Blatche Hopes His Wait Is Rewarded

There is no such thing as a good time to get injured, but the left knee injury suffered by second-year forward Washington Wizards Andray Blatche in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on March 24 was a particularly cruel blow. At the time, Blatche was gaining Coach Eddie Jordan's trust with solid play at both ends of the court and his confidence was soaring.

The injury meant that Blatche was sidelined when Caron Butler went down with a broken bone in his right hand in a loss at Milwaukee on April 1. So instead of carrying heavy minutes or maybe even starting -- Blatche made 13 starts when Butler and Antawn Jamison were out earlier in the season -- he was rehabbing his left knee, waiting for a chance to resume his second season.

Blatche, who missed seven games and only played at the very end of Saturday's loss to New Jersey, likely will play tonight when the Wizards host the Nets.

"Patience is key with everything" said Blatche, who is averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes. "I've been through it before with not playing so I already have the mind-set that I need to be patient, wait for my knee to get better. So I'm just coming out with the attitude that I need to play hard and work hard."

Blatche said the knee feels about "90 percent" and is not concerned about conditioning because he stayed in shape on an exercise bike while doing other workouts.

"I'm ready to play as long as he wants me out there," Blatche said.

Jordan indicated yesterday that he was considering bringing Blatche off the bench in tandem with forward Darius Songaila tonight.

UP NEXT Today vs. Nets 7 p.m. Comcast SportsNet, WTEM-980 Tomorrow at Heat 7:30 p.m. Comcast SportsNet, WTEM-980.