Thomas Is Cleared To Rejoin Lineup
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page E07
Tonight, center Etan Thomas will probably see his first action since spraining his left ankle in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Dec. 9. Thomas, who has missed 13 games, practiced Monday and yesterday and has been cleared to rejoin Coach Eddie Jordan's injury-depleted rotation when the Wizards host the Chicago Bulls at Verizon Center.
Brendan Haywood will continue to start; Jordan said Thomas's role will be determined by how quickly he gets back into game shape.
TRACKING THE WIZARDS Andray Blatche will attend 'John School,' a day-long seminar on the ills of solicitation. The Wizards re-sign forward Andray Blatche to a multiyear deal. After a delay, the Wizards finalize a trade of guard Juan Carlos Navarro to Memphis for a draft pick. Wizards Insider Ivan Carter and Michael Lee with exclusive coverage and analysis on the Washington Wizards. NBA Basics |
The Wizards are 10-2 with Haywood in the starting lineup, and he has averaged 9.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.7 percent since replacing Thomas against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 13.
Thomas started the first 20 games and averaged 7.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 60.2 percent.
Jordan clearly is thrilled at the prospect of getting Thomas back into the rotation.
"You know how he plays: that force, that tenacity and the power," Jordan said. "He was really protecting the rim. At all costs. Shot blocking. Taking charges. Rebounding. We missed that."
Sugar-Coating for the Fans
The first 150 people who bring a coat to donate to tonight's game against the Bulls will be invited to a meet-and-greet with forward Caron Butler following the game. All fans donating a coat will receive a coupon for a free ticket to an upcoming game. The coats will be distributed to Washington area shelters and group homes.
