John Wall still out of action after injuring knee over summer

The team confirmed the news later in the day.

The 22-year-old former No. 1 pick returned to practice earlier in the week, and after several pain-free days of play he will debut in front of the home crowd at the Verizon Center on Jan. 12. The Wizards own the worst offense in the NBA, and they’ve dropped 28 of their first 33 games, so even if Wall is less-than-100 percent it’s unlikely he would hurt the team.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis also dropped some hints on his blog that the team is hoping to have its star back by then:

Wall has missed the entire season with a somewhat mysterious knee injury, as his recovery has dragged on far longer than initially anticipated.

Wall has missed the entire season up to this point with a knee injury that he sustained over the summer. The third-year guard has participated in non-contact drills and warmups prior to Thursday, but returning to practice is an important step for Wall’s eventual return to the court. Wall stated that he is targeting a return in “mid-January,“ although no official date for his return has been announced.

Wall’s statement Monday contradicts that, and he seemed uncertain about when he would be fully rehabbed and ready to return. The note that there were also cartilage problems adds to the nebulous nature of the injury.

Wall was initially expected to miss eight weeks, but he told reporters that there is currently no timetable for his return. The issue was once characterized as discomfort in the knee, but Wall said he was in so much pain that he couldn’t even run on it. The session with the press only re-emphasized what now appears to be a major concern going forward, and Wall stated that he’s worried about “breaking my kneecap” if the return to game action is rushed.

Dr. David Altchek did acknowledge that some “irritation” remains in the knee, and the team will continue to treat that. It remains to be seen when Wall will return to actual game action.

Still, the news comes as a relief to the Wizards and their fans. Wall was initially expected to miss eight weeks with a stress injury to his left patella tendon, but 11 weeks had passed and Wall still hadn’t been cleared to return to practice until now. The Wizards decided to bring Wall to see Altchek to get a better idea of when Wall might come back. Altchek is the same doctor that initially diagnosed Wall’s injury over the summer.

Wall will be in New York on Friday to visit Dr. David Altchek. The hope is that the doctor will be able to give Washington a more specific timetable as to when the team’s point guard will return.

After seeing Altchek the first time, the Wizards announced that Wall would be out for about eight weeks. It is now approaching the 12-week mark.

Wittman’s quote was somewhat unclear, but it was clear that Wall is not close to returning to game action.

While Wall’s return to the court has already taken longer than expected, Wittman said the injury isn’t worse than originally thought. Instead, Wittman said Wall is progressing at his own pace. The 22-year-old Wall is yet to do much other than shoot a few jump shots before practice.

Wall will not undergo any surgery for the issue, but rather a schedule of non-contact physical therapy. The injury is expected to keep Wall out of action for eight weeks, and the third-year star out of Kentucky could miss the first ten games of the Wizards’ regular-season schedule.

The presence of Wall is vitally important to Washington’s offense. He has averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 assists per game in his first two seasons as a professional. With Wall healthy, the Wizards have a good shot of making the playoffs in 2012-13, so the team will be hoping for a speedy recovery.