As we enter Wednesday’s action and the team’s pairing with the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards remain the NBA’s lone winless team. The squad’s body language hasn’t been great, they’ve been laughed at by more than a few Twitter wonks due to the team’s lack of heady play, and they’ve even gotten an innocent man chucked from a game due to a “technical glitch.”

And rookie Czech Republic native Jan Vesely, he of the absolutely zero minutes played this season due to a bum hip, seems to have cut straight to the core of the Wiz through some hesitant English. As quoted by the Washington Post’s Michael Lee:

“It’s tough to sit on the bench and see the players, they are playing and they are playing bad,” Vesely said. “Of course, I want to try to help the team.”

No, Vesely isn’t calling his teammates “bad.” He’s just telling Lee that his teammates have been “playing bad.” It’s me that is saying that Vesely’s teammates are “bad.”

It’s early, of course, and nobody expected the Wizards (who made absolutely no moves of significance during the offseason, save for picking up rookies in Vesely and Chris Singleton), to come anywhere near the playoffs this season. This team is rebuilding, and rightfully so. They’ve cast off this year in anticipation of more high draft picks and incoming cap relief.

Even with those lowered expectations in place, though, few anticipated John Wall starting off his second season with a 31.7 percent shooting mark over his first five games, to go along with 4.4 turnovers a contest. And, really, turnovers aren’t the issue with Wall; it’s how he sometimes looks like a sort of observer of his own awarded team at times.

Nobody expected the team to be shooting below 40 percent, not with all those offense-first minds both on the bench and in the rotation, and few could have expected the crew to be outrebounded by 10 per game and beaten by an average of 12 points (the most telling stat) after five contests.  Nobody expected a team full of shoot-first guys to be ranked 30th out of 30 NBA teams in offensive efficiency.

Not a whole lot of fun for Wizards fans, who have been through absolutely too much since the team’s NBA title in 1978. At least they can rally behind the fact that Colin Cowherd remains an absolute, unmitigated tool.

The Washington Wizards are on the verge of the worst start in franchise
history. A visit to Orlando wouldn’t appear to be a good way to avoid that
dubious feat.

They’ve rarely won there and have been blown out in the last three visits,
plus the Magic are perfect at home this season heading into Wednesday night’s
meeting.

Washington, which has never opened a season with six straight losses,
dropped to 0-5 for the third time in franchise history with a 100-92 loss in
Boston on Monday. The Wizards led by one after three quarters but allowed the
Celtics to score 31 points in the fourth, the second time they’ve given up more
than 30 in a period this season.

“Right now, with a team like this, you’re trying to teach them not only how
to play but how to win,” said Wizards assistant Randy Wittman, who took over
after coach Flip Saunders was ejected less than two minutes into the game.

“You have to have steps like this. Did we get the win, no, but we played
them right down to the wire. I thought the effort for 48 minutes was as good as
we could ask for.”

The league’s lone winless club next has the difficult task of trying to end
a six-game skid to the Magic (4-2). The Wizards have given up at least 100
points in each of those losses, and another such performance might lead to
another defeat as they’re scoring 85.2 per game this season.

Washington has dropped 14 of 17 in this series, including three in a row on
the road by at least 25 points each. The Wizards, 6-33 in Orlando over the
previous 19 seasons, were 3-38 in road games in 2010-11 and have lost three this
season by an average of 15.7 points.

They’re facing a Magic team which is 3-0 at home but coming off its worst
scoring performance of the season, an 89-78 loss at Detroit on Monday. Orlando
was held to 32 second-half points during its sixth game in the first nine days
of the season.

The Magic are one of eight teams to play that many games over that span.

“Obviously we had a long stretch of games and not a lot of time to rest,”
said forward Ryan Anderson, held to 13 points Monday after averaging 23.0 in the
previous three games.

With a day off, the Magic hope to come out a little fresher and get more
contributions from their starting backcourt. Jason Richardson is averaging 8.8
points – 9.1 below his career mark – and Jameer Nelson is averaging 6.6 points,
nearly half his career average.

Richardson might have a chance to break out of his funk Wednesday as he’s
averaging 22.3 points on 57.3 percent shooting in his last six games against
Washington, hitting 20 of 39 3-point attempts. Nelson averaged 11.5 points in
last season’s four meetings.

Magic star Dwight Howard averaged 27.3 points and shot 75.9 percent against
Washington last season. Only his 29.0-point averages against New York and
Toronto were better versus Eastern Conference foes.

