John Wall interviews for a job on Wall Street (G Fiume/ Getty).

The Washington Wizards terrible, league-worst 4-26 season has been defined largely by abject futility. After that, though, it's been about the absence of John Wall, one-time franchise savior who had a disappointing first two NBA seasons. This season was supposed to be the time he either proved himself as a star or became a certifiable bust. His left knee injury put that verdict on hold, and his presumed return date kept getting pushed farther away.

Several weeks ago, we noted that Wall still had no timetable for his return. Now, it appears that he's much closer to coming back, because he practiced with the Wizards on Thursday. And he was apparently pretty impressive. From Michael Lee for The Washington Post:

David Stern poses in Rome, home of NBA superstar Andrea Bargnani (Randy Belice/ Getty).

Since taking over as NBA commissioner in 1984, David Stern has been the driving force behind expanding the global reach of the league and sport. There are more fans than ever in continents other than North America, and more players than ever that come from countries in Europe, South America, and Asia. Those numbers will only rise as time goes by and more people get exposed to what the NBA has to offer.

For years, Stern has dreamed of continuing that international development and bringing expansion teams to European cities such as London, Paris, and Rome. A decade ago, those additions looked likely, but that expansion never came to pass.

However, Stern still believes that it will happen relatively soon. In a Thursday interview with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio (warning: audio plays automatically), Stern said he expects the NBA to include European teams within 20 years (via PBT):

Fab Melo checks the court for looming doorframes (Otto Kitsinger/ Getty).

Comedy is a subjective thing, but there are several forms of humor that human beings are pretty much hardwired to enjoy. For the most part, these are incidents in which people suffer bodily harm because of their own obliviousness to their surroundings. In the late '80s and early '90s, "America's Funniest Home Videos" effectively turned these basic touchstones of humor into pure liquid cash. Over the last few years, various YouTube videos have carried on the tradition. In a century, I'm sure future humans will have these images zapped directly into their brains.

Unfortunately, the impulse to laugh at others' misfortune is sometimes cruel. For proof, take the case of Boston Celtics rookie big man Fab Melo, who recently sustained a concussion during his ongoing stint with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League. Concussions are serious business and that stinks.

The complicating factor is that he got hurt in a funny way. From Jessica Camerato for CSNNE.com (via PBT):

Udonis "Django" Haslem collects a bounty on Kevin Love (Mike Ehrmann/ Getty).

If you have any interest in movies, you're probably familiar with "Django Unchained," the new film from the hyperactively cinephilic filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. In a little more than a week, the movie — which concerns a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) who becomes a bounty hunter and fights slave owners in the antebellum South — has grossed more than $80 million in the United States alone. It's also the topic of much critical discussion, from raves to disappointed reactions to questions as to whether or not it's ethical for anyone other than an African-American to make a movie about slavery.

The movie has been very popular with audiences, particularly among African-Americans. Not surprisingly, that group of fans includes a number of NBA players, people who are certainly likely to identify with a black man who rises from humble beginnings to occupy a position of power.

One of these athletes has even decided to take inspiration from the film. Miami Heat reserve forward Udonis Haslem, a two-time NBA champion, now wants to be known as "Django." From Michael Wallace of ESPN.com's Heat Index on Twitter (via TBJ):

When I was six years old, I played in a YMCA basketball league that allowed all methods of moving the ball up and down the court. We could run with the ball, stop and start dribbles whenever we wanted, and play by the regular rules. Being a big sports fan even at that young age, I knew the real rules of basketball and dribbled whenever I could. But no one was penalized for turning basketball into a children's version of street rollerball. Playing by the rules of the game, or not, depended on our growing senses of pride and shame.

On Wednesday night, Toronto Raptors big man Amir Johnson tapped into that same approach to the laws of basketball. Around the six-minute mark of the first quarter of Toronto's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Johnson fielded a pass near the top of the key and took a single dribble to his right. After a brief pause, he pump-faked a jumper, which defender J.J. Hickson challenged aggressively because Johnson could not blow by him on a drive.

Except that's exactly what Johnson did. Flouting all established rules of the game, he dribbled again and created enough space to make a short jump hook over Hickson. On his way back down the court, Johnson laughed, because this entire play was ridiculous and never should have happened.

Kevin Love accepts an award for his ho-hum play (Mike Ehrmann/ Getty).

Reasonable people can disagree on the value of Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love. While he puts up obscene numbers and deserves his spots on All-Star and All-NBA teams, there's some question as to whether or not he can be the clear-cut first option on a championship contender. For all his abilities, Love doesn't always seem like the kind of player who can create good shots by himself.

Again, these are legitimate arguments to be had. What most people don't argue is whether or not Love is a good, unique player whom most teams would trade for in an instant. Don't tell that to Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors, though, because he made some odd comments about Love's abilities in advance of their Wednesday night home game against the Timberwolves. From  Wolves radio play-by-play announcer Alan Horton on Twitter (via PBT):

For the last few months, American TV stations have been bombarded with ads for Papa John's, the low-tier pizza empire owned and operated by John Schnatter. As Mr. Schnatter and Peyton Manning discuss massive free pizza giveaways (while the business's employees suffer) and both men try their darnedest to seem like normal Americans (with varying results), viewers cannot be criticized for wondering why they can't be blessed with more tolerable ads. Isn't Papa John's capable of better commercials?

The answer, apparently, is yes. Unfortunately, we have to go to Russia to find them. In this spot for Papa John's — the logo should be familiar even if Cyrillic letters aren't — former NBA players and current CSKA Moscow ballers Sonny Weems and Nenad Krstic do their best to get Muscovites to eat the most barely adequate fare America has to offer.

Dwyane Wade spreads holiday cheer wherever he goes (Alexander Tamargo/ Getty).

Earlier Friday, BDL's Dan Devine noted that Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade has been suspended one game for kicking Charlotte Bobcats point guard Ramon Sessions in the groin. The punishment surprised very few NBA observers — the league has made it very clear that they dislike violence of that degree, whether the action was intentional or not.

The Miami Heat, however, are not happy. In fact, they issued a statement in disagreement with the fine, stating that Wade is actually a very nice boy and the real victim in most NBA games. From Brian Windhorst for ESPN.com: