Wizards Preseason 2012: Washington finalizes 15-man regular season roster

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Wizards vs. Spurs final score: Washington drops preseason finale in San Antonio, 100-85

The Washington Wizards were outscored by 18 points in the second half, as a three point Washington lead at haltime turned into a 100-85 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs to close out the preseason.

A caveat to the result is that Washington rested several key players in advance of the season opener. John Wall, Nene, Emeka Ofakor, Kevin Seraphin, Jannero Pargo and Trevor Ariza were the six Wizard players who never left the bench. Manu Ginobili was the only regular sitting out for the Spurs.

A.J. Price and Jan Vesely scored 13 points each to lead Washington. Earl Barron added a double double with 12 points and ten rebounds, while Jordan Crawford added 11, but on a woeful 4-12 shooting. Trevor Booker had a nice all around game with ten points, five rebounds, and three assists in 20 minutes. Rookie Bradley Beal was held scoreless in 19 minutes of action. As a team, the Wizards only shot 37%.

San Antonio had six players score in double figures, with Tim Duncan netting 16 points and 13 rebounds. Stephen Jackson also added 16, while Tony Parker added 14.

Washington finishes the preseason with a record of 3-4. They open the preseason on Tuesday night against the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

NBA Preseason 2012: Wizards vs. Spurs game time, preview and more

The Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs wrap up their respective preseason schedules against one another Friday night.

Washington, winners of two-straight, defeated the Miami Heat on Wednesday, 101-94. Guard Martell Webster had a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, tying for the game-high with Dwyane Wade.

The Spurs, on the other hand, haven't played since Sunday, when they lost to the Orlando Magic, 104-100. With 13 points, Danny Green led a balanced scoring attack for San Antonio, as four other players hit double figures in scoring.

The Wizards open their regular season campaign Tuesday, Oct. 30, on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while San Antonio begins the 2012-13 season Wednesday, Oct. 31, in New Orleans against top pick Anthony Davis and the Hornets.

Tipoff at the At&t Center in San Antonio is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on CSNB.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

NBA Preseason 2012: Wizards vs. Heat game time, preview and more

The Washington Wizards take on the Miami Heat in Kansas City, Mo. on Wednesday in their sixth preseason game.

The Wizards are 2-4 on the preseason and coming off a 102-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Against the Bucks, Trevor Booker starred for the Wizards, scoring 22 points and adding seven rebounds in 22 minutes of play. It was the second consecutive game in which Booker led the team in scoring. The Wizards also got a strong performance from A.J. Price (17 points and 11 assists), who is battling Shelvin Mack for starting point guard duties until John Wall returns from his knee injury which will keep him out the first month of the season.

The Wizards take on the defending champion Heat, who in addition to their star-studded roster from last season added sharpshooter Ray Allen. The Wizards beat the Heat twice last season in late April, but LeBron James and Chris Bosh both did not play in either game, and Dwyane Wade played a total of three minutes.

Tip off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

NBA preseason 2012: Wizards vs. Bucks score update - Washington leads Milwaukee 54-48 at half

The Washington Wizards have looked sharp so far in their fifth game of the preseason, and are currently leading the Milwaukee Bucks 54-48 at halftime. Trevor Booker has looked impressive so far, leading all Wizards players with 18 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Booker also collected six rebounds, a steal and an assist in the first half. Shooting guard Jordan Crawford is the only other Wizards player in double digits, coming off the bench to score 13 points in just ten minutes of playing time. Crawford has been efficient so far, shooting 5-8 from the floor and 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Washington has played strong defense as well, holding all Milwaukee players in single digits during the first two quarters. Brandon Jennings, Mike Dunleavy and Beno Udrih each have 7 points. The Bucks as a team are shooting 36.7% from the floor, compared to the Wizards' 53.5% shooting percentage. Milwaukee is staying in the game thanks to the charity stripe; they have shot 10-12 from the free throw line while Washington has made 4 of their 5 free throws.

• 8 months ago
• Article
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Capitals broadcaster John Walton to fill in on Wizards radio broadcast

Capitals radio voice John Walton will fill in for Dave Johnson on the Wizards/Bucks radio broadcast Saturday.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Nene, Kevin Seraphin slowly recovering from injuries

The Washington Wizards are waiting for Nene Hilario and Kevin Seraphin to return from injury, hoping they won't miss any regular season games.

According to the Washington Post, the Wizards are very optimistic that both big men will be ready to go in a few weeks when the contests start to count.

Nene is working his way back from a plantar fasciitis in his left foot, something the 6'10 Brazilian has been dealing with all summer. Head coach Randy Wittman has seen progress in Nene's recovery.

"He’s going to be able to maybe start getting some shots up and get on the floor a little bit in that manner," Wittman said. "So, it was a positive report."

As for Seraphin, the forward was injured last week against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he strained his calf. Wittman doesn't expect the ailment to have any long-term effects.

"He’s better," Whitman said. "He’s able to get up on and walk on it now. Whereas yesterday he wasn’t able to, so that’s a great sign. He’s still probably going to be a little bit of a ways away, but if he keeps making these strides, we’ll see."

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Kevin Seraphin out of Monday's preseason game with calf injury

The Washington Wizards have to deal with yet another injury going into Monday's preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets -- the first NBA game in the new Barclays Center. Forward Kevin Seraphin suffered a a strained right calf in Saturday night's win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kevin Seraphin didn't practice & has been ruled out vs BKN after suffering strained right calf in #wizards win over CLE

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) October 14, 2012

Seraphin averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season, just his second year in the NBA. After Saturday's game, Seraphin was seen leaving the arena in a walking boot, but said he figured he'd be ok.

