Trevor Booker

TORONTO — When Trevor Booker finally took a break from working out, training, and recovering from foot problems, he decided to take his family on a vacation to Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. The woodsy locale matches the rugged, lumberjack-like style that Booker brings to basketball. But Booker spent most of his time in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., on the porch of the cabin, sharing stories, grilling and relaxing, which is also in line with his laid-back demeanor off the court. "We did little...

Jason Collins's barrier-shattering revelation that he is gay will have no influence on the Washington Wizards ' plans with him this offseason, a person with knowledge of the team's thinking said Tuesday. Bringing back a 34-year-old free agent center with limited skills was never among the team's priorities — and that has not changed. That doesn't mean Collins will not return to Washington, the person said, but if the 7-foot center wants to continue his NBA career it will likely be elsewhere.

For the first time in several weeks, Jan Vesely 's two-bedroom apartment in Northern Virginia is no longer crowded with visitors or filled with the aromas of his favorite dishes from his native Czech Republic. Vesely's mother, father, sister, brother in-law, grandmother and aunt are all back home, leaving his fiancee, Eva Kodouskova, as his only sounding board during his disappointing sophomore campaign with the Washington Wizards . "It means a lot to me that she's here," said Vesely, whose most memorable...

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 as if he wasn't the culprit. Collins continued to stare until he made eye contact with Booker and cracked a knowing smile before both players laughed. In his short time with the Wizards, Collins...

CHARLOTTE — Feet buried in a bucket of ice, face buried in his hands, reserve forward Martell Webster was stewing as he contemplated how the Washington Wizards could have had such a miserable performance against the Charlotte Bobcats . Laughter emanated from the shower, but Webster made sure it quickly ceased. "We just lost!" Webster shouted. Silence fell back over the visitor's locker room at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Wizards didn't just lose 92-76 to the Bobcats ...

Jason Collins's barrier-shattering revelation that he is gay will have no influence on the Washington Wizards ' plans with him this offseason, a person with knowledge of the team's thinking said Tuesday. Bringing back a 34-year-old free agent center with limited skills was never among the team's priorities — and that has not changed. That doesn't mean Collins will not return to Washington, the person said, but if the 7-foot center wants to continue his NBA career it will likely be elsewhere.

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 as if he wasn't the culprit. Collins continued to stare until he made eye contact with Booker and cracked a knowing smile before both players laughed. In his short time with the...

Whether they were done in by fatigue, attrition or a simple lack of focus, the Washington Wizards were unable to capture a goal set since the all-star break. The playoffs were essentially out of the question when they started the season with 12 straight losses (and 28 in their first 32 games), but Coach Randy Wittman kept urging his players to keep pushing for ninth in the Eastern Conference. The goal of finishing as the best of the worst may have seemed small, but it kept the Wizards motivated through a...

TALLAHASSEE, Feb. 28 -- Toney Douglas is 6 feet 1 and doesn't have a lot of veteran help at No. 23 Florida State. That hasn't kept him from being nearly unstoppable, especially at crunch time. Douglas scored 23 points and Florida State held off a late Clemson rally, defeating the 12th-ranked Tigers, 73-66, on Saturday to get closer to its first NCAA tournament bid in 11 years. "I'd say we're in, but we have more games, too," Douglas said. "I know if we'd lost after having an 18-point lead, I'd have cried...

ORLANDO — John Wall rested his head on a towel on an equipment bag, his back on the parquet floor, flustered with his performance as he couldn't hit a shot or draw a foul. JaVale McGee angrily shook his head as he had his usual struggles trying to contend with Orlando Magic all-star center Dwight Howard. And Nick Young spent most of the game saddled on the bench in foul trouble. Three of the Washington Wizards ' starters were having forgettable outings, but somehow,...

CHICAGO – A flicker of promise invaded a season of what-ifs and never-wases for the Washington Wizards, who will take equal measures of hope and frustration with them into another offseason bound for the NBA draft lottery. They started with 12 straight defeats and ended the season with six straight losses — and both losing streaks were influenced by injury-related absences to their main players. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis looked on as the season mercifully came to an end with John Wall...

BROOKLYN — 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 arms and chest and later flipped it in the air and caught it on his back. He smiled as he looked up to the referee for approval after each move, then scampered...

Whether they were done in by fatigue, attrition or a simple lack of focus, the Washington Wizards were unable to capture a goal set since the all-star break. The playoffs were essentially out of the question when they started the season with 12 straight losses (and 28 in their first 32 games), but Coach Randy Wittman kept urging his players to keep pushing for ninth in the Eastern Conference. The goal of finishing as the best of the worst may have seemed small, but it kept the Wizards motivated through a...

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 returned from a left knee injury . Instead of developing the four first-round picks the team has selected in the two of the past three NBA...

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 Friday. The Wizards were on the road, against a wounded Orlando Magic that hobbled into Amway Center undermanned and having lost eight straight. And once again, the Wizards found a way to turn up their nose...

CHARLOTTE — The first leg of an awkward stretch of the schedule caused by a visiting circus and the NCAA tournament carried importance for the Washington Wizards : They wanted to even their season series against the Charlotte Bobcats and collect a much-needed road win against the team with the NBA's worst record . With roughly three minutes remaining in Monday night's game, the Wizards appeared well on their way toward accomplishing...

The best game of Bradley Beal's young career was unraveling into another defeat for the Washington Wizards when frustration overwhelmed the rookie guard. As he watched Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis elevate for an inconsequential layup in the game's final minute on Friday night, Beal was unwilling to offer a free pass and knocked Elllis to the ground with a hard chop of a foul. Beal then quickly approached Ellis, leaning down to extend his hand and help him up. Bucks...

Bradley Beal stepped over the foul line, well before the free throw he intentionally missed had even hit the rim. He anticipated that the referees would call him for a lane violation, but no whistle came. The carom, however, landed right in his hands, giving him an opportunity to tie a game the Washington Wizards had no business being in, let alone in position to force overtime. Beal went up for the layup, but he landed on his back after his shot was blocked and the...

With each jump shot that found the bottom of the net, the hand slaps got harder and the bounce in his step got bigger. On most nights, John Wall's speed, not his shooting stroke, has paced the Washington Wizards ' offensive attack. Friday night, the third-year guard found his touch from the outside, scoring 14 points in the third quarter en route to a season-high 29 to lead the Wizards past the New Orleans Hornets at Verizon Center, 96-87. Wall tied a career-high with three...

The 20-point lead seemed to vanish in the time it takes John Wall to get to the basket on one of his patented full-court drives. Wall was angry, and clashed momentarily with Coach Randy Wittman on the bench over blown defensive assignments, forcing the short-handed Washington Wizards to huddle to find a solution for the hard-charging Milwaukee Bucks . On the verge of their worst collapse of the season, the Wizards regrouped around Wall,...