Washington Wizards Rumors & News

SportingNews.com "Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal said Friday he’d lose some respect for a teammate who stayed on the sidelines the way Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose did this season. “A little bit. Yeah, I would,” Beal said in an interview with Washington radio station WJFK-FM (via The Washington..." May 18

NBA.com "The Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, the unanimous selection for the 2012-13 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, headlines the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Lillard was the lone unanimous First Team selection (58 points, 29 First Team votes), while the Washington..." May 15

Washington Post "Eddie Jordan hasn’t been an NBA head coach since he was fired in 2010 after one failed season in Philadelphia. Three years later, Jordan is now a college head coach at Rutgers and hopes to help the program return to the level of respectability that it had during his playing days, when he led the..." May 14

Washington Post "The red, spinning, blaring firetruck sirens of concern about Jan Vesely should’ve been set off in Charlotte in early November, when he willingly allowed Jordan Crawford to attempt free throws for him. Vesely knew that Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas had fouled him, but he stepped aside when..." May 13

CSN Washington "Hindsight is always 20/20 but let’s flashback to 2009. The Wizards had just been awarded the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. At the time their roster included All-Stars Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, plus Gilbert Arenas was supposed to make his return from a knee injury. At that point the..." May 07

North Jersey "Jason Collins, the former Net who last week announced he is gay, is seeking a book deal, The Associated Press learned. Officials at three publishing houses said Monday that they had been contacted about a planned memoir by Collins, the first active player in any of four major U.S. professional..." May 07

Foxsports.com "Anybody wondering why there is such antipathy about recently unemployed NFL quarterback Tim Tebow needs only to look at what happened to Jason Collins on Monday. His admission of “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” unleashed a torrent of Biblically-annotated vile so ugly, so..." May 01

Washington Post "Little more than a year ago, Bradley Beal was contemplating whether he should leave for the NBA or stay at Florida and take a shot at winning a national title. He counseled with his family and Florida Coach Billy Donovan, weighed the pros and cons, then decided that he was ready for the next level..." May 01

Washington Post "As he dressed in the visitor’s locker room after the Washington Wizards’ season-ending loss in Chicago, Jason Collins was pelted with a piece of ice. Glaring over at the direction of the toss, Collins spotted teammate Trevor Booker with an opened ice pack on his right wrist, playfully looking away..." April 30

Detroit Free Press "There has been overwhelming support for Jason Collins since he opened up to “Sports Illustrated” about his sexuality earlier Monday. As we pointed out earlier, Bill Clinton, Kobe Bryant, multiple NBA franchises and many other players have tweeted or relayed positive messages about Collins’..." April 30

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "ESPN NBA analyst Chris Broussard caused a lot of controversy Monday when he said the following about NBA center Jason Collins, who had announced he was gay earlier in the day: "I'm a Christian. I don't agree with homosexuality. I think it's a sin, as I think all sex outside of marriage between a..." April 30

L.A. Daily News "This involved more pressure than taking a game-winning shot. It also bore far greater implications than any outcome on the basketball court. Yet, NBA veteran and former Harvard-Westlake standout Jason Collins shattered one significant barrier in professional sports in a move few could draw up..." April 30

SI.com "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my..." April 29

CBSSports.com "The founder and managing director of the National Basketball Players Association's former financial firm has been charged with attempting to defraud the union of $3 million by forging the signature of a dead man, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Joseph Lombardo, 72, the founder and director..." April 26

CSN Washington "Among the pressing issues going into the off-season with John Wall won’t be just about his health or his ability to build on his third year with the Wizards. It’ll be center around whether or not he deserves, and ultimately receives, a max contract. The Wizards (29-53) can extend him up to five..." April 23

Washington Post "On Nov. 26, the Wizards lost a home game to San Antonio, 118-92. It was the 12th straight loss to start the season, and the postgame locker room for the Wizards was an emotional scene. On Thursday, a tale told by Martell Webster revealed for the first time just how emotional it was. “After we..." April 23

