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No time-wasting introduction for this week's Wizards Wrap. We all need to get to work correcting a grave injustice:
- John Wall has been the best point in the Eastern Conference this season, but because fans are dumb, he came in well behind both Kyrie Irving and Derrick Rose in the first round of voting for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. This needs to be fixed. [BF | CSN Washington | Monumental Network]
- How bad is this injustice? Even the schmucks over at ESPN unanimously chose Wall as the East's All-Star starter at point guard. [ESPN | Wiz of Awes]
- Even better, Wall went from not even appearing on ESPN's "25 Under 25" list to being ranked fifth-overall this season, ahead of Irving and Blake Griffin. Awesome. [BF | E$PN Insider | CSN Washington]
- Bradley Beal did not make the list (for shame), but he was atop the list of 10 players who just made the cut (FYI, Wall topped the "Next 10" list last year). [E$PN Insider]
- Naturally, the guys over at Fear The Sword defended the All-Star vote.
- Here are a couple cool Wall interviews, one on GameTime with Steve Smith. and another on Inside the NBA with Chris Webber.
- Another "Is John Wall making The Leap?" article. [Bleacher Report]
- Lots of cool SportsVU nuggets here, including the revelation that Wall touches the ball more than anyone in the NBA. [SI]
- As good as Wall has been this year, Eric Maynor has been equally terrible. [Mike | Wizards Insider |CSN Washington | Truth About It | Hoop District]
- Then again, it's not like Maynor has much to work with, given how horrid Washington's bench has been. [SB Nation]
- Should the Wizards look to trade Trevor Ariza for bench help? [Wiz of Awes]
- It was a mixed bag this week for Washington on the injury front. First, the good news: Martell Webstershould be back soon (if not tonight against the Atlanta Hawks), and Bradley Beal has begun practicing again. [BF | Washington Post | CSN Washington (Webster, Beal) | Wiz of Awes]
- Now the bad news: Al Harrington is set to miss at least a month after having injured knee scoped... [BF | Wizards Insider | CSN Washington | Wiz of Awes | DC Pro Sports Report | Monumental Network]
- And Nene's ever-nagging Achilles injury has flared up again, though he did practice Thursday. [BF StoryStream | CSN Washington]
- The Wizards aren't very good without Nene, in case you hadn't noticed. [Washington Post]
- As Beal nears his return to the court, Mike asked you all how the Wizards should handle the young star's minutes moving forward.
- Wizards rookie Otto Porter has now played in two NBA games without scoring a point, but he's hoping to change that soon. [Wizards Insider]
- Porter has been looking to Webster for some veteran advice. [CSN Washington]
- Can the Wizards get back on the winning track tonight in Atlanta? [BF | AP | CSN Washington | Wiz of Awes | Wizards.com | Monumental Network | Daily Wizdom | Peachtree Hoops | ATL All Day]
- What's left for the team this month, anyway? [Wiz of Awes]
- Bill Simmons expects the Wizards to finish as the five-seed in the East. [Grantland]
- Thomas broke down what went (repeatedly) wrong at the end of Washington's home loss to the Denver Nuggets.
- Closing out games hasn't exactly been the Wizards' strong suit this season. [Washington Post]
- Glen Rice Jr. held his own in his first career start against the Nuggets. [Wizards Insider | CSN Washington | Wiz of Awes]
- Though Rice will head back to the bench with Webster's return to the starting lineup, it sounds like the rookie has earned increased playing time. [CSN Washington]
- A terrible loss to the Milwaukee Bucks a week ago had Randy Wittman wondering who his leaders were on the floor. [BF | CSN Washington]
- It Wittman officially off the coaching hot seat? [Bleacher Report]
- Once again, all five starters and a lone reserve got a Key to the Palace this week.
- That lone reserve? Trevor Booker, who looked pretty good after getting the start against Denver. [Wizards Insider | CSN Washington]
- Meanwhile, Kevin Seraphin has not looked good. [Wizards Insider | CSN Washington]
- Wall has gotten progressively better at finishing shots at the rim over the course of his career, but he still has issues finishing through contact. [Truth About It | CSN Washington]
- A statistical look at the Wizards' first 20 games. [DC Sports Kings]
- The good news is, Gilbert Arenas gave a pretty interesting and thoughtful interview. The bad news is, Bleacher Report made it into a slideshow. Mercifully, you can spare yourself and read the best quotes in normal blog posts, as well. [Bleacher Report | Ball Don't Lie | DC Sports Bog | CSN Washington]
- The guys at TAI caught up with Nick Young for a great interview last month when he was in town with the Los Angeles Lakers. [Truth About It]
- Jordan Crawford won Eastern Conference Player of the Week, because the NBA loves to troll Wizards fans. [Wizards Insider | CSN Washington | Truth About It]
- Crawford makes it as one of the NBA's best reclamation projects in this list of "alternative" first-quarter awards, while Ariza gets a medal for his shooting on corner-3s. [SI]
- Bullets Forever celebrated its seventh birthday this week. Kind of a big deal.
- The Wizards and Washington Capitals played Santa on Wednesday, delivering Christmas presents to needy D.C. children. [DC Sports Bog]