"We will look. I can put my feet on the floor and that doesn't feel very bad," Seraphin said, courtesy of the Washington Post. "But I'm going to be all right. Everything is in the mind."

That's about as optimistic as you'd want a third-year player to be. But injuries are sort of taboo for the Wizards right now. There's the obvious of John Wall out with a stress fracture. Nene has been sidelined with plantar fasciitis, and Emeka Okafor has battled injuries as well.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Trevor Ariza slowly adjusting to his new team

It could take some getting used to for Trevor Ariza in Washington DC. So far, the adjustment has been somewhat of a struggle for the most experienced and accomplished small forward on the Wizards roster. Ariza started in the first two preseason games for the Wizards, but with uninspired performances, he was recently benched for Martell Webster.

Ariza still ended up playing more minutes than Webster in Saturday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but both players finished with seven points on the night. Ariza has been seen giving up open shots to dish it to teammates with a worse look. There were some forced jumpers that he should have passed on, and Ariza had six turnovers in his debut against Charlotte. He was even called for traveling twice, and missed 12 of 15 total shots against the Bobcats and New York.

It's been a long road for Ariza since the glory day with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won an NBA Championship in 2009. Now, with the Wizards facing so much misfortune with injuries and inconsistencies, the eight-year veteran is going to have to make adjustments to solidify a new role.

This was Ariza in a Washington Post article:

"It's definitely tough that it hasn't been so fluid," Ariza said. "I want to play good. I want to win, but good thing it is the preseason and we have time to work out the kinks, but we still want to play good throughout those situations."

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Wizards vs. Cavaliers: Washington holds off Cleveland, wins 99-95

The Washington Wizards won their first preseason game of 2012, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-95 at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night.

Washington trailed by eight after the first quarter but stormed back thanks to strong performances from both starters and role players.

Brian Cook and Jordan Crawford each contributed with 14 points, while Crawford also kicked in seven rebounds from the backcourt. Shavlik Randolph did a nice job off the bench, nabbing nine rebounds and handing out four assists.

Jan Vesely was superb in his 32 minutes, racking up 13 points, five rebounds and two assists while going 5-of-5 from the field. Bradley Beal poured in 14 points and added four rebounds along with three helpers.

Unfortunately, there was a minor bit of bad news on the night with a pair of injuries. Chris Singleton was held out of the game with a shoulder contusion, while Kevin Seraphin came out with a strained right calf in the first half and didn't return.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Chris Singleton, Kevin Seraphin join growing list of injured Wizards

The Washington Wizards suffered a few more injuries on Saturday night, with forwards Chris Singleton and Kevin Seraphin going down.

According to the official team twitter, Singleton is missing Saturday's tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena with a right shoulder contusion. For now, there's no timetable on when Singleton will return to action.

Singleton showed some promise in his rookie campaign last year, averaging 4.6 points per game and earning 51 starts.

Unfortunately for Washington, it also watched Seraphin leave the game with what's being deemed a strained right calf, per Michael Lee. The third-year man is currently questionable to return.

It's been a rough offseason for the Wizards, who have already seen their star point guard John Wall succumb to a stress injury in his left knee. If his recovery goes according to plan, Wall will only miss the first couple weeks of the regular season.

The 2012-13 Wizards season starts Oct. 30 on the road against the Cavaliers.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

New Wizards guard Martell Webster making strong early impression

Washington Wizards guard Martell Webster has impressed head coach Randy Wittman through the first two preseason games. Webster, who was acquired via free agency over the summer, has averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game so far with the Wizards.

Wittman, who is beginning his first full season as the Wizards' coach, likes what the eight-year veteran has brought to the team, as he told the Washington Post's Michael Lee:

"He gives us shooting, spacing on the floor. I think he’s gone and he’s tried to rebound the ball for us, help us on the boards some. All our bigs are missing in action right now so we’re piece-mealing some things. He has good size, and he’s given us a good spark off the bench."

Webster has spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he matched his career points per game average of 8.4. Before that, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers for five seasons. Webster's best NBA season came in 2007-08, when he scored 10.7 points and pulled down four rebounds per game.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Wizards vs. Cavaliers: Game time, preview and more

The Washington Wizards (0-2) look to notch their first preseason win of the 2012 season on Saturday, when they head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers (2-1).

Washington will look for another strong performance from rookie Bradley Beal. Beal played 26 minutes off the bench during Washington's 108-101 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday, and scored 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Martell Webster is planning on another strong performance on Saturday. Webster was 3-of-4 from three point range on Thursday, en route to scoring 12 points in 27 minutes. Webster also pulled down 10 rebounds in the loss.

Former UConn superstar Emeka Okafor will miss Saturday's game. Okafor is still dealing with food poisoning, and has reportedly already lost 12 pounds because of the illness.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from the Quicken Loans Arena. The game will be broadcast on local Cleveland radio, on WTAM 1100 AM.

• 9 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Wizards training camp: Ernie Grunfeld says team will be 'very cautious' with Nene

The Washington Wizards plan to be cautious with forward Nene when training camp starts Oct. 5, general manager Ernie Grunfeld said Tuesday at the team's media day. Grunfeld said the Wizards don't expect Nene to be ready for two-a-days when training camp opens, and the plan is to slowly work the Brazil native back as he recovers from plantar fasciitis that he aggravated during the 2012 Olympics.

The 6'11, 250-pound forward is expected to be ready before the regular season, but because of his history with the injury, Washington is willing to be wait until he's completely healed.

In March, the Wizards acquired Nene in a three-way trade involving the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. In just 11 regular-season games with Washington, Nene started six of them, averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Entering the 2012-13 season, Nene is expected to be one of the top two players on the Wizards' roster.

For more on the Wizards, visit the SB Nation blog Bullets Forever.