Wizards point guard John Wall averaged 18.3 points against Orlando in his
rookie season, but enters this game shooting a league-worst 31.7 percent from
the field.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Brandon Jennings scored 15 of his 22 points in
the second half to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 102-81 victory
over the winless Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points, and Carlos Delfino, who missed the
first two games of the season with a sprained right wrist, added 15
off the bench for Milwaukee (2-1). Andrew Bogut had 13 points, 15
rebounds and three blocks.

Jordan Crawford, benched in favor of Nick Young after scoring one
point in a loss at Atlanta on Wednesday, led Washington (0-3) with
24 points. John Wall had six points on 1-of-9 shooting and four
turnovers.

Washington also was called for a technical foul when Roger Mason
Jr., who was not on the active list, checked into the game.

Jennings has scored 22, 24 and 22 points in three games this
season.

The first half went about as badly as it could go for the Wizards -
starting with the technical.

Mason had checked in for Jordan Crawford with 3:27 mark left in the
first quarter and he scored on a baseline jumper seven seconds
later. However, during a timeout at the 2:53 mark, the Wizards were
whistled for the technical. The basket was later taken away from
Mason and credited to Rashard Lewis.

Jennings made the technical free throw to make it 25-18 Milwaukee,
and Ronny Turiaf’s dunk made it 25-20 before the Bucks poured it
on.

Milwaukee outscored the Wizards 40-21 the rest of the half to take
a 65-41 lead. The Bucks, 22nd in the league in field goal
percentage coming in, shot 61.5 percent in the half to Washington’s
34 percent. Young and Wall combined to go 1 for 11 in the first
half.

Washington opened the second half on a 15-4 run, holding Milwaukee
without a field goal for more than five minutes. The Wizards
outscored the Bucks 26-13 in the period and trailed 78-67 after
three quarters.

Crawford had 12 points in the third.

Washington cut it to nine on a dunk by JaVale McGee to open the
fourth, but the Wizards got no closer the rest of the way.

“Right now we should really be 3-0,” Jennings said. “We were up at halftime against Charlotte, and we lost a lead. And tonight we were up (24) at half and let a team come back. That is something we really need to focus on, especially going on a West Coast road trip. On the road in hostile environments you have got to be able to contain the lead and take over.”

Jordan Crawford, benched in favor of Nick Young after scoring one point in a loss at Atlanta on Wednesday, led Washington (0-3) with 24 points. John Wall had six points on 1-of-9 shooting and four turnovers.

Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points, and Carlos Delfino, who missed the first two games of the season with a sprained right wrist, added 15 off the bench for Milwaukee (2-1). Andrew Bogut had 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Jennings has scored 22, 24 and 22 points in three games this season.

“He has been very efficient,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “He is doing a good job in the first half of the games of moving the ball around and seeing people and kind of taking his scoring opportunities as they come. And then as the game has gone on he’s gotten a little more aggressive, especially when we’ve struggled a little bit in those stretches.

“That’s what the good players do.”

The first half went about as badly as it could go for the Wizards – starting with a technical foul called when Roger Mason Jr., who was not on the active list, checked into the game.

Mason had come in for Crawford with 3:27 left in the first quarter and scored on a baseline jumper seven seconds later. However, during a timeout at the 2:53 mark, the Wizards were whistled for the technical. The basket was later taken away from Mason and credited to Rashard Lewis. Jennings made the technical free throw to make it 25-18 Milwaukee, and Ronny Turiaf’s dunk made it 25-20 before the Bucks poured it on.

Wizards coach Flip Saunders took responsibility for Mason being disqualified from the game. The Wizards public relations staff also took the blame.

The NBA provides a roster to teams to circle who will be inactive for each game. The list excluded Mason’s name, and neither Saunders nor the PR staff caught the mistake before sending the final active roster to the league office.

The Bucks statistical staff noticed the mistake when they tried to enter Mason’s basket.

“It’s my fault,” Saunders said. “I didn’t notice it. I take responsibility for that. I thought he would have given us some help.”

Said Mason: “It was just human error. Just a mistake. It happens.”

Milwaukee outscored the Wizards 40-21 the rest of the half to take a 65-41 lead. The Bucks, 22nd in the league in field goal percentage coming in, shot 61.5 percent in the half to Washington’s 34 percent. Young and Wall combined to go 1 for 11 in the first half.

