Washington Wizards Blog – Page 27 – NBA Blog

Wizards sign Jarell Eddie, waive Ryan Hollins

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Jarell Eddie and waived center Ryan Hollins.

Eddie (6-7, 220) went undrafted in 2014 out of Virginia Tech. The former Hokie has spent the last two seasons with the Austin Spurs of the D-League. He has appeared in 11 games (nine starts) with Austin this season, averaging 14.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting .530 from the field and .525 from three-point range in 29 minutes per game. Eddie spent the 2015-16 preseason with the Golden State Warriors, where he appeared in two contests, and played in six games with the Wizards during the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Hollins, who was signed as a free agent on November 30, appeared in five games for the Wizards and averaged 1.6 points in 10 minutes per game.

Report: Jarell Eddie to Wizards

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting that the Wizards are about to make a minor roster move:

In urgent need of perimeter players, the Washington Wizards will sign forward Jarell Eddie out of the NBA D-League to a nonguaranteed contract and waive center Ryan Hollins on Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

A sharpshooter, the 6-foot-7 Eddie went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014, when he played on the Wizards’ summer league team in Las Vegas. He then played the Austin Spurs last season, averaging 12.9 points and converting 45.2 percent of his threes in 44 games. He also won the league’s three-point contest at all-star weekend.

John Wall playing great basketball in December

As the Wizards deal with injuries to several players, guard John Wall has helped soften the blow by playing some of the best basketball of his six-year career. Wall is averaging 24.6 points (on 50.0 percent shooting), 10.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 11 games this month. That stretch has featured seven games with at least 26 points and 10 assists, the most such games in franchise history by any player in any month, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Wall has raised his overall scoring average to a career-high 19.9 points, and his shooting percentage of 44.5 percent equals a career high.

— NBA News

Bradley Beal out at least two weeks with lower leg injury

Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula. He will miss the next two weeks and then be re-evaluated. The injury was initially diagnosed following an MRI yesterday and confirmed today after further testing.

Beal has appeared in 17 games for Washington this season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 36.5 minutes per game.

John Wall off to great start in December

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on the Wizards (9-10, which is just the 11th best record in the East):

In five December games, the 25-year-old Wall is averaging 28.0 points, 9.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. He’s shooting 56 percent from the floor, 47.4 percent from beyond the arc and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line while playing 38.6 minutes per contest.

The week-long dominance was bookended by two dynamite performances against first-place clubs on the road. First, he began the month by leading the Wizards over the then-first-place Cleveland Cavaliers with 35 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Then on Monday, he posted 26 points and seven assists in Washington’s victory against the Miami Heat, who had taken over first in the East, 24 hours after he hobbled off the court with a knee injury in Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks…

After making 31 percent of his wide-open shots — attempts are considered wide open when the closest defender is at least six feet away — from 10-plus feet away in November, Wall is shooting 46.2 percent in such instances in December.

Wizards waive Martell Webster, sign Ryan Hollins

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has waived forward Martell Webster and signed center Ryan Hollins.

“Martell, with his contributions on the court and ability to connect with the fans and the community off the court, has been a great example of the type of player we want to represent our organization,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “He worked extremely hard to fight through his injuries but unfortunately was not able to make a healthy return. We appreciate everything he contributed to the team and wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Webster appeared in 186 games (75 starts) with Washington and averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting .397 from behind the arc. His best season in a Wizards uniform came during the 2012-13 campaign, when he averaged a career-best 11.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 76 games while shooting .442 from the field and a career-best .422 from deep. The 10-year veteran was originally signed by the Wizards as a free agent on August 29, 2012.

Hollins is a nine-year NBA veteran who has averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 481 career games (64 starts), with Charlotte, Dallas, Minnesota, Cleveland, Boston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento. Last season with the Kings, he appeared in 46 games (nine starts) and averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest. He was originally selected with the 50th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by Charlotte out of the University of California.

Wizards waive Josh Harrellson, Jaron Johnson, Toure Murry, Jaleel Roberts, Ish Smith

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has waived center Josh Harrellson, guards Jaron Johnson and Toure Murry, center Jaleel Roberts and guard Ish Smith.

