Wizards, Stevenson Find Comfort Zone

DALLAS, Oct. 21 -- Washington Wizards shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson spotted Gilbert Arenas walking off the court at American Airlines Center and shouted toward his teammates, "Who's this?" Stevenson squatted, then slowly stood upright and lifted his practice jersey above his head, twirling it around like a windmill, while shaking from side to side.

Stevenson didn't need to tell his giggling audience that he was imitating Arenas's performance during the Wizards' home opener last season, when Arenas emerged from a movable platform in a cloud of smoke while waving his warmup jersey. "That," said Stevenson, who watched Arenas's antics from the opposing sideline, as a member of the Orlando Magic, "was hilarious."

Arenas smiled and waved off Stevenson, knowing that it was merely payback for the good-natured ribbing he gave Stevenson moments before. Arenas has known Stevenson since they played AAU basketball in California -- "when he weighed 165 pounds and could jump on top of the rim," he said -- and kidded him that he no longer has the same leaping ability. "They used to call you 'Rain Man Jr.,' " Arenas shouted, referencing the nickname of former power-dunking NBA star Shawn Kemp. "No more. Now, he's just a bucket of water."

The playful banter before a 93-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks is just one example of how quickly the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Stevenson has meshed with his new teammates. Off the court, he's quick to crack jokes with Arenas and Caron Butler or borrow Antonio Daniels's headphones and break into a dance. And, on the court, he has helped make playing defense contagious and figured out how to maneuver in the Princeton offense.

"It feels like I've been on the Wizards three, four years," Stevenson said on Saturday. "I thought it was going to be a big adjustment, coming to a new team. I'm just one of those lucky guys to be in a situation where I felt comfortable right off the bat.

"I've never been on a team where everybody is cool. Usually, one or two guys are headaches, but from one to 15, everybody is a good guy."

Stevenson probably needed a soft landing with the Wizards following a tumultuous offseason in which he lost millions. After posting the best season of his six-year career, starting all 82 games and averaging 11 points and 2.9 rebounds, Stevenson opted out of a contract with the Magic that would've paid him $3 million, then rejected a three-year, $10 million offer from the Magic. When the Magic rescinded the offer and signed Keith Bogans, Stevenson was left with few options. He fired his agent, Rob Pelinka, hired another, Mark Bartelstein, and signed with the Wizards for less than $1 million.

"Sometimes you gotta do things you don't want to do to get further in life," Stevenson said of the deal that will pay him $932,015 in the first year and includes a player option for the second year. "Things will work out for the best in the long run."

The Wizards not only found a bargain -- Arenas calls Stevenson "the penny guy" -- but had they been unable to sign Stevenson, a team source confirmed that they would've matched the 5-year, $30 million offer sheet Jared Jeffries signed with the New York Knicks, a move that would have impacted the team's future financial flexibility. The Wizards lost a versatile player in Jeffries, but Stevenson provides a lift in other areas. "Last year, Jared was our defensive specialist," Arenas said. "Now we have one that can put points on the board."

Stevenson was supposed to engage in a battle for the starting shooting guard spot with Jarvis Hayes, but Coach Eddie Jordan had made up his mind during the first day of training camp that Stevenson would be the best back-court complement to Arenas. Not only was Stevenson a physical and intense defender, but Stevenson knew how to give Arenas room to roam while picking his spots for drives and jumpers within an offense that he had some familiarity with, given some principles of the Princeton offense were utilized last season in Orlando.

"He's caught on as quickly as anybody I've had. He's a pleasant surprise -- and that's an understatement," said Jordan, who compared Stevenson's approach to a fullback's. "He is a football-mentality like player. He likes the physicality. He always talks about defense and he gets it done. He fits in."

Although he hasn't had any flashy dunks in the preseason, Stevenson said that contrary to Arenas's teasing, he hasn't lost his leaping ability. "I still can jump with the best of them," Stevenson said with a smile.

And joke around, too. "With this team, it's easy to fit in if you're funny," Arenas said.