1. Wizards will wear their new alternate jersey a lot this season
In the offseason, the Wizards unveiled their new alternate jersey for this season. Yesterday, they gave all the dates that they will wear them.
Here they are:
Oct. 29 at Miami
Nov. 26 at Cleveland
Dec. 3 vs. L.A. Lakers
Dec. 10 at Orlando
Jan. 14 at Chicago
Jan. 28 at Phoenix
Feb. 4 at Atlanta
Feb. 11 at Toronto
Feb. 25 at Minnesota
March 18 at Utah
March 25 vs. Indiana
April 8 at Philadelphia
April 15 at Cleveland
#Wizards announce they will wear alternate blue unis every Weds road game and at home Dec 3 vs. Lakers and March 25 vs. Pacers.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 21, 2014
#Wizards will wear alternate uniforms 13 times. They’ll also wear standard red road jerseys at home Nov. 21 vs. Cavs and Apr. 3 vs. Knicks.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 21, 2014
Here's a better visualization of what the Wizards will look like in them, if you missed the video shoot in the link above.
The Wizards will wear new alternates in 13 games this season including at home against the Lakers on Dec 3rd. pic.twitter.com/AqevRHDc5H
— Asad Naqvi (@AsadNaqviDMV) October 21, 2014
#Wizards Unveil New Alternate Jersey for 2014-15 Season (Press Release): http://t.co/sbmxzSIMSm pic.twitter.com/CGVEi2d1Mb
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 21, 2014
I wasn't a huge fan of these jerseys when they were first revealed, but I really like them now.
2. Wizards sign John Lucas III to non-guaranteed deal
Despite three players on non-guaranteed deals competing for one final roster spot, the Wizards elected to look elsewhere by bringing in Lucas III. There was a lot of confusion as to why the team would be looking at another point guard when their obvious need is wing help. But Randy Wittman sounded like he was there to act as another body in practice more than anything.
Via Comcast SportsNet:
"We just needed another body in here with all our injuries," said Wizards coach Randy Wittman, who seemed to downplay the signing. "I don't want to get into a situation where we're overusing guys just to get through practice and stuff. I haven't had John before. I've coached against John. It gives me an opportunity to take a look at him because he's going to have opportunities to be on the floor a lot in practice. You never know down the road what the situations calls upon."
That doesn't sound like a coach who just signed an impact-level player. Whether Lucas III sticks will depend on how he performs against the Knicks and in practice. Remember: The team hasn't officially used its final roster spot on him.
But here he is, getting some shots up at practice with the team yesterday:
Here are some notes/thoughts on the signing:
3. John Wall not worried about knee tendinitis
Wall missed the team's previous game vs. the Pelicans due to some soreness in his knee. He practiced yesterday and feels good enough to play tonight against the Knicks, but it's not certain that he will, which fueled, in part, the signing of Lucas III.
Via The Washington Post:
"I’m not worried about it at all," Wall said. "I’ve dealt with tendinitis my whole career so you just play through it. . . . There’s no excuse for me not to play. I just felt like it was a time to give other guys an opportunity to play and also a time to let it heal and prepare myself for the regular season."
My advice: Rest. We all know who Wall is as a player, so there's no need to prove anything in a preseason game, even if it is the last one before the regular season. I'd rather lose a few games due to chemistry reasons than a whole lot of games due to serious injuries to both starting backcourt players.
4. Professor Miller rocking a new look
That 'fro had to go. And now Andre Miller looks a lot less, well, old, despite now rocking the old-school cornrow look.
Andre Miller now has cornrows.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 21, 2014
Here’s Andre Miller. pic.twitter.com/WwDiPxslHp
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 21, 2014
Not bad, 'Dre. Not bad.
5. Wizards play Knicks in New York
Who will play, much less start, tonight is anyone's guess. But the team will play their final preseason game against the Knicks and look to head into the regular season in the best possible shape.
Tip off is at 7:30 p.m. and unfortunately will not be televised. You can, however, listen to it live on the radio at 99.1 WNEW.