[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 40, Washington Wizards at Utah Jazz; contributors: Rashad Mobley , Adam McGinnis and Adam Rubin from behind the television screen. The title of this post references a Band of Horses song, "The Great Salt Lake."]

Jamaal Tinsley Dribble Show Read more »

John Wall was waiting to grab a rebound during warmups before Washington’s game versus Orlando, and his face instantly lit up when he recognized Jay-Z’s voice over the loud speakers:  ”Aw man, it is Big Pimpin’ Baby.”

Wall continued to sing verses of the Jay-Z hit single as he filed through the layup line, enticing smiles out of his teammates. John Wall was back where he wanted to be, and the mood of the team was noticeably lifted. This was a different scene than that of the Nick Young/JaVale McGee/Andray Blatche era, where jacking around reigned supreme in warm-ups and a level of seriousness never materialized when it mattered. Wall was chatting up Bradley Beal non-stop and the rookie could not contain his laughter. The future franchise core tossed each other alley-oops—Wall struggled converting some dunks on his “jiggly legs.” Jan Vesely and Kevin Seraphin followed Wall’s lead with impressive slams of their own. Later during warmups, Wall started playing around with Kevin Seraphin on the left wing, shaking the big man with a crossover. Both cracked up. Wall mocked Seraphin’s inability to stay on his feet.

Wall’s engaging personality is often hidden in the button-downed, risk-averse image he presents in media interviews. Spend any time around Wall and you see the happy-go-lucky attitude is real and genuine. He appears to know every elite basketball player and partakes in many pregame pleasantries with opponents. The Orlando game was no different, as he greeted Magic reserve guard Ish Smith at half court—both hail from North Carolina, and likely know each other from the hoop circuit in the Tar Heel state. As the national anthem approached, Wall’s roommate and best friend, Tyrone (Ty)  Williams, came over for their pre-game conversation ritual.

Williams grew up with the dynamic point guard in Raleigh and, although not blood related, Wall call’s him his “brother.” Ty attends almost every home game and sits near the floor. Through Wall’s infamous club appearances (which certain bloggers passive aggressively concern troll), trouble and off-the-court drama has never surfaced in any capacity. This might seem trivial and not worthy of praise, but being a young, rich NBA player makes you a target when you are just doing a simple activity like being out socializing with your circle of friends. This can be difficult waters for famous hoopers to navigate in a world full of hanger-ons and distractions. Williams deserves credit for keeping Wall away from any negative publicity or troublesome situations. (If only Arenas and Blatche had similar peeps.)

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 35, Washington Wizards vs Orlando Magic; contributors: Adam McGinnis and John Converse Townsend from the Phone Booth, with Rashad Mobley taking in the TV feed.]

OH, SNAP! Read more »

When season recap of the 2012-13 Oklahoma City Thunder is pixeled, their 101-99 loss to Washington Wizards will stand out like a RG3 jersey in Dallas, or me drinking an O’Doul’s. The “worst beating first” result was improbable, but it was memorable because of its strange quirks.

Washington often gets buried by poor beginnings, but this time they raced out to a strong start with 30 points in the first quarter. And a devastating scoring drought (like the seven-minute stretch that cemented the Jan. 9 loss to Miami, ugh) never materialized.

Jan Vesely actually did positive stuff on the basketball court, finishing with 10 points. Honza had gone weeks without totaling that output, and get this: he only had two fouls. Emeka Okafor showed himself to be a rim protector with a gigantic rejection of a Kevin Durant slam attempt. Garrett Temple scored some huge offensive put-backs in the paint.

Serge Ibaka — OKC’s big man — was their best offensive player, pouring in a career-high 26 points; Ibaka even drilled a 3-pointer at first half buzzer. And Wizards, finally, inexplicably to followers of this squad, did not fold in crunch time, highlighted by Bradley Beal’s smooth, one-handed, game-winning dagger.

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 33, Washington Wizards vs. Oklahoma City Thunder; contributors: Adam McGinnis and Rashad Mobley from the Verizon Center and John Converse Townsend from the couch (instant replays, yo!).]

DAGGER!

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It was the sight that all Washington Wizards fans had been waiting for since 2012 draft night: John Wall and Bradley Beal on the Verizon Center court together playing hoops. Granted, it was just Beal and Wall partaking in individual warm-ups before the Wizards tipped-off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But after the doldrums this team has been through this season, it was a refreshing sight nonetheless.

Wall was in an jovial mood, joking with most everyone around him. Assistant Coach Sam Cassell joined the backcourt duo for a series of drills. Wall went full speed and showed no signs of being slowed by his knee injury. The real news broke when a young fan watching courtside asked Wall when he was going to be playing again. Wall responded to the youngster, “Saturday.”

We know a couple things about Wall’s return. During Comcast’s broadcast of last Friday’s game versus the Brooklyn Nets, Steve Buckhantz said that Wall indicated he wanted to come back in next “week or two.” The next day, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix also reported, via “sources,” that Wall would make his debut “within the next two weeks.” Today, A.J. Price returned from a fractured hand and the Wizards waived point guard Shelvin Mack. After facing the Thunder, Washington will have four days off before hosting the Atlanta Hawks… on Saturday.

For those still depressed over RG3 and the Redskins, Wall’s return to the basketball court could be a sliver of hope. We will see….

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 31, Washington Wizards vs. Brooklyn Nets in D.C.; contributor: Rashad Mobley on the scene, with Adam McGinnis and John Converse Townsend from behind the television screen.]

Don’t Do Us Like That, Joe. Read more »

[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 23, Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic; contributors: Adam McGinnis, John Converse Townsend and Kyle Weidie from behind the T.V.]

A Pre-Broken Fandom. Read more »

[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 20, Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers in D.C.; contributors: Rashad Mobley and Adam McGinnis from the Verizon Center, and Kyle Weidie from behind the T.V.]

Days Like This. Bradley Beal grimaces after a tough travelling call was made against him late in the game.

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Here to provide the DC Council Opening Statements for Washington’s 20th game of the season against the Los Angeles at the Verizon Center are TAI’s Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) and guest John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA), who writes about the NBA for blog called 62/33, and he is a big Lakers fan.

Wizards Starters (3-16):

Jordan Crawford, Bradley Beal, Martell Webster, Chris Singleton, Emeka Okafor

Lakers Starters (9-14):

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