Harrellson appeared in seven preseason games, recording 27 points and 12 rebounds over 51 minutes. Johnson played in six preseason games and totaled 12 points in 28 minutes. Murry appeared in four preseason games and tallied 14 points in 30 minutes. Roberts played in three preseason games and totaled 10 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Smith made five appearances in the preseason and tallied 11 points and 20 assists in 57 minutes.

Alan Anderson undergoes ankle surgery

The Washington Wizards announced that forward Alan Anderson had successful surgery today to remove a small bony fragment in his left ankle. Anderson underwent left ankle surgery in May to remove bone spurs and was still experiencing pain caused by irritation from the fragment.

The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Anderson will begin the rehab process immediately, but a timeframe for his return has yet to be determined.

The Wizards signed Anderson on July 12 after he spent the 2014-15 season with Brooklyn. In 74 games (19 starts) with the Nets, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .443 from the field and .348 from three-point range.

Coach Wittman discusses latest Wizards win

The Washington Wizards beat PASCHOALOTTO/BAURU 134-100 in preseason yesterday. Here’s what Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said after the game:

Randy Wittman on the game: “It is good for us to figure out how they play, and it forced us to switch and play a lot of big on big switching and one-two switching for the first time in the three games we played so far. And we had to defend 100 pick and rolls, which we need to continue to get better at. So I thought it was good to play a team like this, they stretched the floor and shot a lot of threes. A lot of things I thought that helped us tonight.”

Wittman on Kelly Oubre Jr: “He’s a young kid, a rookie, and he’s learning and I love his attitude. He hasn’t put his head down, even though he hasn’t got off to the type of start in terms of numbers I’m sure he wanted to. But he’s out there fighting and he’s out here every day.”

Wittman on Josh Harrellson: “He knows how to play, he’s a very smart player and he can stretch the floor. He has been doing it a lot in practice, just playing and being in the right spot at the right time. I told him today I needed him to play more than ten minutes and not foul out. He has been real solid.”

Wittman on defensive improvements: “Our communication and transition were much better, and we were better defending the pick and roll and communicating together. We are at our best when we have all five players playing together.”

Wizards add five players to training camp

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guards Jaron Johnson, Toure’ Murry and Ish Smith and centers Josh Harrellson and Jaleel Roberts.

Wizards training camp begins on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University. The team will hold their first three practice sessions (Sept. 29-Oct. 1) in Baltimore before returning to Verizon Center for the remainder of camp.

Harrellson (6-10, 275) is a three-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes in 75 career games with New York, Miami and Detroit. He was originally selected by New Orleans in the second round (45th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft and then traded the same night to New York. During the 2014-15 season, the Kentucky alum split time between the Chinese Basketball Association, playing 14 games for Chong Qing, and the Puerto Rican professional basketball league (Baloncesto Superior Nacional), playing 44 games for Guayama.

Johnson (6-6, 205) went undrafted in 2014 after spending two seasons at Louisiana Tech. The Tyler, TX native averaged 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21 minutes per game during his senior campaign in 2013-14. Last season, Johnson appeared in 50 games with Rio Grande Valley of the D-League where he averaged 15.1 points, 1.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 29 minutes per game.

Murry (6-5, 195) is a two-year NBA veteran holding career averages of 2.6 points in 7.0 minutes in 56 career games with New York, Utah and Washington. The undrafted Wichita State alum originally signed with the Knicks as a free agent in September of 2013. During the 2014-15 campaign, Murry appeared in five games with Utah and Washington while averaging 1.2 points in 3.6 minutes of action.

Roberts (7-1, 225) went undrafted in 2015 after playing three years at UNC Asheville. Last season as a senior, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. Roberts was a member of the Wizards 2015 Summer League roster that competed in Las Vegas.

Smith (6-0, 175) is a five-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 3.6 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 12.3 minutes in 246 career games with Houston, Memphis, Golden State, Orlando, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia. The Wake Forest product was undrafted in 2010 and signed as a free agent with Houston on August 23, 2010. During the 2014-15 season, Smith appeared in 55 games with Oklahoma City and Philadelphia, averaging 6.1 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game.

The Wizards’ training camp roster currently stands at 20 players.