Bradley Beal thinks he can play Friday

After sitting out the last five games, the rookie guard expects his injured wrist to be well enough to play against the Brooklyn Nets.

Bradley Beal will not play vs. Knicks

Bradley Beal will not go tonight for the Wizards against the Knicks, the team announced. Randy Wittman had called Beal a game-time decision an hour and a half before the contest, but ultimately, the team has decided to hold him out for at least one more game.

The Wizards will once again start John Wall, Garrett Temple, Martell Webster, Nene and Emeka Okafor.

Bradley Beal injury: Wizards' G is a game-time decision vs. Knicks

There appears to be a chance that Bradley Beal will be back in the Washington Wizards' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Knicks. Beal took part in shootaround and will be a game-time decision, the team announced:

Bradley Beal is taking part in morning shootaround and will be a gametime decision tonight vs. the Knicks #WizKnicks

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 6, 2013

Beal has missed the Wizards' last four games with a wrist injury originally suffered January 18 against the Denver Nuggets. He played ineffectively for five games before finally sitting out to rest the injury. A visit to a hand specialist revealed no structural damage, and Beal did take part on a limited basis in practice yesterday.

It'll be interesting to see whether Beal is immediately elevated into the starting lineup. On the one hand, Garrett Temple had his best game of the season against the Clippers, so it'd be a bit odd to demote him right away. On the other hand, if Beal starts, Temple still merits minutes, so that might squeeze Jordan Crawford even more.

Bradley Beal's wrist is recovering nicely

After begrudgingly missing four games with a wrist injury, it looks like Bradley Beal might be back in the lineup soon. He missed the three-game road trip last week, and he missed the first game of this homestand last night. Garrett Temple has started in his place, substituting Temple's defense for Beal's offense during his time on the sideline.

Randy Wittman spoke a bit after practice today about tomorrow night's game agains the Knicks and about Beal's recovery. Beal engaged in the team's non-contact practice today, and Coach Wittman had the following to say about his recovery:

He did [practice] some today. We didn't do any contact today. He did shooting; he got out and shot. He's still sore, you can tell. ...It's the first day he has come out and been able to get his wrist going again, so obviously we're headed in the right direction.

According to Jeremy Hyman of WashingtonWizards.com, it's possible that Beal is back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against New York.

Bradley Beal and Trevor Booker doubtful for Clippers game

Sore wrists will likely keep Bradley Beal and Trevor Booker from lacing up against the Clippers.

Bradley Beal injury: Wizards' rookie says he won't rush back

Don't hold your breath expecting Bradley Beal to return to the court anytime soon. In an interview with Michael Lee of the Washington Post prior to Saturday's loss to the Spurs, Beal declared his intentions to be patient with his injured wrist:

"I'm not going to rush back. Going to take my time and wait until it heals," Beal said. "It's always because the type of kid I am, it takes a lot for me not to play. If I'm hurt or not. But I have to be smart now. But if I want to have a long career and just finish the season out strong, I have to take care of my body more than anything. It's real tough, but I'm still cheering my teammates on."

Beal did indicate his desire to actually represent the team in the February 15 Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend, so that might be a good indicator of when he'll end up coming back and playing.

Bradley Beal likely to miss next two Wizards games

The odds of a Washington Wizards' victory over the San Antonio Spurs or Memphis Grizzlies just got a lot longer.

The Washington Post's Michael Lee reports that shooting guard Bradley Beal will continue to rest his ailing right wrist and is expected to miss Washington's next two games.

"He's day-to-day. We'll have to see how it progresses," Coach Randy Wittman said of Beal.

Beal, who had been struggling since a hard fall in Denver on Jan. 18, will likely miss the next two road games against Memphis on Friday and San Antonio on Saturday. He averaged just 8.8 points while shooting 35.7 percent from the floor (20 of 56) and 30 percent (6 of 20) from beyond the three-point line since the injury.

The timing couldn't be more inconvenient for the Wizards. The team has struggled to score all season, especially when Beal has been out of the line up or suffering through shooting slumps. Beal's backup, Jordan Crawford, has struggled to adjust to a new role since John Wall returned and could be more aggressive than normal if he's given additional minutes.

Bradley Beal injury: Wizards' rookie won't play vs. 76ers

It's official: Bradley Beal will not play for the Wizards tonight against the 76ers due to his wrist injury. Via the team:

Bradley Beal will miss tonight's game vs. the Sixers (wrist) #WizSixers

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2013

Garrett Temple will replace Beal in starting lineup, Witt says he wants to keep rotation the same with Beal out #WizSixers

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2013

Beal was in New York to see a hand specialist today.

Bradley Beal seeing hand specialist in New York

One day after saying he might have to sit out some games to get healthy, Bradley Beal is seeing a specialist to address his injured wrist.

