January 17
Washington Post
 columnist Michael Lee
"Wizards center JaVale McGee has been a walking highlight reel from the moment he came into the league; an incredible athlete with superior speed and leaping ability that makes him a terror in the open floor. He showed off his gifts while finishing second to Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin in the slam dunk contest – in all seriousness, he really won – last year in Los Angeles. But McGee's coach, Flip Saunders, believes some plays are best saved for those type of competitions, not an actual, competitive NBA game. So, he was understandably disappointed on Monday, when McGee was alone on a fast break and decided to provide a dunk that will surely make the top 10 list of most"
Wizards' JaVale McGee, Nick Young bounce back against Philadelphia
January 15
Washington Post
 
"The Wizards are once again off to the worst start in franchise history, having lost 11 of their 12 games, after yet another double-digit loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. A 13-point loss is much more encouraging than a 31-point drubbing, but the Wizards actually saw much more turnaround than the point differential. A night after contributing to what Coach Flip Saunders and several players described as "selfish play" and getting benched for the entire fourth quarter, JaVale McGee and Nick Young combined to score 50 points and helped the Wizards look somewhat competitive in a 103-90 loss against the much-deeper 76ers. McGee let it be known on Saturday that he wasn't going to have a repeat of"