CSN Washington "The Wizards (29-53) may look different next season as they set their sights on making a legitimate run for the playoffs. This is the third in a series breaking down the roster by position, how they fared and what's ahead. Small forwards: Martell Webster Numbers game: 11.4 points, 3.9..." April 22

CSN Chicago "With the fifth seed hanging in the balance, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau--as is the case whether game No. one or 82—was playing for the win, not focusing any of his attention towards the progress of what the Atlanta Hawks were doing, nor who they would be matching up against in the first round of the..." April 18

Washington Post "As he turned over on his left shoulder while being stretched out on Monday before the Washington Wizards played the Brooklyn Nets, John Wall glanced down at Bradley Beal, who was getting treatment on his right leg while watching film. The Wizards’ season will end tonight in Chicago, very much..." April 17

Yahoo! Sports "Brazilian 7-footer Lucas Nogueira, a serious candidate to be a first-round draft pick, has decided to enter the NBA draft, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Nogueira, 20, possesses a 7-foot-6 wingspan and has been an intriguing prospect to NBA executives for several years. The center initially..." April 17

Bergen Record "The Nets spent most of the last six months positioning themselves for the playoffs. Their work in the standings is now done. “The reality of it is, come 10:30 Wednesday night, [the regular season is] out the window; same as it is for the other 15 teams,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said...." April 16

Washington Post "During a timeout in the first quarter of the Washington Wizards’ 106-101 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, Martell Webster walked up to a referee, asked for the game ball and commenced to do a string of Harlem Globetrotter-worthy tricks. The injured Wizard rolled the ball around his..." April 16

CSN Washington "The Wizards can point to a lot of reasons for their four consecutive losses, but as the season winds down coach Randy Wittman is running out of options. They have a 7-32 road record with two games left in the regular season at the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday and at the Chicago Bulls..." April 15

Washington Post "Nene may have been better served to just step into a freezer after each game this season. Over the course of another grueling campaign, the Washington Wizards veteran’s nightly recovery routine gradually increased from resting one foot in a bucket of ice to soaking both feet, to covering both..." April 15

CSN Washington "It wasn't too surprising that Nene declared himself out for the final two games of the season after the Wizards' practice on Sunday morning. Coach Randy Wittman, however, just wasn't aware that he wouldn't have his starting power forward for Monday's game at the Brooklyn Nets and Wednesday's at..." April 14

Washington Post "When the Washington Wizards started the season with 12 straight losses and had just four victories after the first 32 games, Coach Randy Wittman didn’t want to alienate the veterans who had earned their minutes or force them to surrender on a season that still had some faint promise once John Wall..." April 12

Washington Post "John Wall will be back at Nationals Park on Thursday seeking redemption for one of the most embarrassing moments of his young career. For two years, Wall has had to deal with the ridicule that came with throwing one of the most pitiful first pitches before a Washington Nationals game against the..." April 11

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "To a degree, the Miami Heat played like strangers Wednesday night. To a degree, they were. Didn't matter. Not this season, when everything Arison-Riley-Spoelstra has turned to gold. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem given the night off due to a variety of..." April 11

New York Daily News "It started out as the Knicks’ primary goal for this season, but who can blame them if reaching it has caused them to readjust their sights higher? The sizzling Knicks tied a franchise record with 20 three-pointers to easily extend their winning streak to a baker’s dozen, cementing their first..." April 10

CSN Washington "While the Wizards (29-48) play on with the goal of ending the season saying, "We're No. 9," three of their five remaining opponents are playing for postseason position. The other two teams are trying to stay atop their respective subset. Spoiler mode it is. Tuesday, at Knicks: Seeing as the..." April 09

NESN "Prior to every game, the two high-definition TVs in the home locker room at TD Garden typically show video of the Celtics’ previous matchup with that night’s opponent. Some players, like Jeff Green and Brandon Bass, watch raptly while others hardly pay attention. But the TVs almost always show..." April 08

Washington Post "The former Wizard wasn’t looking for revenge. He wasn’t looking to show the team that cut ties with him that it made a mistake. He had no other agenda when he came off the bench other than to help Boston win and continue his improved play since joining the Celtics so late in the season. After..." April 08

