randy wittman

As the Washington Wizards opened training camp Tuesday at the university's two-year-old basketball home in Baltimore County, players and even coach Randy Wittman reminisced about those halcyon days when they only had to worry about classes and basketball.

After eight years as a basketball vagabond that took him from Turkey to the NBA Finals, Gary Neal will cherish a rare opportunity to revisit his roots this week.

The Washington Wizards and free-agent swingman Alan Anderson, formerly of the Brooklyn Nets, have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract.

After going undrafted Thursday, Dez Wells' agent said the Wizards called him three times to express interest in the shooting guard.

Wells still is unlikely to be picked in the two-round draft June 25 but it seems his chances improve each time he steps on a practice court for an NBA team.

The Washington Wizards proved they can beat the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks without John Wall on Saturday night, and they're likely going to have to do it again in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series tonight.

The Washington Wizards' John Wall is the first player drafted by the franchise to be voted a starter in the All-Star Game since Earl Monroe

Pittsburgh has suspended junior forward Durand Johnson (Lake Clifton) for the entire season for undisclosed reasons, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

After spending much of eight seasons coaching doomed teams, Wittman is finally overseeing a roster primed to win.

The Wizards returned to Baltimore on Monday night to play against the New Orleans Pelicans at the newly renamed Royal Farms Arena, and it seemed like the memories came flooding back more than the fans came storming into the antiquated venue.

The expectations have been raised, perhaps higher than they've been in a decade. The roster has been bolstered, with the additions of aging superstar Paul Pierce and blue-collar power forward DeJuan Blair. Are the Washington Wizards for real, or was last season just a nasty tease for the team's long-suffering fans?

All Otto Porter Jr. and Glen Rice Jr. could do last season was sit, watch and wait. T

This past season, Jerelle Benimon and Davon Usher battled on the court as rivals, playing for the top two teams in the Colonial Athletic Association. Now they're both trying to latch on with NBA teams.

The Washington Wizards are close to reaching an agreement with coach Randy Wittman that will allow him to build upon the franchise's surprising playoff run, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

"I don't know if we ran out of gas or what, but we didn't have the same confidence .. to try to increase the lead," Drew Gooden said.

Paul George scored a game-high 39 points, 28 in the second half, to help the Pacers take a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.

Bradley Beal scored a game-high 25 points and Trevor Ariza had 22 as the Wizards won their fourth straight road game in the playoffs and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"I take what they are giving to me," said Nene, who is averaging a team-best 20.5 points on 63.3 percent shooting in the first two games.

Marcin Gortat knew he wasn't going to be in Phoenix long the moment the rebuilding Suns drafted former Maryland center Alex Len fifth overall in June, but that didn't make any less startling the news he had been traded to the Washington Wizards.

Forward Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points to lead the Knicks to a 98-89 preseason win over the Wizards in his return to his hometown.

Erik Etherly knows he probably won't get an opportunity like this again. Most analysts have him going undrafted in next week's NBA draft.

His return was somewhat unexpected and his contributions were greatly accepted, but after making his season debut Wednesday night, Nene was dejected. All season, the Washington Wizards big man had to be the one to console his distressed teammates after disappointing losses, providing encouraging words to keep them motivated.

Shirtless, John Wall crouched and dribbled a basketball above his head with his right hand and another low to the ground with his left hand. Unable to keep the routine together as he reached half-court, Wall grunted as he lost control, started over, and tried the exercise once again.