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.

“Every body need to shut up I didn’t call out my coach or team mates I said I had a bad game need it n the post instead of jump shots,” Blatche tweeted.

Blatche wasn’t happy after the 90-84 defeat in which the Wizards blew a 21-point lead, saying afterward he wasn’t being used to the best of his abilities. He scored 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting and was called for a technical for exchanging words with Kris Humphries

“You can’t keep having me pick-and-pop and shooting jump shots,” he said in the locker room. “Give me the ball in the paint. That’s where I’m most effective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp: I need the ball in the paint. I don’t want to be the pick-and-pop guy that I used to be. It’s not working for me.”

Blatche has been known to be a bit of a wild card during his seven seasons in the Wizards locker room, but this outburst was exceptional because he had introduced himself as “your captain, Andray Blatche” to the crowd during a pregame speech — and because the team is only one game into the season, playing under the theme “New Traditions.” If this keeps up, the Wizards could somehow manage to make even a lockout-shortened season seem long.

“It’s disappointing,” coach Flip Saunders said Tuesday. “But, look, we were all disappointed.”

Saunders met with Blatche before practice to sort things out.

“We talked about what he said about as far as wanting to be in the post,” Saunders said. “And I told him, that’s something to my ears. I love hearing that. … But then he also has to understand that just because you get it at 17 feet, you don’t have to shoot it either. I’m not twisting his arm to do that.”

Saunders also clarified the captaincy situation. He said he plans to rotate captains for the time being because the team had such an abbreviated training camp. Blatche and John Wall served as captains for the first game.

“It was a situation last night, he’s been here longer than anybody else,” Saunders said. “And so we’ll rotate as far as who it’s going to be.”

Before the lockout, Saunders gave Blatche a book titled “The 17 Essential Qualities Of A Team Player.” Blatche has said he read about half of it. At media day following the lockout, owner Ted Leonsis said: “I talked to Andray, and he understands that the fan base, media are all looking to take cues on can his focus and dedication match his skills.”

Blatche did not speak to reporters Tuesday, opting to exit the court through an alternate door after practice. The closest thing to a captain-like comment came from rookie Chris Singleton, who already doesn’t care for the taste of NBA losing despite having experienced it only once.

“I don’t want it to be a recurring thing,” Singleton said. “I want to change this culture, and there’s too much losing the last couple of years. Some people might just like that. I’m not used to it, and I’m not trying to get used to it.”

___

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

Sophomore guard John Wall brings an element of excitement and intrigue to the Wizards that they desperately needed. The belief is that he is going to carry them to prominence, regardless of what is put around him. Luckily for Wall, there are a lot of serviceable players on the roster right now including some young guys who have the potential to improve significantly just like him. If Jordan Crawford and Jan Vesely blow up, this Wizards team could make a run for one of the final playoff spots out East. However, it’s more likely that they take some lumps during 2011-2012 and help the Wizards out in a much bigger way come next year. Still, this team is on the rise with some good things going for them.

4th Place, Southeast Division

- Yannis Koutroupis

---

 

The Wizards definitely have some nice young pieces, and they’ll be looking for more from Rashard Lewis this season. Still, for them to be markedly better they’re going to need players like John Wall, Nick Young, Jordan Crawford and Andre Blatche to take the next step . . .and maybe even a couple after that. The future looks bright for the Wizards, but the future is still at least a season or two away.

4th Place – Southeast Division

- Bill Ingram

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John Wall is very, very fun to watch, and this looks like the year when everybody really is forced to commit Nick Young’s name to memory, but they didn’t amnesty Rashard Lewis for some reason, and the heart of players like Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, despite their talent, is still a concern. There are some really good rookies in place here—Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack—but the success of this team will come at the same pace of Wall’s development. He’s perhaps the most promising of the up-and-coming point guards, and he’ll need to step up for his team to make any kind of mark this season. I see that being a struggle, no matter how good Wall is.

4th Place, Southeast Division

- Joel Brigham

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The Washington Wizards won’t win a lot of games but the team’s flashy backcourt trio of John Wall, Nick Young and Jordan Crawford will create plenty of havoc for opposing teams all season long. The team will rely on veteran forward Rashard Lewis to serve as leader on and off the court as the young core learns on the fly. Wall entered training camp saying he now knows what it takes to win in the league after a strong rookie campaign. But there’s a difference between knowing what to do as opposed to getting your teammates to do what’s needed. The 2012 season will be one of growth for the Wizards and another year of gaining experience for Washington’s youth movement.

4th Place, Southeast Division

- Lang Greene

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Few players were as active during the lockout as John Wall. The 21-year-old worked out every day and played pick-up games across the country. If he’s able to take his game to the next level this season, the Wizards could surprise some people. Wall gathered his teammates in Las Vegas and had them compete in Impact Basketball’s lockout league, which could give them an edge over other teams after the condensed offseason and preseason. Washington likely won’t compete for a playoff spot with so many talented teams in the East, but they will show improvement and take a step in the right direction.

4th Place, Southeast Division

- Alex Kennedy

Before training camp began less than three weeks, the three keys involved whether John Wall is ready to have a breakout season, the ability of Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee to be more consistent, and if Flip Saunders can help this young roster reach its full potential.

Those concerns remain as the 66-game season tips off at 7 p.m., but here are three more keys to the campaign based on the developments of the past few weeks.

1. Who will emerge as the go-to guy?

I’ll do it if nobody else wants it.
(Nick Wass – AP)
After the Wizards lost to Philadelphia in their preseason finale last week, Wall mentioned that players weren’t clear on their roles within the offense, and Coach Flip Saunders added that the team had 15 players who all felt they were the first option. Nick Young led the Wizards in scoring last season, Andray Blatche was the focal point of the offense in the months before Wall was drafted, and Wall is the team’s best player and is determined to make the all-star team. Wall will have the ball the most in Saunders’s point-guard-centric offense, but will he be satisfied at simply being a set-up guy? Young missed all of training camp and will have to earn back his spot in the starting lineup, and Blatche led the team in scoring during the preseason. The pecking order will likely be set over the next few weeks.

2. Which rookie will have the greatest influence on the team?

I can do more than defend.
(Nick Wass – AP)
Jan Vesely is opening the season on the shelf with a hip injury sustained during training camp, creating an opening for Chris Singleton or Shelvin Mack to have to a more immediate impact among the rookies. Singleton already has an established role as an energetic defensive stopper and will get some playing time with his ability to play both forward positions and defend every spot between point guard and power forward. Mack also has a defined role at backup point guard for Wall, but the Wizards may not have many minutes available at that slot with Jordan Crawford also expected to get time with ball-handling and playmaking duties. Vesely should provide some highlight dunks and energy plays when he’s healthy again, but he could emerge as more of a luxury than necessity in his first season.

3. Will youth work as an advantage or disadvantage during shortened season?

I can run all week.
(H. Rumph Jr – AP)
The Wizards will have enough young legs to contend with a grueling, jam-packed season that will feature two sets of three games in three nights in the final two months and 16 back-to-back games overall. Though the team brought back much of its roster from the previous season, the intensity of the games will require more than just energy and enthusiasm. With few days available for practice, players will have to rely on instincts and knowledge in critical situations. That could work at a disadvantage for a team that struggled in close games last season and will have little time to correct mistakes in just shootarounds. But depth and a roster that has seven players age 23 or younger could allow them to sneak in a few wins.

“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

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“They wanted to get rid of it, and I said, ‘No.’ That’s the goal,” Wall explained, his rat-a-tat patter off the court as swift as his play is on it. “I don’t touch it, though. I don’t want to touch one ‘til I win one.”

Even Wall would concede that isn’t happening this season for the Wizards, who are coming off a 23-59 record and last-place finish in the Southeast Division. They are in the early stages of rebuilding a roster that used to revolve around All-Stars Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Jamison, but now is based on Wall.

“We can sneak up on some people this year, because we’re smarter, and I’m smarter, and learning how to close out games and doing whatever it takes to win down the stretch,” Wall said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And next year, for sure, we’re going to be a team that can surprise a lot of people.”

It’s clear to everyone that Wall is going to be the player that leads the Wizards, wherever they go.

President Ernie Grunfeld and coach Flip Saunders, meanwhile, are holding out hope that players such as power forward Andray Blatche and center JaVale McGee can fulfill the promise each has demonstrated occasionally.

Blatche, in particular, regularly finds himself defending his effort, which is why he announced at the team’s media day: “I told my teammates, ‘I’m going to give y’all 100 percent every game. I’m going to die for this.’ Whatever we do, we’ve got to change this whole atmosphere from losing, and people used to us losing, to winning.”

