NBA Rumors: Rashard Lewis Should Be Embarrassed of His Fight with Sam Cassell

Rashard Lewis needs to set a better example for a Washington Wizards team that is in sore need of guidance.

Washington, now 0-8 on the season after an embarrassing 93-72 loss to Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, is a team that is desperately searching for answers.

Lewis didn't play in the game because of what was being called a "sore knee," and rookie Chris Singleton got the starting nod in his place.

With no previous reports of Lewis' knee injury, it seemed like it may have been a lingering issue that flared up on the forward just before tipoff.

But was that really the case?

Frank Hanrahan of CSN Washington offered a different perspective of what really happened before Lewis was held out of action.

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A team source tells CSN Washington.com that Wizards' forward Rashard Lewis got into an argument with Wizards' assistant coach Sam Cassell before the Minnesota game and Lewis decided he didn't want to play.

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A player making upwards of $20 million per season to play basketball reportedly decided he didn't want to do his job.

That's a great way to build team chemistry in the locker room, isn't it?

Lewis was thought to be a definite amnesty candidate with more than $45 million owed to him over the next two seasons, but the Wizards decided to keep him in the fold to see what he could bring to the table.

It makes a lot of sense that the club would be willing to see what he's got in the tank, considering they'd have to pay him to walk out the door, and the team still has its amnesty clause available to use next season should that be the choice made.

Lewis is averaging 30 minutes of playing time per game. He is shooting a meager 36.5 percent from the floor, 22.2 percent from downtown and is registering 8.7 points per game, the lowest mark of his career since the 1999-2000 season.

Team captain Andray Blatche offered his assessment of how things looked in Washington following another disheartening loss.

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"Flip is definitely doing his job," Blatche said. "I just don't feel like guys are listening and following behind what he says and what he wants us to do."

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Following the report of the fight, Lewis and the Wizards were both denying that the spat was the reason he wasn't on the bench.

Lewis admitted that he and Cassel had a "friendly disagreement," but the reason he wasn't on the bench was because he didn't have a sports coat.

That has got to be one of the lamest excuses given in recent memory.

Lewis said that the only reason he didn't play was because "my knee was sore," but that still doesn't excuse the fact that he was absent at the end of the bench.

This team is desperate for a leader to step up, and Lewis, the veteran of the starting unit, was nowhere to be seen when his team took the court.

There is another reason why this argument smells funky, and it has to do with the size of the Washington roster.

Ronny Turiaf (broken hand) and Hamady N'diaye (D-League) are not on the active roster.

Additionally, Mo Evans recently had his knee drained, and he's yet to log a single minute for the team this season.

However, he was at the end of the bench in his game warmups despite the fact that he was unlikely to enter the game at any point.

For Lewis and the Wizards to deny the reported fight is one thing, but the fact that he wasn't even on the bench because he didn't have a sports coat is laughable.

The team held a players-only meeting to discuss accountability just days before this all went down, but maybe Lewis didn't get the message.

Now the 0-8 Wizards are an even bigger mess than before the team suffered its eighth consecutive loss.

There is no accountability to be found in this situation, just a lot of finger-pointing.

That's the root of the problem.