WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards point guard John Wall says he is not sure whether he will be able to play next season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.Wall spoke to reporters at halftime of the Wizards' last regular-season game Tuesday night.He said his goal is to return next season, "but whenever the doctors clear me and get to that point, then I will know."Wall appeared in only 32 games this season, averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 assists, before having an operation on his left heel in January. Then he ruptured his tendon in a fall at home in February.Wall said he will rehab his Achilles in Miami during the offseason.The five-time All-Star was wearing a gray walking boot on his left foot and lower leg."It's my job to get myself back to where I think I can be," he said.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ernie Grunfeld was fired as president of the Washington Wizards after 16 seasons in charge of the team, and owner Ted Leonsis said he will oversee a "reboot."Grunfeld's dismissal was announced with four games left in a disappointing, no-playoffs season that began with Leonsis setting a goal of 50 wins, something the franchise last accomplished in the 1970s.Instead, Washington is 32-46 and in 11th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference. So Grunfeld is gone, after sticking around through years of fans' complaints about him."Each year that he worked for me, we sat down and said: 'What are our expectations. What are our goals?' And we're very, very thoughtful and mindful and spend a lot of time on what the goal should be. We set that up this year and we didn't meet them and so that's what happened this year," Leonsis said."We entered the year with the fourth-highest payroll in the league. We could end up with the fourth-worst record in the league," he said. "There's a misalignment... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ernie Grunfeld was fired as president of the Washington Wizards on Tuesday after 16 seasons in charge of the team.The Wizards announced his dismissal with four games left in a disappointing, no-playoffs season.Washington is 32-46 and in 11th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference."We did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs this season," owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement issued by the Wizards, "and, despite playing with injuries to several key players, we have a culture of accountability and a responsibility of managing to positive outcomes."Point guard John Wall and center Dwight Howard both missed most of the season, and forward Markieff Morris also was injured before getting traded.The club went 568-724 during Grunfeld's tenure, including eight postseason appearances.But Washington never made it past the second round of the playoffs and never won at least 50 games in a season, despite having All-Stars such as Wall, Bradley Beal, Gilbert Arenas,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ernie Grunfeld has been fired as president of the Washington Wizards after 16 seasons in charge of the team.The Wizards announced his dismissal on Tuesday with four games left in a disappointing, no-playoffs season.Washington is 32-46 and in 11th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference.The club went 568-724 during Grunfeld's tenure with eight postseason appearances. But Washington never made it past the second round of the playoffs.Owner Ted Leonsis said the Wizards "did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs." He also noted that the team dealt with "injuries to several key players" — most notably, John Wall.Tommy Sheppard will take over Grunfeld's duties for now and will be a candidate to replace him permanently.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall has a history of trying to play through pain. His latest setback is forcing the Washington Wizards guard to take a different approach."I guess God is telling me something," Wall said Friday night about the ruptured Achilles tendon that will force him to miss at least the majority of the 2019-20 season. "To sit down and get yourself fully healthy. I've played through injuries my whole career. I know a lot of people who played through injuries and don't sit down. That's one thing I don't like to do. If something that's nagging or not broken, I want to play. I guess it kind of caught up to me."Wall was already out for the season after having surgery to repair bone spurs in his left heel. The rupture in his tendon was discovered by a team doctor during a follow-up procedure to clean out an infection. His recovery time has been estimated at 11 to 15 months."I didn't want to hear it," Wall said of the diagnosis. "I'm kind of glad it happened now instead of when I'm... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is gone. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker, Portis and a protected 2023 second-round pick."I know what he's capable of doing," the Wizards' Bradley Beal said. "He has the ability to go lead a young team now, so I know he'll do well there, or wherever he may end up. We'll welcome Bobby and Jabari and just keep moving forward."The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago dropped to 12-42 with Wednesday night's 125-120... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is gone. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker and Portis. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.The Athletic first reported the trade.The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago dropped to 12-42 with Wednesday night's 125-120 loss to New Orleans.Porter had joined Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal to form a young nucleus of lottery... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Washington Wizards decided they needed to shake things up with All-Star point guard John Wall out for the season.Otto Porter Jr. is out. Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis are in.Washington traded Porter to the struggling Chicago Bulls on Wednesday for Parker and Portis. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.The Athletic first reported the trade.The Wizards changed up their front court in the aftermath of the news that Wall needs surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is expected to miss much — if not all — of next season. Wall already was sidelined for the rest of this season because of an operation on his left heel.The trade also ends a failed experiment for the Bulls after Parker signed a $40 million, two-year contract with his hometown team. Chicago entered Wednesday's game against New Orleans with a 12-41 record and 15 losses in 17 games.Porter had joined Wall and shooting guard... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Already done for this season after one operation, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall now will miss most — if not all — of next season, too, because he needs surgery on his left Achilles tendon, which he tore in a fall at home.Wizards team doctor Wiemi Douoguih said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters that he discovered the partial rupture of the tendon during a procedure done Monday to address an infection from the operation on Wall's left heel on Jan. 8.The 28-year-old Wall's Achilles surgery has not been scheduled yet. Douoguih said it probably will be next week.Wall, whose game is built around his speed and ability to drive to the basket, is expected to be able to return to what the team called "full basketball activities" about a year after that operation. Douoguih estimated the recovery range for Wall's injury, "at John's age," to be from 11 to 15 months.There is no way to know what sort of player Wall will be when he returns, Douoguih said."Unfortunately,"... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards say point guard John Wall will be sidelined for more than another year because he ruptured his left Achilles tendon while slipping and falling at home.The team said Tuesday that Wall's surgery has not been scheduled. He is expected to be able to return to full basketball activities about a year after the operation.The rupture was discovered by a team doctor during a procedure to clean out an infection that developed after surgery on Wall's left heel in January.Wall averaged 20.7 points and 8.7 assists in 32 games this season.He played in only 41 last season, when he had an operation on his left knee. Wall also had surgery on both knees in 2016.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Imagine this: Kevin Durant is out of bounds by an enormous margin, all three referees somehow miss the obvious infraction and Golden State winds up getting a basket that it didn't deserve to take the lead with a few seconds remaining.It seemed implausible.That is, until it happened.When such a scene played out last week in the Houston-Golden State overtime thriller, James Harden kept a ton of egg from landing on the NBA's face when he connected on a 3-pointer to give the Rockets a win in a game they would have screamed bloody murder about otherwise. But what if he missed? Or worse, if a call that big got missed in Game 7 of the NBA Finals?"How do you miss that?" TNT analyst Reggie Miller mused while watching the Durant replay.An obvious question, with an obvious answer: It's time for a change.Everyone in the NBA replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey that night surely saw Durant standing out of bounds. But there is no mechanism for the replay crews to trigger a review of such a play — since,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards power forward Markieff Morris will miss at least six weeks with a neck injury, the latest setback in a difficult season for one of the NBA's most disappointing teams.The Wizards announced Thursday that Morris was examined by a doctor after dealing with neck and upper back stiffness since getting hit on the chin during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 16. Morris left that game at halftime with what the Wizards said then was a neck strain.He now will be limited to non-contact basketball activities for the next 1½ months. The Wizards are scheduled to play 20 games in that span.The 29-year-old Morris has never appeared in fewer than the 63 games he played in during his rookie season back in 2011-12.The Wizards already were without All-Star point guard John Wall for the rest of this season because he needs an operation on his left heel and Achilles tendon, and they're also currently missing center Dwight Howard, who is expected to be out for... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards say forward Markieff Morris will miss at least six weeks with a neck injury, the latest setback for one of the NBA's most disappointing teams.The Wizards announced Thursday that Morris was examined by a doctor in Dallas after dealing with neck and upper back stiffness since getting hit on the chin during a game on Dec. 16.He will be limited to non-contact basketball activities for the next 1½ months. That would mean sitting out a minimum of 20 games.The Wizards already are without point guard John Wall for the rest of the season and are currently missing center Dwight Howard, both because of injuries.Only four teams in the Eastern Conference own a worse record than Washington's 15-23 mark.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Washington point guard John Wall will have season-ending surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel, the latest blow to the reeling Wizards.The Wizards announced Saturday night that the five-time All-Star will undergo the surgery in Green Bay, Wisconsin sometime in the next few days. Wall was told earlier Saturday that surgery was the best option, and he and the team conferred hours later before a final decision was made."I've been with him for almost three years," Washington coach Scott Brooks said Saturday before the Wizards hosted Charlotte. "He's as tough as they come. He never complained. He wanted to compete for his team, but it got to a point where he had to make some tough decisions. And that's why he met with a specialist."Wall has yet to address the surgical option publicly. He walked through the Wizards' locker room Saturday night with a gray protective boot on his left foot. The Wizards tried to manage his pain situation by limiting him in some practices and shootarounds,... [More]