Brandon Jennings scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half
to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 102-81 victory over the winless
Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points, and Carlos Delfino, who missed the
first two games of the season with a sprained right wrist, added 15
off the bench for Milwaukee (2-1). Andrew Bogut had 13 points, 15
rebounds and three blocks.

Jordan Crawford, benched in favor of Nick Young after scoring
one point in a loss at Atlanta on Wednesday, led Washington (0-3)
with 24 points. John Wall had six points on 1-of-9 shooting and
four turnovers.

Washington also was called for a technical foul when Roger Mason
Jr., who was not on the active list, checked into the game.

Jennings has scored 22, 24 and 22 points in three games this
season.

The first half went about as badly as it could go for the
Wizards – starting with the technical.

Mason had checked in for Jordan Crawford with 3:27 mark left in
the first quarter and he scored on a baseline jumper seven seconds
later. However, during a timeout at the 2:53 mark, the Wizards were
whistled for the technical. The basket was later taken away from
Mason and credited to Rashard Lewis.

Jennings made the technical free throw to make it 25-18
Milwaukee, and Ronny Turiaf’s dunk made it 25-20 before the Bucks
poured it on.

Milwaukee outscored the Wizards 40-21 the rest of the half to
take a 65-41 lead. The Bucks, 22nd in the league in field goal
percentage coming in, shot 61.5 percent in the half to Washington’s
34 percent. Young and Wall combined to go 1 for 11 in the first
half.

Washington opened the second half on a 15-4 run, holding
Milwaukee without a field goal for more than five minutes. The
Wizards outscored the Bucks 26-13 in the period and trailed 78-67
after three quarters.

Crawford had 12 points in the third.

Washington cut it to nine on a dunk by JaVale McGee to open the
fourth, but the Wizards got no closer the rest of the way. They cut
it to 88-77 with less than six minutes remaining, but the Bucks _
who had blown double-digit, second-half leads in each of their
first two games _ used an 8-0 run to seal it.

Notes: Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute missed his third straight
game with right knee tendinitis. Mbah a Moute took part in the
shootaround. “No idea,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said, when asked
how long he will be out. “We thought he was going tonight.” . Bucks
forward Tobias Harris, the team’s first-round pick in 2011, also
has yet to play for Milwaukee with dehydration issues. . The Bucks
assigned rookie guard Darington Hobson to the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Mad
Ants of the NBA Development League. Hobson was the 37th overall
pick in the 2010 draft out of New Mexico but missed the 2010-11
season after undergoing hip surgery.

“Once we start come Monday, it will be full-speed ahead,” Lewis said. “I know it’s going to be a lot of games. Like coach said before training camp, you’ve got to be mentally prepared and listen, watching game film and shoot-around, because there’s not going to be much practice time. I remember the year I got drafted, it was the first year of the lockout. I think we hardly practiced at all. Everything was shoot-around and games. That’s all we did.”

The Wizards will play five games in the first eight days of their season, concluding with the first of 16 back-to-back sets. They also will have two sets of three games on consecutive nights in the final two months of the season.

“When we had those triple-headers and the back-to-back, a day off and then another back-to-back, it’s no excuses for tired legs or exhaustion, because every team is going to have it,” Lewis said. “So I mean the most important thing is taking care of your body, preparing yourself the night before the game. Knowing it’s going to be a lot of games, you’ve got to eat right and get the proper rest.”

The Wizards will have a relatively favorable schedule, since they won’t have to face every Western Conference team twice and will avoid facing five of the Eastern Conference playoff teams four times.

The three Western Conference opponents they will face are Portland, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers have improved with the addition of all-star point guard Chris Paul, but only one of those teams made the playoffs last season. The six Eastern Conference teams that they will face four times are Charlotte, Toronto, Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia and Orlando, and only three made the playoffs last season.

“A lot of times, it’s as much the style of play as who you’re playing. I think all in all, you’ve still got to play everybody,” Saunders said. “More than who you play, it’s the number of games you play and the travel. I think the schedule is going to beat you more times than the team you’re playing. What you hope to be able to do with an extended bench, being able to play with energy every night. That’s not going to be much of a factor and you can eliminate schedule-type losses.”

Saunders said he would likely have to expand his rotation from nine to possibly all 12 active players, and he might give some of his older veteran players such as Lewis and Maurice Evans games off and rely on the depth of a roster that features seven players age 23 and younger.

“I think it really can help us because we’re a young team,” John Wall said. “It reminds me of an AAU season, playing five games in one day. It can be tough at times, but I think it can help us because we have younger legs.”

