[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. 1, Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers; contributors: Adam McGinnnis, Rashad Mobley, and Kyle Weidie.]

How do you like your John Wall?… With glasses? Read more »

UPDATE on John Wall…

He still has two legs. Here, on Monday afternoon, he performs a dribbling drill with assistant coach Ryan Saunders. This is a John Wall update, in GIF form.

UPDATE on Kevin Seraphin…

He didn’t practice on Monday with that strained right calf muscle of his. A return is indeterminate according to head coach Randy Wittman.

“That’s one of those things that can continue to make great strides in a day or two, but then it could be a week, it could be two,” said the coach. “It’s one of those things — calf, hamstring, any kind of muscle injury — you just don’t know until it runs it course.”

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Two weeks ago, John Wall and the Wizards jointly announced that the third-year point guard would miss around eight weeks with a stress injury to his left patella. The resulting ”sky is falling” sentiment divided into two groups. There was the “Curse of Lez  Boulez” camp who fully expect the Wizards to start the season with a 9-20 record, followed by season-ending injuries, bad trades and a missed playoff berth, because that’s basically been the norm the past 30 or so years (the Eddie Jordan years and 1997′s ‘we-beat-the-Chicago-Bulls-in-the-first-round’ year being the only exception). The other group of disappointed people are still feeling the effects of the Gilbert Arenas injury (those effects range from contract extensions while hurt, to the criticisms of the Wizards’ training staff, to the eventual blowing up of that playoff roster) which was the catalyst for a slide from playoff relevance to lottery dependence.

Fortunately for Ted Leonsis and Randy Wittman, this current Wizards roster is neither burdened nor bogged down by the franchise’s previous chapters/history. With Wall’s injury, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin are the longest tenured Wizards on the roster (Cartier Martin played for the Wizards during the 2009-10 season, but has not been on the team consistently). The Wizards have players like Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, who just arrived to the team via trade over the summer, and Martell Webster, who witnessed career-threatening injuries to Greg Oden and Brandon Roy while in Portland. Then there are players like Bradley Beal, Jordan Crawford and Shelvin Mack, who will have the opportunity to shine in Wall’s absence and aim to enhance the Wizards’ offense upon Wall’s eventual return. And finally there’s Nene, who is currently battling plantar faciities, but, according to Nene himself and Ernie Grunfeld, will be ready on opening night against the Cavaliers. That’s important, as Nene led a  mini-Wizards resurgence toward the end of last season. This Wizards roster can actually claim the “New Beginnings” mantra without drawing the cynical ire of bloggers and writers alike.

Wall’s injury and extended absence come at a crucial time in the development of this young Wizards franchise. The Wizards finished the season on a six-game winning streak, which was part of the reason Coach Randy Wittman was brought back for a full season. Ted Leonsis is on record as saying the playoffs should be on the radar, and that the lottery is not acceptable. (Leonsis recently tempered those expectations by saying it would be “unacceptable” to finish the season with one of the four worst records in the NBA.) And with maturity-challenged players like Andray Blatche, Nick Young and JaVale McGee no longer around to serve as go-to scapegoats, this was supposed to be the year the Wizards took the proverbial next step—a step that was predicated upon a full, healthy season of John Wall.

If the young players like Beal and Crawford fail to step up; if veteran players like Nene, Ariza and Okafor fail to lead; and if second-year players like Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely fail to improve, the grandiose hopes and plans of this team will disappear, and the lottery could very well be the Wizards’ destiny yet again. Not to mention, there could be more ugly losses like the Wizards’ first preseason loss against the Charlotte Bobcats. (As Kyle Weidie points out, there were plenty of injured Wizards unable to play, but plenty of disturbing trends, too.) Read more »

From a previous time when John Wall was sad. He’s probably pretty sad now, too.

During his press conference on Wednesday, Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman spoke about some of the “bumps and bruises” his team was experiencing leading up to training camp.

Of course there was mention of Nene’s plantar fasciitis and how the team would be cautious with the 30-year-old. Wittman also said that Emeka Okafor dislocated a finger just that day. “He’s fine… pops back in. Your finger joints happen all the time, I’m lucky I got straight fingers,” he said, also mentioning that Okafor’s knee had been at 100 percent since the Wizards traded for him. In addition, Wittman mentioned that Trevor Booker was healthy and ready to go.