Bradley Beal is in NY to visit hand specialist, not participating in shootaround. Will return for PHI game. Availability uncertain #wizards

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 30, 2013

X-rays came back negative, but Beal's game has fallen off since taking the spill in a January 18 contest against the Nuggets.

Bradley Beal's wrist injury might be bad enough to sideline him

Bradley Beal admitted Tuesday that he's probably going to have to sit for some time for his injured wrist to heal.

Bradley Beal injury: Wizards' G insists wrist was 'fine'

WASHINGTON -- Bradley Beal played just 24 minutes in the Washington Wizards' 96-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings, and he didn't look all that good during that time. He ended up sitting for good with four minutes left in the fourth quarter in Washington's defeat.

Beal, of course, has been bothered by a wrist injury since suffering a hard fall 10 days ago in a win over the Denver Nuggets. After the game, though, he insisted that he was not hurt.

"My wrist was fine. It was tonight anyway," he said.

"It didn't affect me tonight. That's not the reason I didn't play," he said later. "I'm just going to talk to the trainers, talk to my agent, everything like that, and see how it feels. It's going to be my decision regardless."

Beal said he wasn't sure why he got taken out. In his postgame press conference, though, Randy Wittman said he took him out because his wrist didn't look good.

"I thought he was hurt. I didn't see the comfort level out there," Wittman said. "I think the wrist is bothering him. I don't know if he got it hit, because I haven't spoken to him. I don't know if it got jammed again. I think it's bothering him, there's no question about it. I just went in a different direction."

Wittman was asked whether it might make sense for Beal to sit out due to the injury.

"We'll have to see where he's at. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it the same? Obviously, if it's getting worse, it's not going to do him any good [to play]," Wittman said.

Randy Wittman: X-Rays revealed nothing with Beal's wrist

For those (like me) that were worried the Wizards were having Bradley Beal play through a potentially serious injury, it looks like those fears can be allayed. After shootaround, coach Randy Wittman said the team did have Beal go in for an X-Ray:

"He's still got some soreness, but he's playing through it," Wittman said, via WashingtonWizards.com. "We've done all the X-rays and everything on it. There's nothing there."

Beal was spotted with a soft cast on the wrist following the team's game against the Chicago Bulls.

Bradley Beal's wrist is still hurting

Bradley Beal's poor performance in the Washington Wizards' recent 86-73 victory over the Chicago Bulls may have been a result of lingering problems with his injured right wrist. As Michael Lee reported in The Washington Post on January 28:

After the Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls, 86-73, on Saturday night, rookie Bradley Beal had a new accessory to go with his post-game wardrobe: a soft, protective brace with Velcro straps on his right wrist.

"My wrist is bothering me," Beal said as he held the cast, "but it was a great team win for us. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to help the team win."

The wrist was injured during Washington's victory over the Denver Nuggets on January 18. Beal has used protective tape on his ailing wrist during shootarounds but does not want to use it during games. Lee added:

During the morning shoot-around in Utah, Beal wore some protective tape over his wrist, but he has refused to wear it in games after feeling that it contributed to a poor first half against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It's too uncomfortable," Beal, 19, said of the tape. "It's resisting my release and the way I shoot it and it's still not 100 percent the way I want to shoot it, but I'm going to fight through and tough it out. I just got to stay healthy, as best as I can. The trainers are doing a good job of helping me, giving me treatment and things like that. I've got to keep taking care of my body."

It's understandable that Beal wouldn't want to do anything that could prevent him from contributing to the team, especially considering how much momentum the Wizards have built up. That said, the 11-31 Wizards are playing almost entirely for pride at this point and anything that could curtail Beal's development and confidence during what has been an up and down rookie season needs to be treated with a lot of caution.

Randy Wittman not worried about Bradley Beal's wrist

Bradley Beal has not been the same player since hurting his wrist on a hard fall against the Denver Nuggets last Friday. In three games since, he's averaging nine points per game on just 39 percent shooting. Nevertheless, it appears that Beal will continue to play through the soreness, according to Randy Wittman.

Wittman also said no concerns about Beal's wrist: "It's sore but nothing that will hinder him hopefully." Martin remains out. #Wizards

— Craig Stouffer (@CraigStouffer) January 25, 2013

Beal said Thursday that while he doesn't want to "use it as an excuse," the wrist was "really bothering me."

I can't speak to whether the team actually went to check the injury out, but if they haven't, I suggest they should. I understand the allure of actually having a fully healthy team, but the Wizards are 9-31 right now and are only playing for pride. There's no reason to rush a .500 finish if it means jeopardizing a player's health, especially one as vital to the team's future as Beal.

If it turns out the injury isn't anything serious, so be it, but Beal is going to want to fight through the pain unless someone stops him. I don't see the harm in at least getting an X-ray.

Bradley Beal injury: 'My wrist is bothering me'

Bradley Beal admitted that he's still feeling the effects of a hard fall in the Wizards' win over the Nuggets.