basket ball info

On Friday Kirk Hinrich and the Washington Wizards faced the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

It was a strange experience for Hinrich because it was the first time he played at the United Center, but not as a Bull.

"[I've] not ever seen it before," Hinrich said of the opposing locker room. "This is the first time. [It's] a little weird, but it was weird to put on this uniform the first time too, but I got over that. We're young, but we've got a lot of enthusiasm and guys are trying to do the right things."

The Bulls traded Hinrich to the Wizards on June 24, to clear enough cap space to go after a big free agent. Hinrich was a little surprised he was traded and he didn't see it coming.

"I was a little bit shocked. A little bit shocked," Hinrich said. "I don't know why, but for whatever reason it caught me off guard. Obviously, initially, you have mixed emotions and everything like that, but I was able to get over it fairly easily and realize I had an opportunity in front of me to have a fresh start out in Washington and it's been really good so far."

Hinrich also talked about his new teammate John Wall. "I think he has the ability to be a great player in this league," he said. "Already, he's proven that he's going to be pretty dang good right off the bat, and he's got that special type of athleticism you don't see very often at the point guard position."