Wizards' Scout Finding It Increasingly Difficult To Justify "Taking A Chance" On Andray Blatche To Co-Workers

After receiving word of the arrest of 20-year old forward Andray Blatche for sexual solicitation Thursday, a scout for the Washington Wizards admitted that he is finding it harder and harder to stand by his draft night recommendation to select the high schooler.

"Oh, believe me, I'm going to hear about this in the office tomorrow," explained the scout, who asked to remain anonymous. "But let me just clarify something here, if I may. In 2005, when Andray dropped to the second round, I looked at our big board and simply pointed out the potential value of the pick. That doesn't all of a sudden make me the kid's publicist."

The arrest for sexual solicitation is the latest blemish on what has been a tumultuous two seasons in the NBA for the 6'10'' forward. Shortly before the start of Blatche's rookie season, he was shot during an attempted car jacking, forcing him to miss most of training camp. With the injury slowing his first-year development, Blatche bounced back and forth between the end of the bench in Washington and the Wizards' D-League affiliate in Roanoke, VA. Injuries to veterans opened the door for slightly more substantial playing time in his second season, but his progress was once again tainted by an off-court incident in which he faced criminal charges for failure to appear on a count of driving without a license.

"If this kid had any decency, he would pull his head out of his ass and stop ruining the reputation I've spent the last 25 years building," lamented the anonymous scout. "Oh, lord...that war room still haunts me...why couldn't I have said 'Ryan Gomes'? Two simple words and it might have all turned out differently. A failed marriage and a cocaine addiction later, however, I realize that Andray and I are forever bound by the hands of fate. In some strange way I kind of feel like a captain going down with his ship..."