Washington point guard John Wall has been told that he needs surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel, a procedure that would keep the five-time All-Star sidelined for at least six months.Wizards coach Scott Brooks said it is "likely" that Wall will have the surgery, though the team's medical staff was still collecting information and going through all possible options with their point guard before finalizing any decision. The Wizards were at home for a game with Charlotte on Saturday night."I've been with him for almost three years," Brooks said. "He's as tough as they come. He never complained. He wanted to compete for his team, but it got to a point where he had to make some tough decisions. And that's why he met with a specialist."Wall has yet to address the surgical option publicly. He walked through the Wizards' locker room Saturday night with a gray protective boot on his left foot. The Wizards tried to manage his pain situation by limiting him in some practices and shootarounds,... [More]

Washington point guard John Wall has been told that he needs surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel, a procedure that would keep the five-time All-Star sidelined for at least six months.Wizards coach Scott Brooks said it is "likely" that Wall will have the surgery, though the team's medical staff was still collecting information and going through all possible options with their point guard before finalizing any decision. The Wizards were at home for a game with Charlotte on Saturday night."I've been with him for almost three years," Brooks said. "He's as tough as they come. He never complained. He wanted to compete for his team, but it got to a point where he had to make some tough decisions. And that's why he met with a specialist."Wall went to Wisconsin to see Green Bay Packers associate team physician Dr. Robert Anderson on Saturday. Surgery and other options were discussed at that meeting with Anderson, who is considered an elite doctor when it comes to athletes dealing with... [More]

A person with knowledge of the situation says Washington point guard John Wall has been told that he needs surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel, a procedure that would keep the five-time All-Star sidelined for at least six months.The person says Wall learned of the surgery diagnosis Saturday. The person spoke to The Associated Press Saturday on condition of anonymity because neither Wall nor the Wizards have publicly disclosed the diagnosis. It remains unclear when Wall will have the surgery, which would be season-ending.Wall played in 32 of Washington's 36 games this season entering Saturday, averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 assists. But the Wizards have struggled, with the 24th-best record in the 30-team NBA to this point.Wall was limited to 41 games last season, mostly because of surgery on his left knee. He also underwent surgeries on both knees in 2016.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall is out for the Washington Wizards' game Friday night against Chicago due to a left heel injury, and coach Scott Brooks says the point guard will see a specialist.Brooks would not speculate on the severity of the injury. He says Wall has managed an issue with his heel for years and "it comes and goes."Wall is averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 assists per game. He missed a game with an injury to his heel Dec. 10.Tomas Satoransky will start in place of Wall.Otto Porter is out for the ninth consecutive game with a bruised right knee. Brooks said he is improving and nearing a return. Forward Markieff Morris is also out with a neck injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall is out for the Washington Wizards' game Friday night against Chicago due to a left heel injury, and coach Scott Brooks says the point guard will see a specialist.Brooks would not speculate on the severity of the injury. He says Wall has managed an issue with his heel for years and "it comes and goes."Wall is averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 assists per game. He missed a game with an injury to his heel Dec. 10.Tomas Satoransky will start in place of Wall.Otto Porter is out for the ninth consecutive game with a bruised right knee. Brooks said he is improving and nearing a return. Forward Markieff Morris is also out with a neck injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is missing Saturday night's game against the Phoenix Suns because of flu-like symptoms.Wall was ruled out shortly before the 7 p.m. tipoff. He did not participate in Washington's morning shootaround.Tomas Satoransky is starting in place of the five-time All Star. Forward Markieff Morris also is dealing with an illness but will play, according to coach Scott Brooks.Wall entered Saturday averaging 21.2 points and 8.9 assists for the Wizards, who have lost six of seven.He has missed three games this season, sitting out on Dec. 5 because of personal reasons and on Dec. 10 with bone spurs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports