Wizards' Wall quickly climbs rookie charts

John Wall's home debut for the Washington Wizards was unique.

Rather than the usual high-fives during pregame introductions, Wall decided to show he was up on the popular dance craze by doing the "Dougie." That didn't surprise Kings rookie DeMarcus Cousins.

"I knew it was coming, actually," Cousins said. "A lot of people thought I was going to come back with something, but nah."

So did Wall tell Cousins about his Dougie?

No.

"I know John," Cousins said with a laugh. "I knew it was coming."
He's been great for us," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "He's a willing learner, he's got a great attitude, and he's extremely competitive."
Wall, Cousins and the Clippers' Eric Bledsoe are starting in the NBA. Wall played for coach John Calipari, who coached the last two Rookies of the Year, Evans and the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, at Memphis.

At this point, Wall isn't too concerned about winning the award. He's just looking to stay on the court. Wall missed four games with a sprained left foot last month. He and Saunders said injuries have been Wall's biggest adjustment.

"I'm used to playing so many games and not really missing none," Wall said. "But on this level you've got a long career if you keep yourself healthy enough, so my coaches and my trainers are doing a great job of telling me to take my time off when I was injured and not try to force myself back."
Wall is one of five rookies to have 100 assists in 12 games or fewer in NBA history, a feat first accomplished by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

"(Wall is) fearless, and he has fantastic speed and quickness," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "Those two things usually can put you in the middle of a lot of good things."

Wall said he records the games of his former Kentucky teammates and saw Cousins and Bledsoe in person Monday when the Clippers hosted the Kings.

Bledsoe said they could have been another "Fab Five" like the Michigan teams led by Chris Webber had everyone stayed in college.

"Coach Cal, he didn't know how to handle us," Bledsoe said. "The only time he'd get us to stop laughing and joking around was to put us on that baseline and run. Then it wasn't fun and games no more."