At 25, he’s older than nine other players expected to be on the roster when Washington opens its regular season next Monday.

Such youth prompted owner Ted Leonsis to use variations on the word “build” more than a dozen times during a recent half-hour news conference. As in: “I’ve been unabashed on what we’re doing. I hope I’ve been honest and transparent, that we were rebuilding the team.”

It all starts with Wall.

Despite dealing with injuries to his right knee and left foot, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists (tied for sixth in the NBA) and 4.6 rebounds last season, finishing second to Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers in voting for rookie of the year.

“He has such speed and quickness in the open court that you’ve got to get back and proverbially build a wall against Wall, so he’s seeing bodies,” Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “He’d be the equivalent to a guy who sees cracks as a running back who’s got great vision. If you don’t close those down, when he starts running downhill, he puts all sorts of pressure on your team.”

The first time these two met in the first preseason game, the Philadelphia 76ers made quick work of the Washington Wizards defeating them 103-78 Friday night in Washington D.C.

What we looked for, and learned about this team was that they’re cohesive, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner are poised to take their next steps, and that the Sixers may have trouble defensively in the paint.

So what do we use this second game for?

Counter-adjusting

Well, being that we’ve played the Wizards only four days ago and embarrassed them, this will be a great test for the Sixers to go out and see how they’ll respond to a team who doesn’t want to go down twice the same way.

I know, it’s only preseason—but the Wizards were embarrassed, for sure.

“They were doing anything they want out there.” Wizards guard John Wall said to the press afterwards.

Despite popular belief, the Wizards do have some weapons on their team in JaVale Magee, Rashard Lewis, and John Wall, and certainly they will have made adjustments to try to make a statement in return. We’ll see what the Sixers have in a situation like this.

Defensively in the paint

The next thing we should look for are the big men’s downlow play. I have a sneaking suspicion Marreese Speights is going to get more playing time this game to see what kind of big man play we can get out of him.

Nikola Vucevic’s first game was a ‘put-your-foot-in-the-water’ game. I’m sure the coaches went over some things with him since. There were several rookie mistakes he made.

Andre Iguodala

The third thing I will be looking for is Andre Iguodala to utilize his less-shooting role better, and hit his shots. The theory is supposed to be that: if players like Louis Williams, Jodie Meeks, Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday are to be enough to score a lot of points for the Sixers, Iguodala shouldn’t have to take as many shots. That theory ideally should increase not only his offensive effectiveness, but his strength as a game manager and leader.

I want to see the ball in Evan Turner’s hand more.

That’s what I’m looking for, we’ll regroup back here within the hour after the game.

The Sixers vs the Wizards at 7:00 p.m. EST in Philadelphia, Pa.

Vincent Heck is a life-long resident of the Philadelphia area, and a featured ‘Fan View’ blogger on Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @HeckPhilly

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The Washington Wizards have officially re-signed Nick Young, according to a press release sent out by the team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but according to sources, it is for the one-year qualifying offer for just under $4 million.

“Nick is a very good scorer who has continually developed and shown steady improvement over his four years with us,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “His size, shooting ability and athleticism allow him to get his own shot and compliment our other backcourt players, making him a valuable part of our young core.”

Young led the Wizards in scoring last season with a career-high 17.4 points over 64 games. He scored a career-high 43 points on Jan. 11 vs. Sacramento and posted the second-highest scoring increase in the NBA from 2009-10 to 2010-11 (8.6 ppg – 17.4 ppg) behind Golden State’s Dorell Wright.

Young returns to pair with John Wall and form one of the more explosive backcourt pairings in the league. Having him back in the fold takes a lot of pressure of Wall and frees up enough space to operate freely. The contract is also short enough that Young will be given the chance to duplicate his performance from last year and earn the long-term contract he covets.

Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders didn’t mince words when it came to the 103-78 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers during his team’s preseason home opener at Verizon Center on Friday night.

“I was disappointed with our main guys. They got their [butts] kicked out there,” Saunders said. “For how hard we played in practice, how hard we competed, that didn’t translate over, and that’s the one thing I was waiting to see.”

The Wizards lost by 25 points, and the game wasn’t even that close. The 76ers pulled out to a 40-point lead early in the third quarter, at which point Saunders called a timeout and replaced all five of his starters.