Having the start of the season coincide with the Christmas holiday “feels weird,” but Lewis said he would still show up at the gym on Saturday to maintain the rhythm he developed over the past two weeks.

Lewis, 32, was a spry rookie fresh out of high school during the last lockout-shortened season but knows he will have to take a different approach in his 14th season. “I’m getting a lot of massages,” Lewis said with a smile. “Rest and ice. Sitting in the cold plunge almost every day after practice. I’m just going to have to throw ice in the tub in the hotel room.

“It’s important to take care of your legs and get that recovery, because it’s going to be nights when you have tired legs, shots not going to be falling. It’s going to be a lot of injuries early in the season, a lot of sloppy basketball.”

The Nets are already dealing with injuries, with center Brook Lopez having surgery on his broken foot, possibly sidelining him for the season. The Wizards are relatively healthy entering the season, with the exception of Jan Vesely, who was unable to practice on Friday because of a right hip injury.

Saunders said he hopes to have Vesely for the opener and is ready to see his team hit the court after the lockout-aided delay to the season. “I’m excited to see how our guys react. Can we play with energy and intelligence at the same time? I’ll be anxious as everyone else to see how they perform.”

For those that watched the Washington Wizards get spanked in their preseason opener, take heart. The team again faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers, which roasted them 103-78 on December 16 in D.C. Instead of looking like a dysfunctional high school team, the Wizards came out tonight and went toe to toe with Philly. The result December 21 was still a 101-94 loss, but the effort was much more encouraging.

There were a number of notable performances that coach Flip Saunders can only hope will continue into the season. JaVale McGee had a very nice game, leading the team in scoring with 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. I still have serious concerns about his maturity level though. He had one dunk tonight that he just had to stop and stare down his opponent just for good measure.

That kind of stunt can get you a technical during the season, so it is time for this kid to wise up and just play basketball. You could hear the disappointment in Dave Johnson’s voice as he called the game on WJFK 106.7 FM in Washington D.C. I also took great pride in the work of Trevor Booker, who fills a role that this Wizards team so desperately needs. He is a bruiser that does not mind getting in the middle and banging the boards. He ended the game with a team high eleven rebounds.

Washington fans also have to be excited about newcomer Shelvin Mack out of Butler. He just seems like one of those guys you need on the team. Mack does everything well and his numbers show this. He gave the team seven points and five assists, showing he will be a quality sub coming off the bench.

So how then did the Wizards lose on this night? Simply put, they did not have anyone that was ready when crunch time hit. The game was tied with as few as five minutes to go, but then the hoop on the Washington end seemed to grow a cover. Nothing was falling, while Jrue Holiday of Philadelphia had his way with the Washington defense. It should be noted though that many of the starters were on the bench down the stretch for the Wizards.

I am sure the team would have liked to win, but the better effort will be the thing that will stay with them. Some guys obviously still need work. Nick Young looks like he needs to work on getting that shooting touch back. John Wall and Jordan Crawford also need extra shooting because they can both shoot better than what they did tonight.

Finally, I think Flip Saunders and this organization have to decide on what to do with Rashard Lewis. He was once again horrible on the night. A few rebounds and three points do nothing for this club. I say let him go and sign a few guys for the same dough that will give a better effort.

John Atchison is a Washington based writer that enjoys the Washington Sports scene. He has followed the Bullets/Wizards since the early seventies and hopes for a return to glory soon. Follow him on Twitter @John_Atchison.

Source: stats.washingtonpost.com/nba

WJFK 106.7 FM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

WASHINGTON – After beating up on each other for days, the 76ers were anxious to face the Washington Wizards and test themselves against another NBA opponent.

They are still waiting for that test.

Facing a team that looked as if it still wanted to be locked out, the Sixers easily handled a disinterested-looking Washington team, crushing them by 103-78 at Verizon Center Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

“We were sharp; our defense was quick. We were helping each other out,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. “All in all, I thought through the first three quarters we were sharp. I liked our countenance. Can I say that? Is that a word?”

He could, and he would have been safe referring to the game as an annihilation.

Granted, this was just the preseason, but the Sixers jumped on the Wizards early and never relented. Six players finished with double-figure scoring, led by reserve guard Lou Williams’ 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Evan Turner, coming off the bench, scored all but two of his 16 points in the second half. Playing 30 minutes, Turner added seven rebounds and three assists. Center Spencer Hawes was one rebound short of a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine boards. Jrue Holiday had five assists to go along with his 12 points, and Elton Brand and Thad Young added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Sixers turned what was a 21-point halftime lead into an 87-47 advantage after Williams sank the second of two free throws in the final minute of the third quarter.