Finally, Wittman said that John Wall was experiencing some bursitis, but he didn’t seem highly concerned about it Then, on Friday afternoon, the bombshell. Per team press release: Read more »

THE DEFINITION OF COOLIN

–>> An inner dialogue of John Wall in pixel form*

Hey you…

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[ShareBullets: links, thoughts, randomness, shares, Washington Bullets...]

John Wall turned 22-years old on Thursday, September 6. Kevin Willis turned 50 on Thursday, too. (Could’ve sworn he was 60 … he was still playing in the NBA less than 2,000 days ago.) Who else celebrated a birthday on September 6? None other than Pippa Middleton, Foxy Brown (the rapper), Jeff Foxworthy (the redneck), Rosie Perez, and Idris Elba (Stringer Bell from The Wire). Now let’s check out some John Wall birthday club fliers — Wall surely won’t become the next “Party All Dray,” right? (H/T DC Sports Nexus)

First, there’s New York…

And then Miami, where there will be girls holding boobs, clearly…

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ShareBullets: Links, Web, Randomness…

Who says child prodigies have no time to grow up, to be young?

… John Wall seems to be doing just fine.

Just like during last year’s NBA lockout summer, Wall this summer has made his way around the land like a Tribe Called Quest song. Instead of a mic, it’s a basketball… but he’s still having all the fun that a world tour can provide.

From NOC, there’s John Wall’s breakout story, set at a 2007 camp sponsored by Reebok where college coaches try to find breakout stories; Wall’s breakout happened in Philadelphia. One thing that’s clear about Wall, which is reflected in his passion for basketball, is how the tough times he faced as a kid are clearly reflected in his professional maturity.

Maybe you’ve already seen the 15-minute NOC feature that shows some old footage of Wall with coverage of today’s prospects at this year’s Reebok camp. Featured is Baltimore’s Aquille Carr, who is facing some tough times himself this summer (the prodigy nicknamed the “Crimestopper” was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting the mother of his child).

The key (to the summer) is exposure, as North Carolina coach Larry Brown says in the video; Oh, it’s also about the hair.

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ShareBullets … news, randomness and tidbits from around the web. These involve current Wizards, ShareBullets on past Wizards/Bullets to come…

> John Wall’s New Reebok Zigs

So a sneak peak at Wall’s new Reeboks is out, via Sole Collector. What do you think? (Poll below.) FWIW, in the poll on Sole Collector, which has many, many options, 26-percent currently say that they are “hideous.”

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Kobe and Nash will make a great duo. That’s what the numbers say anyway.

Nash had the highest assist percentage in the NBA (53.1) and made the most passes to spot-up shooters (389) in the pick-and-roll last season. More often than not, 62 percent of the time, Nash passed the rock in the two-man game, and his Phoenix Suns teammates shot 51 percent on those passes.

“With Nash taking over primary ballhandling duties and Kobe handling the ball less, expect the Lakers to get more open shots and shoot the ball at a higher percentage, including Kobe,” wrote Ryan Feldman and Rachel Eldridge of ESPN Stats & Info. “Kobe doesn’t get open very often, but when he does he’s a highly efficient shooter. If Nash is able to get open shots for Kobe, expect the Lakers to be a strong contender.”

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Having just arrived back in Las Vegas where he trained with Team USA from July 6-11, after spending some time in Philly for a Red Bull event, John Wall and his thick-framed glasses (with lenses) took time to chat with the media about:

• his time with the Team USA Select team (“Sometimes it felt like we was on a J.V. team,” John said.);
• his thoughts on the Wizards making moves to get veterans (he likes Trevor Ariza’s championship ring);
• his observations on Bradley Beal (“He don’t play like he’s 19.”);
• what he’s seen from Jan Vesely’s improved jumper (Wall will be glad that the team won’t have to yell at Vesely to shoot the ball.);
• and what else the Wizards need to do to make a push for playoffs (“Get better.”).

Let’s watch…

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