“I was tired of looking at that [expletive],” Saunders said. “It’s not about individuals, it’s a team game. It’s not the five best players, its the five best players that play the best together, not the five most talented players. The message to those guys: If you don’t play and you’re not giving effort as a team, you’re not going to play, no matter who it is.”

Saunders was sending a clear message to his starters, who were outplayed by his second team squad, made up of Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, Shelvin Mack, Kevin Seraphin and Roger Mason Jr. The only bright spot in the game was watching Mason lead the second team during the fourth quarter. The second team scored 27 points, while holding the 76ers to 16. The highest point total by the starters was 18, in the second quarter, while giving up 25, 31 and 31 in the other three quarters.

Only Andray Blatche scored in double figures, with 18 points and four rebounds.

The most troubling line of the night belonged to John Wall — eight points on 3 of 12 shooting, with three assists and six turnovers.

“He was terrible. He was bad,” Saunders said of Wall. “He didn’t play with the same aggressiveness and passion that he played downstairs [on the practice court]. When you go into games and think about trying to get yourself going, it becomes very contagious.”

Saunders said his starters displayed a lack of trust in one another, while his backups did just the opposite; they played together.

“Our rookies all played good,” Saunders said. “That second group played hard. They don’t have a lot yet offensively, but they gave a good effort, and they were energetic and did some positive things. I thought Singleton played excellent. He was our best one-on-one defender on the floor.”

Mason, who scored eight points, called it the kind of game when you’d like to have a mulligan … only they don’t have mulligans in basketball.

“This is the type of game that should hurt, preseason or no preseason,” Mason said. “To get beat that way is unacceptable, and we’ll address it. We knew there were going to be mistakes out there, but the biggest thing we want to do was compete.

“I told the guys [referring to the second team], ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard, let’s just compete, and you have to give them credit. Those guys played hard.”

Blatche called the team’s performance nothing like what the team showed during training camp.

“There was no effort, there was no passion,” Blatche said. “It was like guys were out there just to be out there. We haven’t had over six turnovers during scrimmages over all of training camp.”

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2011 was a disappointing year across the board for Washington D.C. sports. The Capitals flamed out early in the playoffs, the Nationals finished another sub .500 NL East basement year, and the Redskins appeared to be years away from contending. Even DC United finished an abysmal season, failing to advance to the MLS playoffs. For the Washington Wizards, the outcome on paper was no different. But the hope for the future is perhaps the brightest for the Wizards than it is for any other professional athletic organization in the DC area. These 2010-2011 events hold the key to that bright future.

New Ownership

Abe Pollin was a giant. His legacy will never be replaced. But the transfer of ownership to Ted Leonsis and Monumental Sports & Entertainment in June 2010 represented a new era for the Wizards, and Leonsis has had no qualms about ushering that new era in. It all started with …

The Lucky Lottery Pick

Perhaps it was the basketball gods smiling down on the Wizards franchise after a number of years. Perhaps it was the universe equalizing bad b-ball karma. Or perhaps it was just pure luck. Either way, the winning of the first overall draft pick was the most surprising thing to happen from last season. Personally, I found out in retrospect, assuming that we would have won the 5th pick or later. It never occurred to me that we would win the 1st pick, allowing us to select …

John Wall

There was speculation even before Wall was selected (there was never any doubt that Wall would be the guy) that it meant a change of guard. The old guard was out and the winds of change were a blowing. Could Wall and Gilbert Arenas play on the same team? Even if they could, that was not a direction Leonsis wanted to go, which meant …

Trading Gilbert

Gilbert was the last member of that old guard to go. Antawn Jamison was out. So were Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson. It was only a matter of time until Gilbert was dealt as well. As a younger fan who really got into the Wizards when Gilbert and the team were at their peak, I was disappointed to see all these players go. The Big Three hadn’t been the big three for years, there were new names all over the roster and it seemed sad that this era, with all its flaws and disappointments was ending. But it was time for a new team. Which meant it was also time for …

New Uniforms

One of the most effective ways to start rebuilding is to begin with rebranding. The new red, white and blue uniforms won’t improve our players’ game. It won’t make the shots fall or calls go our way. But as a fan the most vivid memories are the ones we see, and what we see when they happen. As this team turns a page and starts a new decade it will do it in the red, white and blue of our nation’s flag. Hopefully that new decade is the one we’ve all been waiting for.

