Winning NBA lottery infuses Wizards with optimism


It's been nine years since the Washington Wizards last won the NBA draft lottery, but it's a little harder to pinpoint a time when the franchise had so many options and so much opportunity and optimism. That's what a few favorable Ping-Pong balls will do for an organization that has been downtrodden more often than not in the 32 years since last winning an NBA championship.

The morning after landing the No. 1 overall pick, there were no worries about drafting the next Kwame Brown, nor were there grand expectations that the Wizards were going to be immediate playoff contenders next season with likely choice John Wall.

 Maybe John Wall is a savior after all



I've been operating under the impression that John Wall is a nice player, but not a special one, not a kid who makes you think your ship has come in because you just won the NBA draft lottery. I thought that winning the right to draft Kentucky's Wall was like winning $500 in the lottery, not the Super Duper Mega Lottery where you never have to work again a day in your life.

 Wizards prove to be nothing but pushovers

Adrian Wojnarowski

Federal prosecutors had just released a devastating 61-page do*****ent illustrating how the culture of permissiveness could crumble an NBA franchise. Gilbert Arenas(notes)  pushed to see how far the Washington Wizards would let him go, and that turned out to be all the way to a felony, all the way probably to jail.

 Josh Howard hopes to play again for Wizards

Wizards Insider  

After leading the Washington Wizards to a shocking 10-point victory over the Denver Nuggets nearly three weeks ago, Josh Howard reached into his locker room stall and picked up an all-white Washington Nationals baseball cap. Howard then explained how much he liked the curly W logo and that he had bought a few hats in different colors long before the Dallas Mavericks made him a District resident in a trade deadline deal.

 Wizards near buyout with Ilgauskas


Adrian Wojnarowski

Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) could reach agreement on a buyout with the Washington Wizards in the next couple days, his agent told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday

 Caron Butler should hear today if he's being traded


Caron Butler should learn today whether he’ll be changing NBA teams.

Butler, the Washington Wizards’ standout small forward from Racine, has been the subject of trade rumors for several weeks.

Friday, it was reported by several media outlets that the Wizards had agreed to trade Butler, a two-time All-Star, to the Dallas Mavericks in a multi-player deal.

 Jamison headed to Miami. . .for Super Bowl

But should Wizards follow Memphis' lead and move him to Cleveland?

Antawn Jamison wasn't necessarily upset that the Wizards were unable to get out of Orlando this weekend. Sure, he would've loved to make it back to Washington and play the Atlanta Hawks at Verizon Center last night. But since the game was postponed, Jamison had a much easier commute to Miami, where he plans on watching the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.

 With trade rumors swirling, Butler has best game

Michael Lee

Caron Butler's name has been mentioned in trade rumors for almost a year, and the talk has only intensified with the Feb. 18 trade deadline less than two weeks away. He's been rumored to be headed to Dallas, to Houston, to the Los Angeles Clippers, to New Jersey, to Portland, to Phoenix.

 As trade rumors swirl, Wizards' Antawn Jamison carries on


By Gene Wang

Following another disheartening loss on Tuesday night, 115-103 to the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at Verizon Center, Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison answered every question about the team's failings with his usual candor.

 Some more answers on Arenas


Michael Lee

Gilbert Arenas's guilty plea on Friday to felony possession of a firearm has left the franchise in flux between now and his sentencing on March 26. The Washington Wizards will probably look like a completely different team, with President Ernie Grunfeld still moving forward with his plans to make some moves before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. The only problem is that Grunfeld has received terrible offers from other teams hoping to raid the coffers for a pittance. So he could hold on for a while to see how the team plays with Mike Miller back.

 Assessing the Cavaliers' chances for Washington's Antawn Jamison:

 Time has come for Wizards to free Antawn Jamison: Windhorst Beat Blog

 NBA suspends Gilbert Arenas

 Butler the subject of trade rumors

 Trade rumors swirl around woebegone Wizards