GM Ernie Grunfeld wants Washington Wizards to overcome injuries, gain more consistenc

"Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld didn't know what to expect record-wise of the team that he assembled over the summer, but he was hoping that the injection of youth and enthusiasm would yield a scrappy, hard-working unit that competes every night and makes opponents earn whatever victories they get.

So far, the Wizards have offered only glimpses of that team - for quarters, halves, and sometimes, full games - with a run of inconsistency supported by a 6-15 record that includes losses in all 12 road games to start the season, a new franchise record in futility.

With one-fourth of the season complete, Grunfeld is willing to be somewhat patient, since he believes the root of the sporadic play has been an inability to get the desired team on the floor every night because of injuries.

"I wish we would've had all of our players from Day One," Grunfeld said. "We're always going to look for ways to improve this team, but first we also want to see how this group comes together when we have our pieces. It seems like one guy goes down, and when somebody comes back, somebody else comes down. So we didn't have the kind of consistency and continuity that we really wanted."

Grunfeld traveled with the team during its 0-3 road trip through Phoenix, Los Angeles and Sacramento, which saw Coach Flip Saunders use three different starting lineups. Andray Blatche missed the last two games with a hip contusion suffered in Phoenix, while No. 1 overall pick John Wall was sidelined with soreness in his left foot for a deflating 116-91 loss to a woeful Kings team that had lost its previous eight games and had never led by more than 16 points at any time this season.

Blatche and Wall both hope to be back as the Wizards host the New York Knicks on Friday at Verizon Center, where the team has had some success this season. The Wizards are 6-3 at home, which is the fifth-best home winning percentage in the Eastern Conference behind Boston, Chicago, Miami and Orlando. "It is frustrating that we are two different teams," Gilbert Arenas said. "A great team at home and a terrible team on the road. We just have to find a happy medium." "

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/09/AR2010120905667.html