The road losing streak deepens, the concerns grow for the Wizards and owner Ted Leonsis, who said today he isn’t afraid of criticism and accountability and likes the idea of a band called “Pixels of Despair”. Tonight will be the last chance for Washington to snap the skid before a highly-anticipated-for-all-the-wrong-reasons clash with the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Feb. 13. Four Washington home games lay in between.
On a lighter note, Wizards point guard John Wall was named NBA rookie of the month for the first time after being inexplicably denied by New York’s Landry Fields in November and December. From the league’s release, “Wall led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (10.5 apg) and double-doubles in the month. He also became the first rookie in NBA history to have nine or more assists in 10 straight games. In addition, Wall’s 168 assists in the month were the most by a rookie since Mark Jackson had 172 assists in 1988.”
Wall was also named, as expected, to the Rookie Challenge game during NBA All-Star Weekend. His team looks straight out of Lexington, with former Kentucky teammates Eric Bledsoe (L.A. Clippers) and DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings) also on the roster, along with New Jersey Nets forward Derrick Favors, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Wesley Johnson, Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe, San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal and the aforementioned Fields.
The sophomore team, which beat the class ahead of it last year, is led by reigning rookie of the year Tyreke Evans (Sacramento) and includes San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday, Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Serge Ibaka, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews.
Lastly, speaking of Wall, as you may have noticed, my pregame blog post yesterday drew some attention from Leonsis, who referenced it twice, first to say the Wizards have hired a personal chef for Wall, then to clarify that the team hired one for Wall early on. As Leonsis would appreciate, it’s good to generate the pixels.
