Washington Wizards Blog – Page 39 – NBA Blog

Marcin Gortat hoping for more inside looks

Here’s the Washington Post Blog on Wizards center Marcin Gortat, who hopes to play more to his offensive strengths, which reside close to the basket:

Marcin Gortat watched John Wall’s corner three-pointer bounce high off the rim, curled around Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap and hammered home a furious one-handed jam. As his Wizards teammates hopped from their seats to applaud, Gortat angrily strutted back.

Gortat embraces being big, loves banging inside, and isn’t caught up in following other 6-foot-11 or taller players who would prefer to parade around the perimeter shooting jumpers rather than mixing it up and throwing people around. For that reason, Gortat has grown frustrated with a lack of touches near the basket and said he would speak to Coach Randy Wittman about his role in the offense after a lackluster outing against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I don’t like the position I play,” Gortat said after scoring just six points on 3-of-10 shooting in the Wizards’ 113-96 loss on Saturday at Verizon Center. “I’m constantly drifting more and more away from the basket. That’s not my game. I’m capable of making one or two plays like that away from the basket, but I feel more comfortable underneath the basket.”

Washington Wizards working rookie Otto Porter into the mix

Here’s the Washington Post Blog with an update on Washington Wizards rookie Otto Porter Jr:

Otto Porter Jr. has joined the Wizards at a time when they have been hit with another wave of injuries, but Coach Randy Wittman has no intention of placing a heavy load upon a rookie who is still getting acclimated to the NBA after missing nearly three months with a strained right hip flexor.

“I can’t get the cart ahead of the horse here,” Wittman said. “I’ve got to make sure he gets comfortable, his conditioning. He said his legs felt like Jell-O out there a little bit, the first time he was out there. Keep monitoring that.”

Wittman inserted Porter at the start of the second quarter of the Wizards’ 109-105 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, right after Martell Webster ended the first period by missing a desperation three-pointer and spraining his left ankle.

Porter admitted that he was overwhelmed by emotion in his NBA debut.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal out at least two weeks with leg injury

The Washington Wizards announced today that guard Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with a stress injury to his proximal right fibula. He will miss the next two weeks and then be re-evaluated. The injury was diagnosed by team doctors following an MRI exam on Monday after Beal experienced soreness in his right leg.

Beal has appeared in all 13 games for the Wizards this season, averaging 20.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 40.2 minutes. He missed the final eight games of last season due to a stress injury to his distal right fibula.

Washington Wizards waive Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived guards Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall. The trio was acquired from Phoenix, along with center Marcin Gortat, in exchange for center Emeka Okafor and a 2014 protected first round draft pick.

Brown has averaged 8.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 374 career games with Cleveland, Chicago, L.A. Lakers, Charlotte and Phoenix. Lee has averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 35 career games with Minnesota before being traded to Phoenix last summer. Marshall averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 assists during his rookie season with Phoenix last year.

The Wizards roster now stands at 15.

Suns trade Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee, Kendall Marshall to Wizards for Emeka Okafor, draft pick

The Phoenix Suns today announced that the club has acquired center Emeka Okafor and a top-12 protected 2014 first-round pick from the Washington Wizards in exchange for center Marcin Gortat and guards Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall.

With the addition of the top-12 protected pick from the Wizards, Phoenix now potentially possesses four first-round selections in the 2014 NBA Draft: the Suns’ own pick, Indiana’s pick (top-14 protected) and Minnesota’s pick (top-13 protected), in addition to the pick acquired from Washington.

“Marcin, Shannon and Kendall have been valuable members of the Suns family the past few years,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “We have enjoyed working with each of them and appreciate their hard work and professionalism. We wish all of them well.”

“We are excited to add another first-round pick in what is shaping up to be the best draft in a decade,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “We now have a chance to make four first-round selections in 2014. Emeka Okafor is a solid veteran center who will help solidify our front line when and if he is able to return from injury.”

Widely regarded for his defensive toughness and high basketball IQ, Okafor adds veteran leadership to the Suns’ roster. A nine-year veteran, he did not play for the Wizards this preseason as he was out with a herniated disc in his neck. Last season, he posted 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 79 games for the Wizards. Okafor enters the 2013-14 season in the final year of his contract.

Okafor, the 2004-05 NBA Rookie of the Year, averaged a double-double in each of his first five NBA seasons and holds career averages of 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.66 blocks. The No. 2 pick of the 2004 draft, he culminated a standout collegiate career at the University of Connecticut by being named Most Outstanding Player of the 2004 Final Four after leading the Huskies to the NCAA title.

Gortat departs the Valley after emerging as one of the Western Conference’s best centers during his tenure with the Suns. The six-year veteran came to Phoenix in a trade with the Orlando Magic during the 2010-11 season and played in 182 consecutive contests after being acquired by the Suns before missing the final 21 games of the 2012-13 season. Overall, the Polish Hammer averaged 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.47 blocks in parts of three seasons with Phoenix, and ranks fifth in Suns’ history with a .547 field goal percentage with the club.

