HoopsHype.com Rumors

After practicing Thursday, Wizards guard John Wall is expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks, league sources told SI.com. Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, has been sidelined all season with a stress injury in his left patella. SI.com

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Michael Lee: Yes, that his John Wall running point in practice. A welcome sight, I suppose, for #wizards fans lockerz.com/s/274794012 Twitter @MrMichaelLee

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

As he jogged off the court Thursday, Washington Wizards guard John Wall was wearing a jersey, not a T-shirt. It’s a telltale sign that he participated in practice, as opposed to doing what coach Randy Wittman likes to call “dummy” drills. Wall declined to speak with reporters, but Wittman didn’t seem to mind, especially now that he can finally say the words “John Wall” and “practice” in the same sentence. “He did some live contact today, as did Trevor [Ariza],” Wittman said. “You could see the excitement in [Wall‘s] eyes to reach that point. It was good. That’s a positive, trust me. Now we’ve got to get him in shape. That’s the main thing. He’s been out a long time.” Washington Times

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Washington Wizards guard John Wall, out since Sept. 28 with a stress injury in his left knee cap, moved closer to returning by participating in limited contact drills during Thursday's practice. Wall, who did not speak with reporters after practice, wore his No. 2 practice jersey and also participated in other running and non-contact drills. Washington coach Randy Wittman told reporters he was pleased with Wall's movement. "He's still the same player. Fast. Aggressive. He looked good. Looked like his old self," Wizards guard A.J. Price told The Washington Post. USA Today

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Michael Lee: Wittman on Wall: "This is Christmas all over for him, I'm sure, to finally reach this point. You could see the spark in his eyes – finally." Twitter @MrMichaelLee

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

So how do you get out of this hell, he was asked. “You know, I don’t know,” Van Gundy admitted. “I don’t know if it’s a trade, a free-agent thing, but I do know this: you build a team around certain people, and then you find complimentary parts. There’s been no one to even build around there. There’s certainly nobody on that roster now you can build around. “I think maybe they thought it was gonna be John Wall – maybe they still think it is. I think there’s a lot of people in the league – I’d certainly be one that would share this opinion – I don’t think John Wall’s good enough to be the guy that you build around. I think he’s got great speed and quickness, but point guard is a decision-making position. That’s what makes you great as a point guard, is your decision-making. I haven’t seen any indication that John Wall is a great decision-maker.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Stan Van Gundy 

The Wizards still don’t have a definitive timeline for John Wall’s return, but Coach Randy Wittman is encouraged that his injured point guard has targeted a comeback some time next month and continues to make progress with his rehabilitation. Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Wall was cleared to “ramp up” his level of activity on his troublesome left knee two weeks ago and Wittman said the former No. 1 overall pick was able to do five-on-none, “dummy,” offensive and defensive drills with the team for the first time during Thursday’s practice. “That’s a step forward,” Wittman said. “Obviously, no contact still yet but he did full speed, up and down, with the dummy stuff we ran and that’s the first time he’s done that with the team. That’s a step in that direction.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

John Wall can't go anywhere without someone asking him when will he make his season debut for the Washington Wizards. Wall, who is recovering from a knee injury, doesn't have a specific game in mind, but he has pinpointed a month. January. "My timetable is some time in January," Wall told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday night. "The way I am feeling with no pain, working out and doing it three [days straight] and it has no pain, I'm feeling good. I feel like I am taking the right steps and I haven't had no pain the last couple of days after workouts." Yahoo! Sports

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

The determining factor for clearance to play? "When I feel like I can run and do everything like I used to, cut, jump like I used to, run fast like I used to," Wall said. "And I feel like I am getting closer and closer to those steps." Yahoo! Sports

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Wall has missed the entire season due to a stress injury to his left patella. He says he has never considered shutting it down this season. He has been living in the weight room, bulking up to 210 pounds while also strengthening his core. He expects to drop 10 pounds before his return. Yahoo! Sports

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Washington has been decimated by injuries, with John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Beal and Nene among the unavailable players, and lost their sixth straight. ''That was an embarrassment, and I apologize to our ownership and to our fans,'' Washington coach Randy Wittman said. ''I especially apologize to anyone who watched that entire game. I would have turned it off after the first five minutes.'' Jordan Crawford led Washington with 20 points, but no one else scored more than 10 points. ''This was a situation where we had some key guys out, which meant our other guys had a chance to step up and prove that they belong in the NBA,'' Wittman said in a postgame news conference that only lasted one question. ''That didn't happen. We may only have nine guys, but I need to find five of them who are willing to show me that they deserve to be here.'' Yahoo! Sports

Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Crawford, Randy Wittman 

“I’m not thinking like that,” Wall said, when asked if it would be better for him to sit out the entire season. “Hopefully the time I’ve taken off and the shots I got and the treatment I’ve been getting is helping me get healthy so I can play basketball this season. You don’t want to miss a whole season. If it comes to it, you have to, but I’m trying not to think that far ahead.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

It’s been a difficult few months for Wall, having to watch from the sideline while Washington stumbled to a franchise-worst 3-18 start. He knows fans are looking to him to provide some type of rescue for this ailing team, but knows he can’t put too much pressure on himself when he does return. “I don’t think I have to be heroic,” Wall said, “but I’m still going to have to play at a certain time limit whenever I come back, because I’m not going to be fully in the best of shape.” Washington Times

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

“Doctors confuse me sometimes,” Wittman said. “I sprain my ankle, and they say it’s going to be two to four weeks. How do you know it’s going to be two to four weeks? It just depends on how you heal and stuff. Some people heal quicker, some don’t. It’s frustrating.” Washington Times

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries, Randy Wittman 

Wall also won’t know what he can really do on the basketball court until his latest Synvisc injection, received last Friday in New York, settles in the next few days. He said he still needs the swelling and pain in his knee to subside before he goes full tilt. Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

On the temptation to sit out the entire season: “I’m not thinking like that. Hopefully with the time I’ve taken off the and the shots I got and the treatment I’ve been getting is helping me get healthy so I can play basketball this season. You don’t want to miss a whole season. If it comes to it you have to but I’m trying not to think that far ahead.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

On similarities with knee injury that cost Blake Griffin his rookie season: “He broke his knee cap…I was in the beginning stage of breaking my knee cap. It was lucky I caught it before it broke and I would already know what my timetable was, of missing the whole season. And then I had a little bit of cartilage problem underneath my knee cap. That’s kind of rough, so.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Wall hasn’t played this season because of a stress injury to his left knee, but he has been cleared to “ramp up his activity” by Dr. David Altchek, who examined him Friday. After his teammates left the court, Washington’s third-year point guard did something else he hasn’t done recently. He talked with reporters. “It’s been very tough for me because I want to play basketball,” Wall said. “[It’s the] first time I’ve really been injured, sitting out a long time. But [I’m] just trying to stay strong. When you have the opportunity to hear some type of good news I got more like a smile on my face, a little bit.” Washington Times

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Reporter: You were cleared to resume some activity. Can you tell us what kind of activity you've resumed? John Wall: I was doing a little bit of shooting before some games, before I got back and got re-evaluated. So it's kind of wait-and-see what I can get back to doing. Bullets Forever

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries