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Wizards PG John Wall says he's not worried about left knee tendinitis

Washington Wizards guard John Wall said Tuesday that he's not worried about the left knee tendinitis that kept him out of Monday's preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Wall has a history of tendinitis since entering the NBA.
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Washington Wizards point guard John Wall said Tuesday that he's not worried about the left knee tendinitis that kept him out of Monday's preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to the Washington Post.

Wall first experienced discomfort in his knee on Monday. Despite missing Washington's game that night, he said he's not concerned about the injury.

“I’m not worried about it at all,” Wall said. “I’ve dealt with tendinitis my whole career so you just play through it. . . . There’s no excuse for me not to play. I just felt like it was a time to give other guys an opportunity to play and also a time to let it heal and prepare myself for the regular season.”

“You can never count me out if it’s a meaningful game and a regular season game. Preseason means something to us because you want to get better, but I think it’s a time to make sure I’m just healthy going into a regular 82 games because those really count.”

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The fifth-year pro has an extensive injury history, having dealt with tendinitis in both knees, a sprained foot, a stress injury to his left kneecap and back spasms. The kneecap injury helped limit Wall to just 49 games in 2012-13.

The Wizards as a team have dealt with multiple injuries this preseason. Shooting guard Bradley Beal underwent wrist surgery earlier this month and is expected to miss six months, guard/forward Glen Rice Jr. sprained his ankle last week and veteran forward Paul Pierce has a bruised knee.

The team signed point guard John Lucas on Tuesday to help alleviate depth issues caused by the injuries.

Wall, 24, became an All-Star last season for the first time in his career, averaging 19.3 points and 8.8 assists per game, both of which were career highs. This summer he was in contention to make Team USA's roster for the FIBA World Cup but was ultimately cut.

The point guard said he'll play in Wednesday's preseason game against the New York Knicks, but head coach Randy Wittman said his playing status would depend on how Wall felt Wednesday morning.

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Washington went 44-38 last season, it's first winning season since 2007-08, and defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, marking its first playoff series victory since 2004-05.

The Wizards open the 2014-15 season next Wednesday at the Miami Heat.