I love basketball. But I admit to being an elitist. Typically I’ll take the best players in the world over scrappy student athletes any day. But the past few months were a dark time. The NBA went through an infuriating lockout, pitting billionaire owners against millionaire players with little concern for the fans. Read full article > >

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To find up-close, affordable hoops action, college teams deliver

The Washington Wizards are off to their worst start in franchise history, and with each loss Coach Flip Saunders and his players find it harder to explain or excuse the struggles. They are the third-youngest team in the NBA, with an average age of 25.02, and eight players on the roster have less than three years of experience. But while youth and inexperience have contributed to Wizards’ 0-8 record, several scouts and league executives believe the problems run much deeper than the usual bumps that come from rebuilding. The Wizards, they argue, suffer from a lack of overall talent and a toxic culture of losing that has prohibited the growth of its developing players. Read full article > >

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Wizards’ woes stem from from lack of talent and losing culture, executives say

The bad news for Washington Wizards Coach Flip Saunders? At the moment, his job is not in jeopardy . That means while Washington area basketball fans avert their eyes from the winless Wizards, Saunders is stuck with his front-row seat for the foreseeable future. Saunders might very well be the wrong coach for a young team, half of whose players have less than two years of NBA experience. The problem, though, is this team isn’t right for anyone right now. Not Hall of Famers Phil Jackson or Pat Riley. Not even fictional miracle workers like Norman Dale of Hollywood’s “Hoosiers.” Read full article > >

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Washington Wizards: An embarrassment by design

The unfamiliar sights were in abundance as the Washington Wizards attempted to no longer be the NBA’s only winless team . But no amount of exuberance, extra effort and impassioned play could prevent them from an all-too-familiar result. New York Knicks all-star forward Carmelo Anthony gave Wizards reserve Trevor Booker an elbow to the face, then knocked down a decisive three-point shot with 15.9 seconds remaining as the Wizards lost, 99-96 , at Verizon Center. Read full article > >

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Wizards vs. Knicks: Carmelo Anthony’s 37 points, late three-pointer propel New York past Washington, 99-96

NEW ORLEANS — NBA Commissioner David Stern says his only consideration during trade talks concerning Chris Paul was getting the best deal for the New Orleans Hornets. Stern says he believes he’s succeeded with Wednesday night’s deal in which the Hornets traded Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Eric Gordon, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, center Chris Kaman and a first-round draft choice. Read full article > >

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Hornets send guard Chris Paul to Clippers for Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, draft pick

The Washington Wizards made Jan Vesely their top choice in the draft partly because of the speed and relentless aggression with which he attacked the rim for momentum-swinging dunks while playing in Europe. In the past week, the challenges of adapting to the NBA have been ambushing Vesely in similarly overwhelming fashion. Read full article > >

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Wizards draft choice Jan Vesely is adjusting on the fly

Faced with his first post-lockout test, NBA Commissioner David Stern failed. He crumbled under pressure. With the chance to deliver a game-winner, Stern missed an uncontested layup. Stern’s stunningly wrongheaded decision Thursday to reject the league-owned New Orleans Hornets ’ legitimate plans to trade point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers was a self-inflicted black eye as the NBA formally readied to return to work. In one misguided, cowardly move, Stern succeeded in hurting the Hornets and re-angering players still smarting over major concessions they made to help end the five-month lockout. At least Stern appeased all those hard-line, small-market owners. Read full article > >

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Chris Paul deal killed by David Stern’s small-mindedness

NEW ORLEANS — The NBA’s decision to reject a proposed trade involving All-Star guard Chris Paul set the stage for an awkward opening to training camps on Friday in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Houston. The NBA-owned Hornets thought they had worked out a three-team deal to send Paul to Los Angeles in a deal that also would have sent Lamar Odom to New Orleans and four-time All-Star Pau Gasol to Houston. Read full article > >

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Chris Paul trade: NBA won’t approve trade of Hornets All-Star to Lakers, denies owners killed deal

His roster remains one of the youngest in the league, and he is about to lead a team through a truncated season for the second time in his NBA career, but Washington Wizards Coach Flip Saunders is entering his third season with the franchise with more stability and continuity than ever before. Saunders is not trying to teach a new system to a group of obstinate veterans, as he did in his first year. He’s not trying to lead the first year of rebuilding effort around John Wall , while also placating the former face of the franchise, Gilbert Arenas , as he did in his second year. Read full article > >

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Wizards Coach Flip Saunders hoping for a playoff run

NBA commissioner David Stern says a “tentative understanding” has been reached to end the five-month lockout.

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NBA reach new deal to end lockout

NBA commissioner David Stern says a “tentative understanding” has been reached to end the five-month lockout.

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NBA reach new deal to end lockout

The NBA resumed lawsuit settlement talks on Friday at noon with the hopes of resolving the nearly five-month labor dispute in time to start a 66-game season by Christmas. Though the players’ union stopped existing when National Basketball Players’ Association filed a disclaimer of interest and disbanded in order to filed antitrust lawsuits against the NBA in California and Minnesota. Those lawsuits were consolidated into one on Monday and settlement negotiations were initiated a day later. Read full article > >

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NBA owners, players resume settlement talks on Black Friday

The NBA ’s more than four-month long labor dispute effectively moved from debates in plush hotels to arguments in a courthouse when the players’ union disbanded in an effort to file an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA. And on Tuesday, players hit the league with separate antitrust complaints in Minnesota and the Northern District of California in an effort to prove that the lockout is illegal. Read full article > >

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NBA players file two antitrust suits against league; David Stern calls decision ‘a sham’

NBA officials and player representatives met Wednesday afternoon in New York and talked until about 1 a.m. Thursday, but walked out of a Manhattan hotel after 12 hours of negotiations without an agreement and no indication that a deal was close at hand. The sides agreed to resume talks at noon Thursday. NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher cautioned that “we can’t say there was significant progress made.” Both declined to provide details of the discussions. Read full article > >

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NBA and union meet for 12 hours, break without agreement to end lockout

NBA officials and player representatives met Wednesday afternoon in New York and talked until about 1 a.m. Thursday, but walked out of a Manhattan hotel after 12 hours of negotiations without an agreement and no indication that a deal was close at hand. The sides agreed to resume talks at noon Thursday. NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher cautioned that “we can’t say there was significant progress made.” Both declined to provide details of the discussions. Read full article > >

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NBA and union meet for 12 hours, break without agreement to end lockout