The Official Blog of the NBA's Washington Wizards
SportzWiz checking in…As I posted yesterday a bunch of the guys that were invited to camp were pre-draft workout participants. Click below on the player’s name to see video from their workout.
Alade Aminu
Ryan Ayers
Josh Heytvelt
Tywain McKee
Tyrese Rice
Alex Ruoff
Kyle Spain
Jason Rich (2008 workout)
Posted: July 2nd, 2009 under Wizards.
Comments: 80
The Washington Wizards announced today that they will hold a mini-camp for summer league invitees at Verizon Center next week from July 10-13. Please find a roster of mini-camp invitees below.
The Wizards open play at the 2009 NBA Summer League presented by EA SPORTS in Las Vegas on July 14th. Summer League games will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas and will feature 21 NBA teams competing over 10 days from July 10-19.
Teams joining the Wizards in Las Vegas include the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors.
Tickets for the 2009 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS are on sale and can be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office and UNLV Ticket Outlets. All general admission tickets are $25 for the day, Seniors are $15 for the day and children two years & under are admitted free of charge.
35 Alade Aminu F 6-10 225 09/14/87 Georgia Tech R
42 Ryan Ayers G/F 6-7 210 07/16/86 Notre Dame R
22 Jimmy Baron G 6-3 195 05/23/86 Rhode Island R
8 Javaris Crittenton G 6-5 200 12/31/87 Georgia Tech 2
54 Jon Edwards C 7-0 275 07/31/81 Kent State 2
55 Josh Heytvelt F/C 6-11 260 06/02/86 Gonzaga R
34 JaVale McGee C 7-0 237 01/19/88 Nevada-Reno 1
43 James Lang C 6-10 285 10/17/83 Central Park (HS) 1
5 Dominic McGuire G/F 6-9 220 10/20/85 Fresno State 2
21 Tywain McKie G 6-2 182 03/07/86 Coppin State R
31 Tyrese Rice G 6-0 183 05/15/87 Boston College R
16 Jason Rich G 6-3 211 05/08/86 Florida State R
24 Alex Ruoff G 6-6 220 08/29/86 West Virginia R
20 Diamon Simpson F 6-7 230 09/08/87 Saint Mary’s R
30 Kyle Spain F 6-5 220 01/05/87 San Diego State R
40 Brandon Wallace F 6-9 203 03/14/85 South Carolina R
1 Nick Young G/F 6-6 200 06/01/85 Southern California 2
Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Wizards.
Comments: 37
UPDATE: SportzWiz checking in…Just wanted to get this on the front of the page so it does not get glossed over on the comments sectoin. Just a few quick updates regarding players.
I Was down on the practice court and saw Randy Foye doing some individual drills with a few of the coaches. By the time i got down there he was finishing up but he shot the ball very very well. Coach Sam Cassell was also going through a lot of minor pointers with him and little adjustments that he can work on.
After he finished up JaVale got in the gym and seeing him up close he definitely looks like he’s been in the weight room as his upper body looks much more filled out than last year.
At 12:01 this morning NBA Free Agency officially began. While free agency has started, players can not officially sign with teams until July 8th.
Yesterday, was also the last day for players to exercise their player options. A few players made their announcements yesterday and a few selected to exercise their options (i.e. Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur) while a couple others didn’t (Hedo Turkoglu and Anderson Varejao). Below are some links regarding some early buzz around free agency.
Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Wizards.
Comments: 41
SportzWiz checking in….Free agency opens up at midnight tonight and there are some links from around the net listed below about some of the names on the market.
In other news, we were able to catch up with Javaris Crittenton on Saturday at NBA Nation and he sat down with us for a quick interview to tell us how his summer was going. Click here to read up on that. We also have video and photos from the event.
FREE AGENCY LINKS
Posted: June 30th, 2009 under Wizards.
Comments: 50
SportzWiz checking in…With all the talk about the trade I wanted to post some articles on what national media as well as some of the Wizards had to say about the trade.
Brendan Haywood (via yardbarker) – “I think this trade should cause our fans to be very excited. Mike and Randy both fill huge needs for us. Mike Miller is one of the best shooters in the NBA and has proved to be highly accurate from behind the 3-point arc consistently throughout his career…Randy is also a great young player with a lot of potential. He’s a guy who averaged a little over 16 points and over 4 assists per game last year and has the ability to play both guard spots very well….A great deal was made here by our GM Ernie Grunfeld, who has a history of pulling off these types of deals.”
Antawn Jamison (via KaBOOM! Blog) – “really like this move for our team. If we can stay healthy, this move could put us in contention for the top of our division and conference. Mike Miller is a friend of mine and I’m looking forward to playing with him. He’s an incredible shooter who will complement everything we’ll be trying to do with our new coach. Randy Foye is an all-around good player who can play both guard spots and provide us with great flexibility and depth. Watch out Wizards’ fans, we’re looking to make some noise this season!”
ESPN’S Chad Ford on Mike and Mike – “This is a Home Run for the Wizards”.
Washington Times’ Tom Knott – “Grunfeld landed two skilled players who are able to help right away. That would not have been the case with the No. 5 pick in the draft. ”
Ken Berger – CBSSports.com – “Washington didn’t like what it saw at No. 5, and didn’t need to pay a lottery pick to be groomed on a team needing to contend now. So the addition of Mike Miller and Randy Foye makes the Wiz formidable again…The Wizards got better, which is all that matters.”
Sean Deveney Sporting News -Flip Saunders must be smiling wide. After Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld unloaded the No. 5 pick and the albatross contract of Etan Thomas to the Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, Saunders is suddenly sitting with the deepest roster in the Eastern Conference.
Eric Musselman Pro Basketball News – Musselman also said he thinks the Wizards will lead the league in scoring under new coach Flip Saunders. “They already had some real potent scorers (in forwards Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, and guard Gilbert Arenas, when healthy). You have to love the fact they added a guy who averaged 16 points in Foye….It’s obvious Washington is making a push not just to make the playoffs, but to go as far as they possibly can in the playoffs. Their time is now. The rest of the East should be scared; the Wizards have the potential to seriously threaten.”
Posted: June 29th, 2009 under Wizards.
Comments: 46