Thomas is a 21 year old college student living smack in the middle of Cavalier country, representing the Wizards as best he can.

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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.”

Read More: Tyson Chandler (C – DAL), Ronny Turiaf (C – NYK), Giorgos Printezis (F – TOR), Ahmad Nivins (PF – DAL), Andy Rautins (G – NYK), Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks

Tyson Chandler is the newest member of the New York Knicks. By the time the sign-and-trade deal reported earlier Saturday involving the Dallas Mavericks became official, it was expanded to include the Washington Wizards, who received Ronny Turiaf, a 2013 second-round pick and cash considerations from New York along with a 2012 second-round pick from Dallas.

“This is an important day for the New York Knicks,” Knicks Interim GM Glen Grunwald said in a statement released by the team. “Signing a player of Tyson’s caliber, with championship experience, to this roster, is an opportunity we could not pass up. His stellar play last season earned him league-wide recognition and helped lead his team to an NBA Championship.”

Chandler’s deal is believed to be worth $58 million over four years. He’s averaged just 8.3 points per game over his 10-year career, but he’s being paid for what he brings on the other end of the court.   

“Tyson will be the anchor to our defense,” Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The trio of Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson makes one of the most formidable frontlines in the entire league.”

The deal to send Turiaf to Washington, which New York needed to do in order to clear the cap space necessary to acquire Chandler, was originally expected to be a separate transaction. By combining the trade, the Wizards were able to acquire even more assets.

“Ronny brings us a tough, inside presence and we’re looking forward to adding his defense and tenacity to our frontline,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld in a statement released by the team. “This trade brings another solid veteran to our team along with additional assets in the form of draft picks and allows us to maintain our financial flexibility moving forward.” 

In addition to receiving Chandler, the Knicks received rights to Ahmad Nivins and Giorgos Printezis. Nivins and Printezis were second-round picks in 2009 and 2007, respectively, and have never played a single minute in the NBA. Their inclusion in this trade is simply a way to balance the books. The Mavericks received Andy Rautins from the Knicks and a 2012 protected second round pick from the Wizards.

“We just don’t have everybody in yet and everything else. Anticipating to see what’s going to happen with some of our guys we still have out there,” Saunders said. “Work in progress.”

The Wizards were still under construction — with a collection of young and inexperienced talent and an incomplete roster minus leading scorer Nick Young, who is still home in Los Angeles waiting for a contract — as they practiced for the first time on Friday night at Verizon Center.

Even after an exhausting 2¹/
₂ hour practice, the Wizards were busy making another roster adjustment as people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the team was close to acquiring veteran big man Ronny Turiaf from the New York Knicks, who are looking to create room under the salary to sign free agent Tyson Chandler. The deal isn’t expected to be finalized until Saturday, but the Wizards can absorb Turiaf’s $4.2 million salary because they are under the salary cap and aren’t expected to sacrifice any players in the deal, according to sources.

Although it wasn’t an official theme, Saunders sent the message that this season would be about hard work after practice, when he presented Wall with a white hard hat, which featured the team’s new “dc” logo, for being the hardest worker in practice. Saunders gave Wall the option of giving the hard hat to another teammate. Wall grinned, adjusted it and kept it on.

“I thought about it, but I think I played hard today, so I wanted to keep it,” Wall said afterward. “I think I worked hard. That’s the main thing, always giving ourselves on the floor, try to play hard, no matter if we’re winning or losing or in practice.”

The Wizards welcomed rookies Jan Vesely, Shelvin Mack and Chris Singleton and welcomed back veteran Roger Mason Jr., who returned for his second stint with the team after spending recent seasons with the Spurs and Knicks. They all signed shortly before the team hit the court, delaying the practice by an hour.

“It’s a little weird,” Mason said of being back on a young team after spending time with a veteran Wizards squad from 2006 to ’08. “But I’ve got [Andray Blatche] at my locker next to me so we can reminisce a little bit. It’s a new beginning. It’s a new team. We’ve got two young leaders in ’Dray and John Wall. If those guys really develop, we can have a good year.”

Restricted free agents Larry Owens and Hamady Ndiaye did not sign their qualifying offers and were unable to practice. Both are expected to sign on Saturday after the Turiaf deal is complete. To create roster space, the Wizards plan on rescinding the qualifying offer they gave to Othyus Jeffers, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament last July and isn’t expected to come back for at least another month.

