Injuries to Josh Smith and Al Horford left Marvin Williams as the only healthy starter on Atlanta’s front line. Williams moved from small forward to power forward and showed he can play big when needed. Williams hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 26 seconds left and matched his career high with 14 rebounds, and the Hawks overcame Caron Butler’s 32-point effort to beat the Washington Wizards 91-87 on…

Court Awareness: Wednesday review
Blazers fans finally got an up-close look at Greg Oden. And he didn’t disappoint. Andrew Ungvari reviews Wednesday’s games.NBA/~4/459933423″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Arenas: Last could be ‘for the better’ for Wizards
Gilbert Arenas is already thinking about the possibility of a last-place finish for his Washington Wizards - and finding the silver lining. With Arenas still working his way back from a third knee operation in 1 1/2 years, the Wizards are off to a 1-8 start heading into their game Friday against the Houston Rockets.NBA/~4/460079494″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Gilbert Arenas immortalized in wax (Yahoo! Sports)
Photo update: Here they are, Agent Wax and Agent Zero … Injured Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, for reasons…

Nets no match in LeBron derby, either
Nets fans who watched LeBron James torch their team Tuesday shouldn’t count on landing him in 2010, Jay Greenberg says.NBA/~4/458944353″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yes, the Wizards would not have won with game without the young Choppa, but my game MVP is none…

Yes, the Wizards would not have won with game without the young Choppa, but my game MVP is none other than Antawn Jamison.

It’s been a rough stretch for Mark Cuban
The Mavs stink. MLB is blackballing him. And the SEC is on his case. Kevin Hench is almost sorry for billionaire Mark Cuban. Almost.NBA/~4/456564579″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

A ‘Major’ recovery

Renaldo Major figures it will take him at least a couple of weeks to get back to 100 percent, but his familiar smile was in midseason form as the Dakota Wizards began their first day of practices on Monday.

MVP watch: Kahn’s Top 10 so far
Is Paul Pierce the best player in the world? No. But he just might be the MVP. Mike Kahn lists his Top 10 early candidates.NBA/~4/456267550″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

NBA Power Poll: Ranking teams, sizing up rookies (SportingNews.com)
After Anthony Morrow put up 37 points in his first start for the Warriors, it only seemed right to take a closer look at the rookies in this week’s Power Poll.

Celtics, others may be interested in Marbury
NBA Player’s Association attorney Hal Biagas is expected to resume Stephon Marbury buyout talks with Knicks president Donnie Walsh Wednesday or Thursday, with a possibility of a formal proposal coming by week’s end, according to a person familiar with the situation.NBA/~4/457716707″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

T-Mac practices day after re-injuring knee
Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier practiced with the team for the first time on Tuesday, but Ron Artest and Yao Ming skipped the workout after leaving Monday’s win over Oklahoma City with sprained ankles. Tracy McGrady also practiced Tuesday after re-aggravating his sore left knee in Monday’s game. McGrady was going to have an MRI on the knee, but decided with team officials that the test was unnecessary and practiced instead.NBA/~4/457757518″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Wizards Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

One of the many problems facing the Wizards at this early juncture of the season is that they are going to be short at the center position for the rest of the season.

There are plenty of big men on the roster—Andray Blatche is 6-11 and Etan Thomas is 6-10—but they really aren’t centers and this makes the absence of injured Brendan Haywood even more glaring.

Thomas, coming back off of heart surgery, will likely continue to start in the middle but he’s really a power forward. And even though Blatche has the length to be a center he prefers to play either forward spot as opposed to the pivot.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is going to stick with Thomas as his starter for now because he likes to have experience on the floor at the start of games, but the…

BDL NBA Power Rankings: Shattered dreams, broken promises (Yahoo! Sports)
The BDL NBA Power Rankings combine two parts Chivas Regal with one part flippant observation to create the most…

Wade misses practice with sprained ankle
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade sat out practice Monday to get treatment on a sprained right ankle. Wade, the NBA’s second-leading scorer at 27.9 points per game, is listed as a game-time decision in Miami’s matchup in Washington on Tuesday. He has played through similar slight sprains in the past. Wade got hurt during the third quarter of Sunday’s 107-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors, but was able to complete the game.NBA/~4/456541760″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Yes, the Wizards would not have won with game without the young Choppa, but my game MVP is none…

Yes, the Wizards would not have won with game without the young Choppa, but my game MVP is none other than Antawn Jamison.

