Links: John Wall, Gary Payton chat regularly

Today's links. Sorry they're late:

• Gonna lead with this one because I found it interesting: John Wall and Gary Payton talk often, according to Payton himself. This intrigues me because I've long believed that Payton is the most similar player to Wall in terms of career arc. He started slowly because he couldn't shoot and his decision-making was an issue, but he eventually grew into the league's best point guard. It just took him some time because he came out of school so raw. A lot of that describes Wall to me. [Pro Basketball Talk]
• Now, for a dumb Wall thing: Chris Broussard asked some scouts and personnel men why Wall isn't developing. The criticisms levied at Wall are understandable; the premise suggested by Broussard's headline and several of those anonymously quoted that Wall is either a) done developing and/or b) not a franchise player are ridiculous. It's simply wayyyyyyy too soon to write the book on how Wall's career will end up. Last night was Wall's 138th game of his career, the equivalent of one and a half full seasons. It's simply way too soon to answer any definitive questions of how Wall's career will turn out. [ESPN In$ider]
• Recaps from last night. [Us | WashingtonWizards.com | Washington Post (gamer, blog) | CSN Washington (gamer, sidebar) | Wiz of Awes | District Sports Page | Wizards Extreme | Sactown Royalty | Cowbell Kingdom | Sacramento Bee]
• Postgame interviews from WashingtonWizards.com. [Randy Wittman | Nene | Bradley Beal | John Wall]
• Jordan Crawford says he expects to play at some point on this road trip. [Washington Post]
• Here's Martell Webster dunking on DeMarcus Cousins. [DC Sports Nexus]
• Wall and Cousins, still bros. [Washington Post]
• Tom Ziller on why expansion is a viable alternative to uprooting the Kings and moving them to Seattle. [SB Nation]
• Unrelated: this is the weirdest sports story I can remember. [SB Nation]