The Wizards may have placed retaining Young as their priority in free agency, but he continues to wait for a better offer.

“I don’t worry about guys that I don’t have,” Saunders said. “When guys get hurt or whatever, I think what you do is you relish the guys that you have on the floor. Players know this is a business. They also know that if there’s opportunities — and either guys get hurt or guys aren’t here — they try to take advantage of those opportunities. So we’re going to continue to work with the guys that we have and hope that [the front office] can do what they have to do to try to solidify those other guys whenever that time comes.”

When asked how it felt to start training camp without Young on the floor with him, JaVale McGee said, “Definitely felt weird, but I’m sure he’ll be back.”

Blatche said he didn’t have a problem with Saunders holding back on a rallying cry for the first day. “It might be a good look for us, he’s probably trying to humble us,” he said. “Our main focus right now, man, is just winning. Just getting better, doing whatever it takes to not let what happened last year happen this year. We all on the same page. We all want to work hard and have each other’s back on the court.”

As players continue to trickle into Verizon Center before the start of Friday’s training camp, Rashard Lewis and Jordan Crawford took to the Washington Wizards‘ new practice court for the first time.

When the NBA lockout ended, it was Lewis who faced an uncertain future, and Crawford an uncertain role.

The supremely confident Crawford, who has compared himself to Michael Jordan, didn’t know if he’d be the starting two guard behind Nick Young, or if he’d be slated to come off the bench. He still doesn’t. But he knows what he’d like to do.

“I’m going to compete for the starting spot. Believe that,” Crawford said after Wednesday’s workout.

Not that Crawford doesn’t want Young back; just the opposite.

“I hope Nick comes back because we need him,” Crawford said. “But I’m going to approach training camp the same way I do in a game – attack. That’s how I am, that’s how it’s going to be.”

Crawford and John Wall have an undeniable chemistry in the Wizards‘ backcourt; it was evident after just a few games at the end of last season. But the two of them took different paths during the lockout, with Wall playing in as many summer league games as he could and Crawford avoiding the spotlight.

“I just laid low, worked on my defense and on getting stronger so I won’t have little injuries like I did last year,” Crawford said. “I’ve been really preparing myself this summer, stretching, preventing injuries. It’s going to be tough [the shortened season]. Were just going to have to grind it out.”

That 66-game grind may be a little easier on Crawford, 23, than Lewis, 32 and coming off a knee injury that bothered him last season.

“You can tell that he’s healthy, that he really wants to play,” Crawford said of Lewis. “He wants to come back and not just be here, but contribute. I’ve seen Rashard play since I was little. I know what he’s capable of.”

Lewis, whose salary is in the $20 million-per-season range, has been the talk of the league as an amnesty candidate. Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be ratified within days, a team can use the amnesty clause to release a player and wipe his salary from the cap and the luxury tax.

Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld put those rumors to rest by stating at a news conference last week that the team has no plans to amnesty Lewis.

“My main focus was, if it did happen [being amnestied], hopefully I would get picked up,” Lewis said. “I have to be ready to play, regardless of where I was playing. But they told me I would be here as a Washington Wizard, and my main focus is to get this team in the playoffs, and I think we have the young talent to do it.”

Lewis was a rookie during the 1998-99 season, the last time a lockout led to a shortened season. Knowing what to expect is something he can share with his young teammates.

“One thing I remember about the last lockout is a lot of games in a short period of time, not very much practice time,” Lewis said. “So I think this year will be more mental, that the young guys as well as myself are going to have to listen more than anything because there’s not going to be a lot of practice time.

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WASHINGTON –

Coach Flip Saunders delivered a fairly simple — and not-so-subtle — message to his young Washington Wizards: I’m watching.

Saunders knows his team, led by point guard John Wall, is stocked with players in their early 20s. Saunders also knows there will need to be some growing up done if the Wizards are going to, as Saunders put it Friday, “compete for the playoffs” this season after going 23-59 and finishing last in the Southeast Division in 2010-11.

And Saunders made clear during a news conference at the team’s arena that he was keeping an eye on his guys from afar during the offseason and the lockout, making references to a couple of episodes:

• An Internet video showing guard Nick Young — who the Wizards hope to re-sign — and center JaVale McGee engaging in something called the “Cinnamon Challenge,” in which they swallowed spoonfuls of that spice;

• Guard Jordan Crawford’s comments quoted by The Washington Post in which he said he feels as if he “can be better than Michael Jordan.”