Rookie equals Jordan mark as Bulls top Pacers
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Washington’s Caron Butler, left, grimaces after being cut on the eye by Orlando’s Mickael Pietrus on Saturday.

Power Poll: Point guard play makes big difference (SportingNews.com)
Mo Williams has upgraded the Cavaliers‘ offense and moved the team into the top 5 of this week’s poll.

Mason, Hill build rapport in Spurs’ new-look backcourt

Mason is an avid reader of Architectural Digest magazine, and studied the subject while at the University of Virginia.

Cavs clamp down on defense, win 6th straight
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Court Awareness: Thursday review
After watching another LeBron vs. Carmelo showdown, Matthew Petersen says it’s time to quit comparing the two.NBA/~4/453222369″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Report: Knicks, Marbury discuss breakup details
Exiled Stephon Marbury was summoned Thursday morning to a 45-minute meeting with Knicks president Donnie Walsh at the team’s Westchester headquarters, and the sides held preliminary discussions about a buyout, two sources told The New York Post.NBA/~4/453014220″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Wizards winless no more after beating Jazz 95-87 (AP)

This was, remember, Game 6 of 82, an early step in a long journey. Yet there was Caron Butler, near center court, animatedly pulling off his jersey and waving it at the final horn, celebrating a victory as though it truly meant a lot to him. Moments earlier, as Butler and fellow All-Star Antawn Jamison were combining for 20 fourth-quarter points, there were their Washington Wizards teammates, up…

Pierce’s clutch jumper hands Hawks first defeat
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Maybe it’s because they know they made the playoffs after an 0-5 start last season. Maybe it’s because they know they have two past All-Stars in the starting lineup and figure a third, Gilbert Arenas, eventually will return. Maybe it’s because they know they can’t possibly continue to lose and lose and lose, over and over and over again.

Minus Agent Zero, Wizards have zero in win column

Maybe it’s because they know they made the playoffs after an 0-5 start last season.

Lakers’ energetic defense earns an ugly win
Kobe and the Lakers‘ pestering halfcourt defense and board work helped them win ugly over the Mavs Tuesday, Charley Rosen says.NBA/~4/450350912″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Utah Jazz (6-1) at Washington Wizards (0-5),

The injury-riddled Washington Wizards try and find the win column for the first time Wednesday when they welcome the Utah Jazz to the Verizon Center.

Nets offer free tickets, job fair to unemployed fans
Plenty of sports teams have given away bobblehead dolls, caps and seat cushions. But the New Jersey Nets are trying to do more for their fans in these hard economic times: Get them jobs. The Nets announced Wednesday they are providing 1,500 free tickets over the next two months to unemployed fans who submit resumes to the team. The NBA team plans to send the resumes to its 120 corporate sponsors and a couple hundred firms that own season tickets.NBA/~4/451156096″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Fantasy leagues don’t measure players’ true values
Statistically, Shaq is one of the NBA’s best shooters. This is one reason, Charley Rosen says, not to fall in love with numbers.NBA/~4/449809842″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Martin sprains ankle in Kings’ win
Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin will miss at least a week after spraining his left ankle in a victory over Golden State on Sunday night. Martin is the NBA’s 11th-leading scorer at 22.4 points per game. He had 27 points against the Warriors when he injured his ankle when he fouled on a drive. The Kings said Monday that Martin will be sidelined 7-10 days. The fifth-year pro averages 3.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds.NBA/~4/449064329″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Introducing the JaVale cam! (Yahoo! Sports)
As crazy as it sounds, Mr. Irrelevant and their trusty Pulsar calculator watches hypothesize that Wizards rookie…

Minus Agent Zero, Wizards have zero in win column (AP)

Maybe it’s because they know they made the playoffs after an 0-5 start last season. Maybe it’s because they know they have two past All-Stars in the starting lineup and figure a third, Gilbert Arenas, eventually will return. Maybe it’s because they know they can’t possibly continue to lose and lose and lose, over and over and over again.

Wade rallies Heat past Nets with big 4th quarter
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NBA Power Rankings
John Galinsky’s Power Rankings are no laughing matter in Detroit, not with the Pistons sliding since adding Allen Iverson.NBA/~4/449845717″ height=”1″ width=”1″/>

Suicide lines: Delonte’s ‘fro, hot Knicks, Pistons’ transition … (Yahoo! Sports)
Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your scrumpets.