“It’s a little surprising being up by 40,” Brand said. “Being up by 20-plus, we wanted to really step on them and get ready for the real season. I’m glad we were able to do that.”

Not that the Wizards offered even a modicum of resistance.

They were wretched from the start.

They opened the game by making just 5 of 20 field goals in the first quarter on the way to making just 26 of 79 on the night. This compared to the almost 51 percent (39 of 77) that the Sixers made.

Forward Andray Blatche was the only Washington player to reach double figures, finishing with a team-high 18 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Last year’s No. 1 pick, guard John Wall, was sloppy, finishing with almost as many turnovers (six) as points (eight).

The teams will play again Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center in what will be the last preseason game for both teams. Both teams begin the regular season on Dec. 26.

However, the difference is the Sixers will begin their season with five games on the road. Their first week of the season is perhaps more harrowing than that of any other team.

“We only have two games as a tune-up,” Brand said. “That’s why we’ve got to take [Tuesday's game] as seriously as we did tonight. We have to continue to be sharp and execute.”

The Sixers did not bring their entire preseason roster, leaving behind guard Antonio Anderson and centers Mike Tisdale and Dwayne Jones. Those three will likely rejoin the team on Sunday for a morning practice and for a team scrimmage – free to the public – Sunday at the Palestra.

 

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Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com or @deepsixer3 on Twitter.

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Washington Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis addressed the media on Thursday afternoon, covering many topics during his roughly half-hour news conference, including elevated expectations for this season, the process of constructing a winner and peering ahead rather than dwelling on past missteps.

Leonsis began by talking about a documentary he watched recently on the founder of Ferrari and specifically how he became the first racecar owner and driver to scrap the rearview mirror.

“When they asked him why, he said, ‘I don’t want anyone looking back. I want my drivers only looking forward,’ ” Leonsis said. “I think that’s an appropriate way to kick off the season.

“We just came off a couple of months where there was lots of angst and drama and discussion and pixels being generated. I don’t care about any of that. I care that tomorrow’s the first preseason game and the 26th is the kickoff of a new season. I’m very excited. I’m very positive.”

Leonsis was referring to the NBA lockout that threatened to cancel the season until the sides finally reached an accord. With a settlement reached, teams are set to play 66 games during a compressed season that will include many sets of back-to-backs and even at times three in a row.

Leonsis briefly discussed his involvement in those negotiations and some media reports labeling him as a hard-line owner. According to Leonsis, who voted yes on the deal, one account suggested he was “a hawk” following a particular meeting. Leonsis in fact had not even attended that meeting because he was at a funeral.

“I have to chuckle at some of the characterizations,” Leonsis said. “There’s lots of things that were written where you could look at and say, ‘I’d like to set the record straight or settle the score,’ but that would violate the Ferrari [call to] pull off the rearview mirror and only look forward. I think that’s in everyone’s best interest.”

As for the Wizards, who were 23-59 last season, Leonsis said he’s enthusiastic about the young players, particularly No. 6 overall pick Jan Vesely and 18th-pick Chris Singleton, has seen dedication from Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee and that the long-term plan is progressing smoothly.

“I want to see upside. I want to see improvement. I want to see chemistry being developed, and I want to see how the young kids play,” he said. “The only way we’re going to know if we drafted and we developed well is if they get the minutes, and so I’m more concerned with process right now than output, although we’re here to win, so I want to see us winning more games.”

Related

— Rookie Vesely forced to adjust on the fly

— Rookie guard Mack fitting into Wizards’ rotation

— Is one-and-done best option for Nick Young

— Bog: Is ‘Bullets’ gear more popular than ‘Wizards’?

— Wizards’ 2011-12 schedule

By Michael Katz

– Wizards Editor

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Dec 13, 2011 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Training camp narratives are nice, but the correlation to the season is flimsy. Understand that the Wizards 2011-12 season starts now, but it won’t be defined on a practice court in December.

Need a reminder? In 2009, head coach Flip Saunders created “Our Time” to motivate a veteran squad for a campaign that ended in disaster. In 2010, the youth movement necessitated “Back to Basics,” a simple reminder that the Wizards often did not or could not follow.

But after the abrupt end to the lockout, Saunders didn’t have time to conceive an official theme for the Wizards training camp for the first time since he arrived in Washington. The Wizards are just playing basketball, and it’s a nice change.