Speaking specifically about Young and McGee, Saunders said: “The biggest thing is they’re not young players anymore. So they have to show the discipline, maturity, not only on the floor but off the floor.”

And then Saunders added: “The cinnamon — that thing doesn’t cut it.”

When he was asked about Crawford at another point, Saunders preceded a serious discussion of the player’s competitiveness and ability to play both guard spots by cracking: “Well, I didn’t know he was as good as Michael Jordan. I wasn’t sure of that. I didn’t know that. That’s one thing I didn’t know. But I did know he had a lot of confidence.”

What sort of improvements are made by Wall, Crawford, Young, McGee and Andray Blatche will go a long way toward determining how the Wizards do.

They’re not expected to make many moves to bring in new faces of significance as the truncated 66-game season approaches.

Training camp will start next Friday in Washington, and the Wizards will play preseason games at home on Dec. 16 and on the road Dec. 20 — both against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Blatche worked out informally Friday at the team’s arena with some players from other NBA teams, including Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Denver’s Ty Lawson.

Saunders needs the 25-year-old Blatche to stay healthy and to be one of his on-court leaders.

“We have eight guys (who are) 23 and under. That’s pretty young. He’s not one of those guys. He’s a veteran player. When you’ve been in the league six years, you don’t have that crutch anymore of saying, `I’m a young guy.’ He’s not,” Saunders said. “I think he understood that people look up to him, and now it’s a point where he has a responsibility not only to himself but to the team and to his contract.”

In talking about how he thinks the Wizards are capable of making a run at the playoffs, Saunders ran down a lengthy list of “ifs”: Wall — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft — and McGee must develop; Rashard Lewis must be healthy and revert to the multidimensional player he was back in Seattle; Washington needs to have more success down the stretch in close games.

Add it all up, Saunders said, and he’s “hoping that the development of your team is going to give you more, and you can put yourself in position to be a 40-win team.”

And Saunders made clear during a news conference at the team’s arena that he was keeping an eye on his guys from afar during the offseason and the lockout, making references to a couple of episodes:

—an Internet video showing guard Nick Young — who the Wizards hope to re-sign — and center JaVale McGee engaging in something called the “Cinnamon Challenge,” in which they swallowed spoonfuls of that spice;

—guard Jordan Crawford’s comments quoted by The Washington Post in which he said he feels as if he “can be better than Michael Jordan.”

Speaking specifically about Young and McGee, Saunders said: “The biggest thing is they’re not young players anymore. So they have to show the discipline, maturity, not only on the floor but off the floor.”

And then Saunders added: “The cinnamon — that thing doesn’t cut it.”

When he was asked about Crawford at another point, Saunders preceded a serious discussion of the player’s competitiveness and ability to play both guard spots by cracking: “Well, I didn’t know he was as good as Michael Jordan. I wasn’t sure of that. I didn’t know that. That’s one thing I didn’t know. But I did know he had a lot of confidence.”

What sort of improvements are made by Wall, Crawford, Young, McGee and Andray Blatche will go a long way toward determining how the Wizards do. They’re not expected to make too many moves to bring in new faces of significance as the truncated, 66-game season approaches.

Training camp will start next Friday in Washington, and the Wizards will play preseason games at home on Dec. 16 and on the road Dec. 20 — both against the Philadelphia 76ers. Blatche worked out informally Friday at the team’s arena with some players from other NBA teams, including Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Denver’s Ty Lawson.

Saunders needs the 25-year-old Blatche to stay healthy and to be one of his on-court leaders.

“We have eight guys (who are) 23 and under. That’s pretty young. He’s not one of those guys. He’s a veteran player. When you’ve been in the league six years, you don’t have that crutch anymore of saying, ‘I’m a young guy.’ He’s not,” Saunders said. “I think he understood that people look up to him and now it’s a point where he has a responsibility not only to himself but to the team and to his contract.”

In talking about how he thinks the Wizards are capable of making a run at the playoffs, Saunders ran down a lengthy list of “ifs”: Wall — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft — and McGee must develop; Rashard Lewis must be healthy and revert to the multidimensional player he was back in Seattle; Washington needs to have more success down the stretch in close games.

Add it all up, Saunders said, and he’s “hoping that the development of your team is going to give you more, and you can put yourself in position to be a 40-win team.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.