When Eddie Jordan was coaching the Wizards, he always told his players that the injury to one simply opened up an opportunity for someone else to step up.

This is where Javaris Crittenton finds himself.

With DeShawn Stevenson out for at least the next two weeks, now is the time for Crittenton to show folks what he's capable of.

"I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things a little bit now," said Crittenton, who played a season-high 21 minutes when the Celtics dismantled the Wizards last week. "I'm trying to practice hard because you are going to play the way that you practice when you get called on. My time is going to come and when it does I want to be ready to make a contribution."

Crittenton finished that game with five points, four rebounds and...

Everywhere Caron Butler looks, he finds reason for optimism. Huh? His Washington Wizards are 7-25 and last in an Eastern Conference where no other team has fewer than 12 victories. Still, consider what's been happening lately: -- Gilbert Arenas is showing "signs of progress," interim coach Ed Tapscott said Monday, as the three-time All-Star point guard works his way back from a third operation on...

Was it a walk? LeBron James wants the NBA to take a closer look at what he calls his "crab dribble." The move, James insists, does not constitute traveling. A referee disagreed Sunday. James was whistled for taking an extra step while driving for a potential tying layup with 2.3 seconds left, and his Cleveland Cavaliers lost 80-77 to the Eastern Conference-worst Washington Wizards despite wiping out...

Road-weary Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics couldn't miss on their comfortable homecourt. Especially against the lowly Washington Wizards. Behind Pierce's 26 points and nearly perfect shooting, the team with the best record in the NBA roared back from a rough road trip and beat the team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference 108-83 on Friday night.

Chris Paul's three triple-doubles in the first two months of the season have impressed, but not surprised, his teammates. "He's one of the best point guards ever to grace this game," Hornets shooting guard Rasual Butler said. "He's the ultimate talent." Paul had 15 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, tying a franchise record with his seventh career triple-double, and New Orleans beat the Washington...

Caron Butler was out, Antawn Jamison was hurting and the lowly Washington Wizards were still able to beat the Houston Rockets on Monday night. Jamison scored a season-high 30 points, Andray Blatche added 16 points and eight rebounds and the Wizards snapped a five-game road losing streak with an 89-87 victory.

The Washington Wizards didn't care that they beat a team with only three wins. They were just happy they won at all. The Wizards beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-95 on Saturday night in a matchup of teams with the two worst records in the NBA. They broke an eight-game losing streak, their longest since 2001, with just their fifth win against 23 losses.

In a generous, gift-giving mood, the Cleveland Cavaliers nearly handed a precious win to one of the NBA's neediest teams. Down by seven points in the final minutes to woeful Washington and their home winning streak in serious jeopardy, the Cavaliers clamped down on defense, made their free throws and scored 11 straight points in the final 1:33 to beat the Wizards 93-89 Thursday night Mo Williams...

The Washington Wizards have had many identities. They started in Chicago as the Packers, then were called the Zephyrs. They moved to Baltimore as the Bullets, kept the name when they went to Washington, then started calling themselves the Wizards a decade ago. But until Tuesday night they had never been this bad, not by any name.