“I feel like we just came in this camp like forget all the hype, the motto and all that stuff and just get to work,” center JaVale McGee said. Then he couldn’t help himself, smiling, “and last year’s camp we didn’t have back to back two-a-days.”

And that’s the Wizards right now, this season. Ready to mature. Serious about growth and development. Still very much themselves.

Right now, Saunders appreciates the focus from the team. Past incarnations of the Wizards — even the most successful teams of the ’00s — had been light, fun. Gilbert Arenas won playoff games, but he also pooped in his teammate’s shoe.

That didn’t work last season, and everyone here knows it.

“Anyone who comes in there knows it’s a very, very, very, very serious, going about our business,” Saunders said. “We have our fun times and everything else but our approach is very serious.”

The emblem of this mindset is the Hard Hat.

If you haven’t been paying attention, the Wizards new hard hat is handed out at the end of each training camp session to the player who has worked the hardest. It’s a little corny — McGee said Sunday that he felt like it was staged when Blatche handed him the hat after practice — but it has meaning. When John Wall was handed the hard hat after the first day of training camp, he kept the damn thing for himself.

Chris Singleton and Ronny Turiaf have also claimed the hat. It’s funny, a bright white hard hat to to represent and reward the tenets of the Wizards chuck-the-cliches rebuild, maturity and effort.

“This camp, our main thing right now is defense, ” Blatche said.

“That’s going to be our main focus this year,” he reemphasized. “Defense and rebounding, that’s it.”

And so the Wizards ended the first day of camp with a defensive shuffling drill that was straight out a middle school gymnasium. Saunders had Blatche lead the group after Wall, which the forward called “probably just a lucky call.” Did he feel lucky? “To be honest with you, no — you think I wanted to do that?”

“The biggest thing with young players,” Saunders said. “When they start really making a development is when they learn to play with a purpose and not just to play.”

Saunders has seen that, so far.

“I feel ahead of where I thought we’d be at this point,” he said.

For more from training camp, visit our Wizards blog, Bullets Forever.

Read More: Gilbert Arenas (G – ORL), Ronny Turiaf (F – WAS), JaVale McGee (C – WAS), John Wall (G – WAS), Washington Wizards

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No longer a rookie so unfamiliar with the NBA game that he sometimes didn’t know what he was saying last season, the 21-year-old Wall is unfazed about still being the youngest player on team with seven players aged 23 or younger. He believes he can guide the Wizards through the rigors of a truncated 66-game season.

“I kind of know what it takes to win games. I know what it takes to control things,” Wall said. “I think it’s going to be a little easier, but it’s still going to be tough going against top point guards every night and trying to lead a young team.”

After being held back by injuries and his own lack of expertise last season, Wall is ready to truly be unleashed this season. “I feel this is my year to break out,” Wall said. “I’m 100 percent now. I’m way better than I was. I’m feeling the same way I felt when I first started playing here last year.

“I got goals set for myself, but I don’t like talking about it,” he said. “I’m focusing on team goals. All the elite point guards in the league right now, they all are winners. They care about your stats here or there, but if you’re winning games and take your teams and considered championship kind of teams, that’s what it’s all about.”

Saunders recognized Wall’s efforts in the first day of practice by giving him a construction helmet with the team’s new red, white and blue “dc” logo to symbolize the hardest worker. He gave Wall the option to keep it or give it to someone else, but Wall didn’t remove it for the duration of practice, believing he had earned it.

“If you think about it, everybody that play hard, you might get a little treat,” Wall said of the hard hat, which Saunders hopes will represent the attitude of a team that won just 23 games last season. “I think last year, we didn’t play as a team a lot. We didn’t play hard. That’s one thing, as a young team, you have to play hard every time out there. I think adding a couple of people that we got, a couple of draft picks, and some people that we’re thinking about signing or signed, I think they can help us.”

The Wizards brought back veteran guard Roger Mason Jr. and added veteran forward Ronny Turiaf from the New York Knicks in a three-team trade with Dallas that also yielded a 2013 second-round pick and $3 million from the Knicks, and a 2012 second-round pick from the Mavericks. Dallas received a protected second-round pick from the Wizards.

The team is also counting on a healthy Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche, and the development of JaVale McGee and Jordan Crawford, who is slated to start at shooting guard if the team is unable to re-sign restricted free agent Nick Young.

