Washington Wizards Wiretap

Wizards To Retire 'Earl The Pearl' Monroe's Uniform No. 10

Washington Wizards' Owners Abe and Irene Pollin and the Washington Wizards' organization will retire legendary Baltimore Bullet Earl Monroe’s uniform number 10. Monroe’s number will officially be retired in a special halftime ceremony on Saturday, December 1st when the Wizards host the Toronto Raptors. December 1st will also mark the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Verizon Center which hosted its first NBA game on December 2, 1997.

“This is a great honor,” said Monroe. “I was drafted by the Bullets, and it was in Baltimore where I started my professional career. It was four great years with a lot of fond memories. It was a wonderful experience. My four years with the Bullets set the tone for the rest of my career, and now it brings me full circle with my number being retired.”

Monroe, who was drafted by the Bullets out of Winston-Salem State University with the second overall pick in the first round of the 1967 NBA Draft, was dubbed ‘Earl The Pearl’ during his playing career. As a Baltimore Bullet, he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1968 after averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his first professional season.

In four-plus seasons as a Bullet, Monroe averaged 23.7 points per game, and alongside Bullets' legends like Wes Unseld, Gus Johnson, Jack Marin and Kevin Loughery, Monroe and the Bullets advanced to the 1970-71 NBA Finals. His then-franchise record of 56 points in a single game (2/13/68 vs. LA Lakers) stood for nearly four decades until Gilbert Arenas edged Monroe with 60 points at Los Angeles on December 17, 2006. In Monroe’s four full seasons in Baltimore (1967-68 through 1970-71), he led the Bullets in points and assists each season.

Monroe was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1990 and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. His uniform #10 will join Wes Unseld’s #41, Elvin Hayes’ #11 and Gus Johnson’s #25 among the franchise’s retired numbers.

Via RealGM Staff Report


In Battle Of Double Triple-Doubles, Warriors Get The Better Of Wizards

In a rare instance of double triple-doubles, Baron Davis and the Warriors got the better of Caron Butler and the Wizards.

Davis had 33 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, and Golden State beat Washington 123-115 on Friday night, ending the Wizards' six-game winning streak.

Butler, coming off a career-high 39-point effort Wednesday, did his best to keep Washington unbeaten without sidelined Gilbert Arenas, but it wasn't quite enough. Butler finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Davis and Butler are the first pair of opponents with triple-doubles in the same game in more than 4 1/2 years. Orlando's Tracy McGrady and New Jersey's Jason Kidd did it on Feb. 23, 2003.

Via Yahoo.com


Arenas Reiterates Desire To Re-Sign

Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas said yesterday he still wants to re-sign with the Wizards next summer after he opts out of his contract, and he believes the team is good enough to make the playoffs without him in the lineup for the next three months.

"If everything goes like it's supposed to, I'm going to re-sign here," Arenas said in a telephone interview. "If everything goes well I'm going to re-sign. We're going to build something, and hopefully my number one day will go up in the rafters."

The Wizards (6-5) can offer Arenas more money than any other team.

Via The Washington Times


Wizards Nov 2007 Archive

  • Left Ankle Sprain Sidelines Haywood

    The big news Wednesday was that Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas is expected to miss at least three months after surgery to repair a torn left meniscus, but Washington also played without center Brendan Haywood against the Charlotte Bobcats.

  • Bobcats' Wallace Leaves Game With Head Injury

    Bobcats' forward Gerald Wallace left Wednesday's game against the Wizards with 38 seconds left in the second quarter after hitting his head on the backboard and landing awkwardly.

  • Arenas Out Three Months After Having Surgery

    Gilbert Arenas had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus and says he'll be out for three months.

  • Expected To Play, Arenas Misses 2nd Game In Row

    Washington Wizards' point guard Gilbert Arenas missed his second consecutive game Tuesday night, the latest setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

  • Arenas Sits Out Practice To Rest Knee

    Gilbert Arenas sat out practice Monday to rest his left knee, but the Washington Wizards expect him to play against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

  • Sore Knee Benches Wizards' Arenas Vs. Blazers

    Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas missed Saturday night's 109-90 win against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a sore left knee.

  • Wizards To Retire 'Earl The Pearl' Monroe's Uniform No. 10

    Washington Wizards' Owners Abe and Irene Pollin announced today that the Wizards will retire legendary Baltimore Bullet Earl Monroe’s uniform number 10.

  • Kidd Offers Arenas Advice

    "It was just a Hall of Famer giving some advice," Gilbert Arenas said of a conversation with Jason Kidd in Thursday night's game. "You have to listen to that."

  • Charges Against Wizards' Blatche Dropped

    Sexual solicitation charges against Andray Blatche have been dropped after the Washington Wizards' forward successfully completed "John School.

  • Wiz Coach Not Alarmed By Arenas' Knee Problems

    Even if Gilbert Arenas is having problems with his left knee, Washington Wizards' coach Eddie Jordan isn't quite ready to worry.

  • Arenas Has Knee Drained For Second Time In Three Weeks

    Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas had his surgically repaired left knee drained for the second time in three weeks Wednesday and missed a third consecutive practice.

  • Arenas: Rims Are Broken

    Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards are struggling so far this season, and in his blog he names a potential culprit.

  • Wizards Rest Arenas As Much As Possible

    The Washington Wizards are taking a cautious approach with Gilbert Arenas as he tries to bounce back from offseason knee surgery, and yesterday that meant practicing without the three-time all-star guard for the second straight afternoon.

  • Arenas Held To 10 Points As Wizards Fall To 0-3

    Gilbert Arenas was limited to 10 points as Washington's woes continued, and Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Magic to a 94-82 victory over the Wizards who are 0-3 for the first time since 1992.

  • Wizards' Pecherov Out Six Weeks With Broken Ankle

    Wizards' forward Oleksiy Pecherov will be sidelined six weeks because of a broken right ankle.

  • Garnett Does It All In Celtics' Debut

    Kevin Garnett walked off the court raising his right index finger to the cheering crowd.

  • Arenas Thinks Kobe Should Be Patient

    Gilbert Arenas has had his name surface in the Kobe Bryant rumor circle, but he doesn't understand why the Lakers' star wants out of Los Angeles.

  • Butler And Jamison Are Named Captains

    Washington Wizards' Coach Eddie Jordan named Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison the team's captains prior to Wednesday night's regular season opener at Indiana.