CSN Washington "Of all the categories in which John Wall led the Wizards, the most striking is blocked shots. He had a team-high two in Saturday’s 104-85 win vs. the Indiana Pacers, including on 7-2 center Roy Hibbert in the first quarter. "I told you I can try to block shots as a guard," Wall said. "I just..." April 08

ESPN.com "Wes Unseld walked onto the court with a cane. A new, bigger banner was raised. The fans received replica rings that included the phrase "the fat lady sings" -- a championship catchphrase from so long ago that John Wall had no clue as to its significance. But Wall is a student of the game, and..." April 07

Washington Post "Jordan Crawford became the most obvious casualty of John Wall’s return from a stress injury in his left knee and Bradley Beal’s emergence as a building block at shooting guard. As his role with the Wizards became more diminished, Crawford became more distant and disgusted and President Ernie..." April 06

CSN Washington "Now that we are nearing season's end, all kinds of year-end reviews are taking place across the NBA media spectrum. What is so interesting this time is that when it comes to the Wizards: 1) Their players are mentioned 2) Their players are mentioned in a positive light That goes double for..." April 05

CSN Washington "For the fifth year in a row, the Wizards won’t be in the postseason. But the outlook isn't totally bleak. In fact, it's not bleak at all. Their three best players, John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene were on the court together only 22 times this season. With Beal's season-ending stress..." April 05

CSN Washington "Bradley Beal walks just fine even though his season is over because of a stress injury to his right fibula, and the rookie shooting guard wasn't in too much pain to talk Friday. Looking back, should he have tried to play through injuries to both ankles? "Should I have?" Beal said..." April 05

CSN Washington "Bradley Beal has been playing through ankle sprains for most of the second half of the season, and it finally caught up to him Wednesday. The Wizards’ rookie shooting guard had an MRI and it revealed a season-ending stress injury to his right fibula. A person with knowledge of the situation..." April 04

Toronto Star "As the curtain starts to fall on another lost Raptors season, with the playoffs someone else’s problem and the future in Toronto as cloudy as it’s been in half a decade, the annual exercise is upon the team’s head coach. It is a delicate balancing act Dwane Casey must carry out, with one eye on..." April 04

CSN Washington "Bradley Beal has been playing through ankle sprains for most of the second half of the season, and it finally caught up to him Wednesday. The Wizards’ rookie shooting guard had an MRI and it revealed a season-ending stress injury to his right fibula. A person with knowledge of the situation..." April 03

Washington Post "One game after coming back from an ailing left ankle to score a game-high 24 points in Sunday’s win over the Raptors, Washington Wizards rookie guard Bradley Beal was in discomfort again during a 90-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday and said he doubted he would be available for..." April 03

Washington Post "With less than a minute to play in a tie game, the Washington Wizards predictably turned to John Wall, and the point guard continued his late-season uprising by helping to author a 90-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night in front of 17,319 at Verizon Center. Wall drove deep into the..." April 03

Washington Post "Nene removed an ice bag from his right knee after the Wizards lost to Golden State on March 23 and shook his head as he spoke to head athletic trainer Eric Waters. A few minutes before, Nene had complained about the taxing, physical grind of battling in the low post. Two days later, Nene..." April 02

Washington Post "Jan Vesely’s bounce pass to A.J. Price was a tad too slow and a tad too low, allowing Toronto Raptors reserve Sebastian Telfair to knock away the ball and send Price scrambling. Price recovered the ball in the back court and kept his eyes on Vesely the entire time he dribbled back up the..." April 01

Washington Post "With 10 games left in the season, the Washington Wizards have little left to play for but pride and the possibility of finishing with the franchise’s highest win total during its five-year run of lottery appearances. The Wizards (26-46) need only one more win to accomplish that modest feat, but..." March 31

Washington Post "No matter how much the Washington Wizards have improved with John Wall in the lineup, no matter how many playoff-caliber opponents they have put int heir win column, they still have a difficult time capitalizing on situations most teams would consider favorable. The pattern played out again..." March 30