But Saunders realizes the team will only improve by how much Wall progresses from his first season. Wall averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds as a rookie, despite dealing with injuries to his right knee and left foot. He regained his explosiveness and used his athleticism to burn up courts throughout the country during the summer, but the real work has finally begun.

“His biggest thing is staying healthy,” Saunders said. “There’s no question he’s a lot healthier right now than he was a year ago. I mean, it’s like night and day watching him out there on the floor, and the things he can do now that he wasn’t able to do last year. The thing is, when you’re the face of the franchise, there’s always high expectations. But I think that’s something he relishes the opportunity to take that challenge.”

Wall is more vocal in practice, offering instruction and words of encouragement to rookies Shelvin Mack, Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely, who has the adjacent locker room stall. Practicing with Wall for the first time, Mason noticed his willingness to lead by example and “get dirty” by diving for loose balls and blocking shots. Blatche also believes Wall is better prepared to handle the tests that come with being a former No. 1 overall pick.

“John, he had a year to mature under his belt,” Blatche said. “He knows what it takes. He knows what other teams are going to try to do to defend him, and Flip and Sam been in his ear about controlling the game, what’s your pace, less turnovers. I think John is going to be ready this season to help us out a lot.”

As an Atlanta Hawks fan, it will be interesting to see if the Washington Wizards and John Wall in particular are able to take that next step as a young team and secure a playoff spot this season.

I do mention John Wall, but Hawk fans remember Jordan Crawford as well. Crawford has a lot of talent and it will be interesting to see how he will grow as a player.

The Hawks traded Crawford for the veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich last season, but in the long-run will the Wizards get the best of this deal?

Hinrich will start the 2011-12 season on the injury list and Crawford may have a breakout year and could be a super sidekick to John Wall along with posing problems for teams such as Atlanta.

The Washington Wizards haven’t been relevant as a playoff contender in nearly four years when Gilbert Arenas was in his prime.

One of the last playoff moments from a few years ago that Wizard fans may remember is Gilbert Arenas missing two critical free throws after LeBron James’ efforts to distract him were successful in Game 6 of a first round playoff series back in May of 2006. Cleveland won that playoff series four games to two.

The Wizards did finally part ways with the somewhat injury prone Arenas and have invested in the younger, athletic and energetic John Wall.

Can the Wizards make the playoffs and have this team narrowed the gap in regard to progress and talent in regard to the Atlanta Hawks?

The Hawks had won three of four games in the 2010-11 season. However, in the last meeting. the Wizards had blitzed the Hawks, 115-83.

The Hawks had beaten the Wizards 12 consecutive times, but was that loss a blip or a trend?

The Wizards have a collection of talent that includes Wall, third-year player Jordan Crawford, Javele McGhee, Andrae Blatche and 2011 NBA first round pick, Chris Singleton.

Can the Wizards play better overall defense and can Wall make his teammates better along with Wall himself being more clutch in contested games?

The Wizards frontline is very athletic and can cause problems for opposing teams, so it will be interesting moving forward if Atlanta will be able to continue their dominance over the younger, collectively more athletic Wizards within the Southeastern Division.

John Wall has the same potential of a Derrick Rose and was able to elevate his game along with coming up clutch late in games. Rose’s efforts have been able to make the Bulls a perennial playoff contender.

Rose has also been durable and this will be a key to the Washington Wizard’s progression.

Wall did deal with an injured knee and left foot for most of the season but still averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds and came in second place to the Los Angles Clippers’ Blake Griffin for NBA Rookie of the Year.

The Wizards are poised to make progress in 2011-12 and improve on their 23-win season, and the Hawks should be wary of a young, athletic Wizards squad who is trying to get where the Hawks had been the past few years.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

As an Atlanta Hawks fan, it will be interesting to see if the Washington Wizards and John Wall in particular are able to take that next step as a young team and secure a playoff spot this season.

I do mention John Wall, but Hawk fans remember Jordan Crawford as well. Crawford has a lot of talent and it will be interesting to see how he will grow as a player.

The Hawks traded Crawford for the veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich last season, but in the long-run will the Wizards get the best of this deal?

Hinrich will start the 2011-12 season on the injury list and Crawford may have a breakout year and could be a super sidekick to John Wall along with posing problems for teams such as Atlanta.

The Washington Wizards haven’t been relevant as a playoff contender in nearly four years when Gilbert Arenas was in his prime.

