Why are we surprised? links:

• John Wall is expected to miss eight weeks, including the first month of the season, with a "stress" injury to his left patella. It's not the worst news in the world (for instance, he could have fractured his patella or torn some ligaments), but it's pretty darn bad. Wall said the injury is due to him working out super hard, which isn't all that comforting considering that NBA games probably qualify as super-hard workouts. [Us | SB Nation DC | Washington Post | Wizards Insider | Washington Times | Washington Examiner | CSN Washington | Truth About | Wiz of Awes | Wizards Extreme | CBS Sports | Press release]
• As would be expected, Wall is treating the injury as nothing more than 'a minor setback.' Let's hope so. [Washington Times | CSN Washington]
• With nine of their first 14 games against playoff teams from last season, it's not as if the Wizards have the luxury of easing into life without Wall. They have a myriad of options when it comes to Wall's temporary replacement, but none of them are ideal. [Wizards Insider | CSN Washington]
• Thomas considers which available free agents could help fill the massive void left by Wall's injury.
• Mike notes that Wall's injury makes Nene's health all that more imperative, because without either, how exactly are the Wizards supposed to score?
• Andrew Sharp had the same reaction all Wizards fans likely had to the news of Wall's injury: 'Of course.' This column perfectly encapsulates our collective plight. [SB Nation]
• Kelly Dwyer fears that Wall's injury might cost the Wizards a playoff berth. [Ball Don't Lie]
• Our projections continue with one of the leading candidates to fill in for Wall at starting point guard and the big man who may start off as the Wizards' No. 1 option in the post if Nene can't go when the season tips off.
• Judging from where he ranked the Wizards, I'm pretty sure Mark Stein made his initial NBA power rankings before Wall's injury was announced. [ESPN]
• Friday wasn't all bad for Wall, as his visit to Simon Elementary School seemed to go well. I'm sure that makes you all feel better, right? [CSN Washington]
• In Cleveland, they were looking forward to an opening night matchup of Wall and Bradley Beal vs. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. They'll still get Beal going against Waiters, but will have to settle for Irving running circles around whomever the Wiz throw out there to replace Wall. Poor them. [Fear the Sword]
• Short interviews with Jan Vesely, who's healthy after injuring his ankle during summer league, and Chris Singleton, who said he worked on his mid-range and low post game in the offseason so as not to be "the weak link" on offense. [Vesely | Singleton]
• The Wizards already had plenty of storylines heading into the 2012-13 season, but something tells me that none of them are bigger than Wall's injury. [CSN Washington]
• In a race between the Wizards and Raptors for the eighth seed in the East, BNIE will take the home squad.
• James Singleton comes in at No. 14 on #WizardsRank. [Truth About It]
• Gilbert Arenas is thinking about playing in China. He's already lit up Chinatown, so maybe it'd be a good fit? [Us | CSN Washington | TrueHoop]
• More on Wittman's Wednesday presser. [Truth About It]
• This slideshow includes some shots of Martell Webster in his Wizards jersey and sporting a relatively sane hairdo. [Wizards.com]
• Dwyane Wade also has some knee issues, and may miss the entire preseason while recovering from offseason arthroscopic surgery. [SB Nation | ESPN]
• Sounds like the Knicks are set to sign Rasheed Wallace. [SB Nation | Ball Don't Lie | Buckets Over Broadway | @JaredZwerling]
• Dwight Howard plans to be ready for the Lakers' opener. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Ian Thomsen thinks the NBA found the best solution to cut down on flopping. [SI]