Brown, who signed with Phoenix before the 2011-12 season, averaged double-digits in scoring in both of his two seasons with the club, a feat he had never done before signing with the Suns. During his time with the Suns, Brown averaged 10.7 points in 118 games and set a franchise record for most three-point makes in a single quarter when he drained six from long distance in the fourth quarter of a win at Charlotte last season.

Marshall played in 48 games and averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 assists as a rookie with Phoenix in the 2012-13 season. Marshall recorded at least ten assists in each of his three starts last season and became the first player since Steve Nash in 1996 to tally double-digit assists while making his first career start in a Suns uniform.

Lee came to the Suns along with the draft rights to Archie Goodwin in a trade with Golden State on June 27, 2013. Lee did not dress for the Suns’ preseason contests as he continued rehab on his right knee following surgery last January.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 14.

John Wall disappointed with preseason performance

NBA preason wins and losses don’t matter, but it’s still an important tune-up period for individual players as well as total teams, as they develop chemistry, work on their plays and prepare for the real thing. Here’s Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog).

If John Wall is going to have a season in which he propels the franchise to the postseason and rises to all-star status, the lift-off will have to begin with the season opener on Oct. 30 against the Detroit Pistons. Wall’s uneven play during the preseason left much to be desired.

Standing in a hallway at US Bank Arena on Wednesday after the Wizards defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 101-82, Wall acknowledged that he was disappointed with how he performed. His last game was arguably his worst, as he had more turnovers (four) than points (three) and shot 1-for-7 in 26 minutes.

“I didn’t play too good this whole preseason, to me, to be honest,” Wall said.

Wall averaged 11.2 points and a team-best 6.3 assists, but he struggled with his shot – especially from three-point range – and also had a hard time holding on to the ball. He led the team with 3.43 turnovers per game.

Wizards waive Josh Childress, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Xavier Silas

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived forwards Josh Childress and Pops Mensah-Bonsu and guard Xavier Silas.

Childress appeared in four preseason games averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in eight minutes per contest.

Childress said he won’t forget his time with the team. “It was great,” said Childress to the Washington Post of the experience. “To be the first NBA game in Brazil, it was a big deal. I think culturally, not for myself, but for a lot of guys, it was a great experience for guys, to see a different world, a different culture, so the NBA did a great job with that. Without a doubt, over the past month, guys have bonded. There are lot of guys I did not know before I got here and now we’re friends and we’ll keep in touch throughout the year and in the summer.”

Mensah-Bonsu appeared in four preseason games averaging 0.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in five minutes per contest.

Silas appeared in three preseason games averaging 4.0 points in three minutes per contest.

The Wizards roster now stands at 15.

Wizards waive center D`Or Fischer

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived center D’Or Fischer.

Fischer appeared in one game for the Wizards this preseason logging three minutes of action vs. Miami on 10/15. Undrafted in 2005, Fischer signed with the Wizards as a free agent on 9/28/13.

The Wizards’ roster now stands at 18.

Wizards rookie Otto Porter still in recovery

Otto Porter Jr. has spent his first week of NBA training camp with the Washington Wizards fulfilling many of his rookie duties, such as collecting Gatorades for veterans and carrying bags upon request. When the team stayed at the George Mason Inn, Porter played highly competitive games of the soccer video game, FIFA ’14, with veteran Nene. And he has shown up to the gym hours after the team practices to work on his individual game with developmental assistant Joe Connelly.

What Porter hasn’t done is practice.

The third overall pick from Georgetown, Porter suffered a strained right hip flexor before the team gathered to begin making preparations for the upcoming season. Porter has been limited to watching from the sideline, riding stationary bikes, stretching with elastic bands and doing flexibility exercises.

“I’m still not in the process of jogging or running. It’s limited. But I’m doing whatever I can,” Porter said. “You definitely want to be out there, but you also want to learn from the side. Cheer them on, tell them to keep on playing, but that’s the best I can do.”

Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post

Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis says he is tired of losing

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has run out of patience with his team’s rebuilding efforts and expects to finally receive a payoff for his investments this season in the form of a playoff appearance.

Before the Wizards held an open practice and scrimmage on Friday at Verizon Center, Leonsis addressed reporters for roughly 30 minutes and put the organization on alert that the excuses of the past are over. The team has all that it needs to compete and he wants to see different results when he grabs his courtside seat.

“I’m tired of losing,” Leonsis said. “It’s not a lot of fun coming to games knowing, ‘This is going to be a tough night.’ We’re just at that point now, it’s the fourth year, we’ve retained our players, we’ve added players, we’ve spent a lot of money. And I expect us to be a playoff-caliber team. I think our fan base expects that too and that’s the pressure I’ve placed on our organization, that we have to meet the expectations of our fans – and it’s time.”

Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)