JaVale McGee News

Andrew Blatche , JaVale McGee and the Wizards had few highlights during Saturday's 92-76 loss to Charlotte at home.

After getting banished to the bench for a five-game stretch following a lack of consistent effort and energy, Wizards second-year center JaVale McGee appears to be earning the trust of coach Flip Saunders.

No, that's not a mistake. The Wizards played very good, tough defense tonight against the Miami Heat .

After Abe Pollin's passing last Tuesday, I began to think about Ted Leonsis , owner of the Washington Capitals and a likely candidate to take over as owner of the Washington Wizards.

Antawn Jamison had 32 points and 14 rebounds to lead Washington past the Philadelphia 76ers 108-107 on Tuesday night, hours after the death of Wizards owner Abe Pollin.

Since training camp started this NBA season, Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas has been a changed man.

The two-time All-Star power forward, who in the past two seasons has led the Wizards in both scoring and rebounding, missed the last two weeks of the preseason and all nine of the Wizards ' regular-season games with a partially dislocated right shoulder.

If you're looking for a sign that the Wizards can be really special, just take a look at how Washington was able to build an 18 point lead early in 2nd quarter.

The Wizards announced Friday they have picked up their options for next season on Nick Young and JaVale McGee .

It's true that a large reason last night's game against the Miami Heat was so frustrating was the outcome.

LeBron James scored 27 points, Shaquille O'Neal added a season-high 21 while wearing out Washington's big men and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight, beating the Wizards 102-90 on Tuesday night.

Let's get a couple of things straight about last night: That was the Andray Blatche that we've been waiting for all of these years.

Gilbert Arenas scored 32 points, including a halfcourt buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter, Andray Blatche scored a career-high 30, and the Washington Wizards overcame the absence of both of their regular starting forwards Saturday night in a 123-104 win over the New Jersey Nets.

For about four minutes Friday night, it appeared the wizardry Flip Saunders and Co.

28, 2009, in Washington. Browse more photos>> The Wizards just sent a press release out announcing that they have picked up the 2010/11 options on Nick Young and JaVale McGee .

Gilbert Arenas dazzled in his team's season-opening 102-91 win over the Mavericks in Dallas.

The Wizards concluded their final practice before the regular season debut in Dallas on Tuesday and Coach Flip Saunders announced that the team would enter the year with 15 players, meaning that longshot big man Paul Davis was able to hold on.

Josh Smith won't hide his ambitions this year. Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Hawks guard Jeff Teague blocks a pass by Wizards guard Mike James during final period.

The only positives that can be taken from this game? Nobody else got hurt and the preseason is finally, mercifully, over.

When the Washington Wizards were in training camp in the first week of October, new coach Flip Saunders praised his players' intensity and effectiveness and said they were making it hard for him to settle on his eight- to nine-man rotation.