Earlier this week, John Wall missed the Wizards’ game last Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. He missed that game to attend the birth of his first child, who was a son according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. I don’t see any photos just yet, but they should be coming out sooner rather than later!
In Wall’s absence, Washington came up victorious, 131-117 as the “Everybody Eats” Offense version 2.0 did its work.
Wall came back to play on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 26 minutes in a 116-101 loss, scoring just one point and dishing six assists. What was more appalling was Wall’s poor performance on the defensive end as rookie point guard Collin Sexton tied a career high on the scoring front with 29 points and looked like former Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving out there.
John Wall has to get tired of getting cooked by a dude in a Cavs number 2 jersey at some point in his career right
— FearTheSword (@FearTheSword) December 9, 2018
Joking aside, Wall played horribly. What we didn’t know to this point was that Wall had a left heel injury (bone spurs) that nagged him for some time.
John Wall spent most of the postgame sitting near his stall and using a device to massage up & down his left leg. He’s been dealing with a lingering bone spur in his left heel. He took five shots and three from the arc —Wall said the injury kept him from driving as he likes to.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) December 9, 2018
Everyone has bad days, and Wall certainly had one on Saturday. If he cannot play, at least we’ll get to see more “Everybody Eats” basketball since it is keeping defenses on their toes.
In the last couple weeks, we saw various rumors of Bradley Beal wanting out of D.C. and the Sacramento Kings eyeing Otto Porter to be one of their key cogs in a resurgent season. This week, Kevin Broom dug a bit further about trade rumors involving Wall.
Apparently, there is chatter that the Lakers are willing to get John Wall in exchange for some of their younger players, including sophomore point guard Lonzo Ball. It’s early, but trading Wall before his supermax extension’s first year would be unprecedented, mostly for the wrong reasons. Those contracts are intended to keep players with one team. So if Wall is traded, whether to the Lakers or anyone else, it also would be an implicit admission that his extension was a mistake.
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- Sam Dekker was traded to the Wizards from the Cavaliers earlier this week in exchange for Jason Smith in a three-team trade that also involved the Milwaukee Bucks. Smith now plays for Milwaukee. Dekker hasn’t played too much as an NBA player so far, but he could get a much bigger role if the Wizards decide to hit the reset button.
- If Ian Mahinmi gets a one-way ticket to the bench, why can’t Austin Rivers be next? Ben Mehic explains.
- Tomas Satoransky found his way back to the Wizards’ starting lineup as wing player before Wall’s injuries became known. Assuming Wall’s heel issues aren’t serious, there’s no reason why Sato should be relegated to the bench and struggling to find playing time at this point.
- Chasson Randle was on the USA Basketball Men’s National Team for the World Cup Qualifiers and helped the Americans clinch a berth next year. The official World Cup team will be made of NBA players.
Alright, that’s what I have on my plate. Enjoy the rest of your weekends!