Washington Wizards

In a column I wrote about John Wall for Sunday's paper, in which I essentially said the Wizards' 22-year-old point guard is a work in progress but is also worth keeping in Washington and appreciating anew, this paragraph was typed: "A prominent NBA agent, whom I'll save from embarrassment here, told me a year ago the Wizards needed to unload Wall before the rest of the league found out he didn't have trade value. " It turns out David Falk didn't want anonymity. He just wanted to go off on Wall.

CHICAGO – For Otto Porter Jr. , being a top NBA draft pick would justify the summers when he woke up early to run or ride his bike, built strength by carrying wood and doing other household chores, played pickup basketball with his cousins on a rickety court at his late grandmother's home and borrowed the keys from his father to spend countless hours at the high school gym. "I think hard work pays off and you're finally getting benefit from...

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...

He still wears his tear-away pants snapped awkwardly so they rest just below the knee, shoots an hour before tip-off in his warmup shirt, and saunters around the arena like he owns the place. Jordan Crawford has changed addresses, but that doesn't mean the former Washington Wizards guard has changed who he is, or how he approaches the game now that he's a Boston Celtic. "More people watching. That's what everybody wants. Pretty much it," Crawford said recently, when asked to describe what it feels like to be on a playoff...

All season, the Wizards have failed to get off to good starts, which has had a huge influence on their final results. Washington is 1-8 this year when trailing after one quarter. On five occasions -- including Friday's game against Toronto -- the Wizards faced double-digit deficits during the first 12 minutes of the game. Date Opp. Largest 1st Q. deficit Result Oct. 30 Hawks 5 pts. L, 100-89 Nov. 4 Heat 19 pts. L, 93-89 Nov. 6 ...

Martell Webster caught a pass from John Wall in the right corner Monday night and maintained focus as Sacramento Kings guard Francisco Garcia approached. The Washington Wizards swimgman kept his eyes on the rim as he elevated, lifted his arms high above his head as always, released the ball with a flick of his wrist and buried the three-pointer. Garcia collided with Webster, knocking him on his backside, and sent him to the free throw line, where he converted a four-point play, Webster's league-leading sixth of...

The Washington Wizards have until Tuesday to make a move that would permanently sever ties with forward Andray Blatche , but the organization remains undecided about using the one-time amnesty provision, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. The provision allows teams to cut a player and remove his contract from the salary cap. When asked which way the Wizards were leaning, a league source said the team was "standing straight up. " Blatche has been a disappointment since...

Mired in a franchise-worst 0-10 start, Washington Wizards Coach Randy Wittman has fiddled with his starting lineup routinely since the season opener, with about the only certainty being that as soon as a member of the first team is made a reserve, he'll inevitably produce at a higher level. Take point guard A.J. Price, who came off the bench in Wednesday's agonizing 101-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks to finish with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting with seven assists and one turnover.

The Washington Wizards ' draft room was filled with enthusiasm last June when the franchise pulled off what appeared to be a successful coup, despite a talent pool that had been described by most scouts and executives as a weak draft class. The Wizards addressed several needs, as they found an athletic big man who could run the floor with John Wall , had a defensive-minded small forward fall into their laps, and plucked a backup point guard from a successful college program. But less than a week after ...

OKLAHOMA CITY — When the Washington Wizards arrived at their team hotel Tuesday, forward Trevor Ariza stepped off the bus with a medical mask covering his mouth. Still feeling the effects of the flu, Ariza didn't want to pass anything to his teammates — but he was more worried about checking into a hotel that was rumored to be haunted. Ariza shared the story of his ghost encounter from a previous stay at the hotel, explaining how he fell asleep on top of the bed but woke up underneath the covers and...

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...

As Jason Collins , a 7-foot journeyman center for the Washington Wizards , played out the final few weeks of his 12th National Basketball Association season this spring, he was also finalizing plans for an announcement that would send shock waves across the world of sports. That announcement came late Monday morning, with the Internet publication of a first-person story in Sports Illustrated : "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center," the story began. "I'm black. And I'm gay. " With that, Collins became the first...

After missing the postseason for the fifth consecutive season, Washington Wizards team President Ernie Grunfeld said Tuesday he believes the team isn't too far away from playing meaningful games in April, and possibly May, once again. Betrayed by poor health this season, the Wizards stumbled to a horrific 4-28 start, but they ended the season going 25-25, with injuries again contributing to the team losing its last six games. Grunfeld believes that unlike prior...

As the Washington Wizards parted ways for the final time this season on Thursday, their 19-year-old shooting guard was hoping for more facial hair, their Brazilian big man was eager to rest his sore left foot and their flashy point guard was focused on earning a financial reward . Bradley Beal, Nene and John Wall will be essential to the Wizards' efforts next season to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. "If we're healthy, we're easily a playoff team," Wall said after players held...

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...

Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries swung the ball high above his head, looking for a place to pass when Washington Wizards reserve Chris Singleton swiped and knocked the ball away. Before Humphries and teammate C.J. Watson moved toward the loose ball, John Wall was already off to the races, scooping it up and dunking with two hands. Nets guard Joe Johnson tried to answer with a floater in the lane, but Trevor Ariza was there to contest and force him into a miss. After Johnson grabbed the rebound, Ariza,...

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.

In the wake of Monday's bombing of the Boston Marathon , staff at the Willard Intercontinental hotel in downtown Washington drafted a letter Tuesday to guests alerting them to the fireworks scheduled that night as part of the District's Emancipation Day celebration. The notice was meant to prevent visitors from being alarmed by the booming noise. Meanwhile, spokesmen for Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International said their companies had beefed up security at local hotels and at other properties nationwide.

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...