One of the last playoff moments from a few years ago that Wizard fans may remember is Gilbert Arenas missing two critical free throws after LeBron James’ efforts to distract him were successful in Game 6 of a first round playoff series back in May of 2006. Cleveland won that playoff series four games to two.

The Wizards did finally part ways with the somewhat injury prone Arenas and have invested in the younger, athletic and energetic John Wall.

Can the Wizards make the playoffs and have this team narrowed the gap in regard to progress and talent in regard to the Atlanta Hawks?

The Hawks had won three of four games in the 2010-11 season. However, in the last meeting. the Wizards had blitzed the Hawks, 115-83.

The Hawks had beaten the Wizards 12 consecutive times, but was that loss a blip or a trend?

The Wizards have a collection of talent that includes Wall, third-year player Jordan Crawford, Javele McGhee, Andrae Blatche and 2011 NBA first round pick, Chris Singleton.

Can the Wizards play better overall defense and can Wall make his teammates better along with Wall himself being more clutch in contested games?

The Wizards frontline is very athletic and can cause problems for opposing teams, so it will be interesting moving forward if Atlanta will be able to continue their dominance over the younger, collectively more athletic Wizards within the Southeastern Division.

John Wall has the same potential of a Derrick Rose and was able to elevate his game along with coming up clutch late in games. Rose’s efforts have been able to make the Bulls a perennial playoff contender.

Rose has also been durable and this will be a key to the Washington Wizard’s progression.

Wall did deal with an injured knee and left foot for most of the season but still averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds and came in second place to the Los Angles Clippers’ Blake Griffin for NBA Rookie of the Year.

The Wizards are poised to make progress in 2011-12 and improve on their 23-win season, and the Hawks should be wary of a young, athletic Wizards squad who is trying to get where the Hawks had been the past few years.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The eyes are a little more intense than they were last season, as though living through the uncertainty of the NBA lockout made him grow up just a little bit faster. John Wall would be the first to agree.

Set to begin his second season as the Washington Wizards‘ point guard, Wall sees himself as a seasoned veteran and says he’s ready to lead on and off the court.

“My confidence is sky-high right now,” Wall said. “The way I played this summer, I know it wasn’t serious games in the NBA, but it was against NBA-type players, but it was just mainly getting my confidence back and getting back healthy.”

Confidence will be key, since Wall intends to take the Wizards to the postseason.

“I just want to play in the playoffs. It [doesn’t] get better than playing in the playoffs,” Wall said. “I went to playoff games last year, and it’s exciting seeing them play and see how different the atmosphere is in the games. It’s not fun just sitting there in the stands.”

Wall’s increased intensity already was evident, as he led a five-on-five scrimmage on Verizon Center’s practice court Monday. Players and coaches still are unable to interact until training camp begins Dec. 9, so trainer Joe Connelly was running the practice.

But Wall was running the show.

Joining Wall were rookie teammates Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack, along with Andray Blatche, Hamady Ndiaye and Larry Owens. Trevor Booker also showed up to watch and be treated for a bruised right quadricep he suffered playing in Israel.

The Wizards were 23-59 in 2010-11; a season Wall said he knew was going to be difficult. This year, he’s expecting many changes, from himself and his teammates.

“I knew it was going to be hard because most of those guys [are] veterans,” Wall said of his opponents at the point guard spot. “They knew what to do and how to play the game, and when you’re a rookie, they’re especially going to attack you. They want to see if you belong here. I knew what to expect. They just played better at times, and they knew the game better than me.”

Like coach Flip Saunders, Wall says he’s expecting the same maturity and focus from his teammates that he demands from himself. The comments were specifically directed at Nick Young and JaVale McGee, whose YouTube cinnamon challenge video caused Saunders to state “that doesn’t cut it,” during his news conference Friday.

“I don’t know what they got going on,” Wall said of Young and McGee. “They got their own little stories, and their own little movies and they rap sometimes during the season. Basically, as long as they’re being serious and doing the right things and not playing around when its game time or when we’re having a meeting or on the road, anything like that, that’s all I can really focus on.”

But Young’s presence on the team this season still is in question. Young is a restricted free agent, and Wall said he’s hoping the Wizards will bring him back.

“I think it’s important [to re-sign Young],” Wall said. “He’s somebody that can score the ball. Him and Jordan [Crawford] can do both the same thing, scoring, but whoever is coming off the bench or whoever is starting, you still need firepower off the bench that can be a big- time scorer for you, and that’s something that Nick brings.”

Wall predicted all summer that the lockout would end, and the season would start in January. He wasn’t far off.

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