The recent Kobe for Gilbert trade rumors (shot down yesterday by Ernie Grunfeld — not that that means anything) should give you an indication that the Washington Wizards are at a crossroads season in regards to the franchise’s future. Gilbert Arenas has gone on record saying he will opt out of his contract at the end of the season and Antawn Jamison is in the final year of his deal. Something’s got to give…

Good morning, Washington. Feeling alright? We just thought we’d ask — there are two heart-trouble-related stories in the news today, and it’s gotten us a little superstitious. First, Senator John Warner is in the hospital undergoing procedures to correct an atrial fibrillation that manifested itself yesterday morning (it sounds like he’ll be fine). Second, Etan Thomas missed the first day of Wizards training camp due to a newly-detected cardiac irregularity. There’s no word yet…

A scant 21 days remain until my favorite day of the entire year, the NBA draft. And while Cleveland and San Antonio start the NBA finals tonight (9:00 p.m. on ABC), the rest of the league, including the Washington Wizards, are firmly entrenched in the off season. What’s in store for Team Zero? Let’s take a look. The Wizards have roughly $38 million in guaranteed salaries committed to the core of the team next…

A tumultuous weekend for the Washington Wizards took an unexpected turn for the worse on Sunday when All-Star Caron Butler fractured his right hand in a 121-107 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bulter was trying to contest a dunk by Ruben Patterson and hit his hand on the backboard. His availability for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs is very much in doubt at this point. “Caron is going to be…

Forget any anger and antipathy you may have felt towards David Stern and ABC for their draconian TV policy. Trust me, you should be happy this game was blacked out locally. If you didn’t see Sunday’s disappointing 94-73 Wizards loss to Portland, you didn’t miss much. Despite his threats, Gilbert Arenas didn’t score 50 points. Not even close. The Wizards as a team didn’t break 50 until the fourth quarter. The team played lackadaisically…

FRIDAY: >> This weekend is filled to the brim with events surrounding the 2007 Urban Film Series tour just in time for Black History Month. Dozens of short and feature-length films addressing the black experience are being screened at Regal Cinema Gallery Place, many with panel discussions following. There’s a bevy of established and rising talent to see, but our pick for Friday has to be a conversation and book-signing with the Wizard’s own center…

After last Friday’s win in Orlando and upcoming games this week against the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons, Saturday night’s game at the Verizon Center against the banged up Boston Celtics had all the characteristics of a trap game. The Celtics were without Paul Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak and Tony Allen, among others, and losers of seven of their last eight games. Should be easy pickings, right? Well, almost. The Wiz built up a big…

The Wizards absolutely crushed the Memphis Grizzlies last night at the Verizon Center in the most one-sided NBA game we’ve witnessed in a while. D.C. exploded to a 45-18 lead in the first quarter, and set a new Verizon Center record by scoring 77 in the first half. Gilbert Arenas took his new Kobe-inspired mantra of “quality shots” seriously, scoring his 31 points on just 13 field goal attempts in 33 minutes. Thanks to injuries…

Of all the rivalries in recent sports history, few have been as one-sided as the Wizards’ struggles against their Southeast Division antagonists, the Miami Heat. Indeed, it’s not clear you can even call it a rivalry, since in actual rivalries both sides sometimes win. D.C.’s hoopsters, by contrast, have been losing for a long time now. Sixteen straight games, including a four-game sweep in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and sweeps of the regular season…

Written by DCist contributor Matthew Yglesias Wizards fans in the Verizon Center for last Sunday’s overtime loss to the Nets could smell victory as the Nets were forced to try and in-bound the ball facing a three-point deficit with only 2.7 seconds remaining on the regulation clock. Odor turned to palpable taste as guard Vince Carter launched a long shot on a short-arced trajectory that couldn’t possibly fall in. And, indeed, the shot slammed into…