It's Berlin, Barcelona -- and Basketball

Wizards Will Be Part of Europe Live Tour in Fall

SEATTLE, March 27 -- In October, the Washington Wizards will play preseason games in Berlin and Barcelona as part of the NBA's Europe Live tour, and if Coach Eddie Jordan and President Ernie Grunfeld have their way, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison will be there.

Arenas, who plans to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, and Jamison, who will be an unrestricted free agent, have been crucial elements to a team that has made the playoffs three straight seasons.

"Going into next year, we don't think we are going to see a lot of wholesale changes," Jordan said Thursday during a conference call detailing October's trip to Europe, during which the Wizards will play the New Orleans Hornets. "We know that we are going to sign Gilbert back and Antawn back and they are high priorities for us. . . . We have a great relationship, and we knew we were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference when we were all healthy."

Grunfeld, who is on the road scouting the NCAA tournament for potential draft prospects, has built the team around Arenas, Jamison and two-time all-star Caron Butler and wants to keep those three together.

"We've said all along that our intention is to have those guys here over the long haul and that hasn't changed at all," Grunfeld said. "Even with Gilbert injured this season, we've shown that we can beat some of the best teams in the league, we like the development we are seeing from our young players and we feel that when we are healthy, we can compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference."

With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Wizards (37-34) are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, one half game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Wizards continue their five-game road trip Friday night at Sacramento and could get Arenas back as soon as next week if the three-time all-star guard is medically cleared to return to game action on his surgically repaired left knee.

The Wizards were selected for the NBA Europe Live tour in part because stars like Arenas, Butler and Jamison have worldwide appeal. The tour will also feature games between the New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat in London and Paris.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said the Wizards are a natural fit given the fact that team owner Abe Pollin has been a driving force behind the league's push to market its game and stars in foreign countries for decades.

The Washington Bullets were the first NBA team to visit China when the defending champions toured and played a pair of exhibition games there in 1979.

"Abe understood international before we understood international," Stern said. "He's been a pioneer for us. This team hasn't traveled, and we anticipated that Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas would be healthy so, it's time. As [Pollin] has pointed out several times a year, each year, [Washington] is the capital of our country and we are pleased that they will be representing our country."

The Wizards will hold a traditional training camp in Richmond and will open the preseason in the United States before spending a week in Europe. Arenas, who has consistently stated that he hopes to sign a long-term deal with the Wizards this summer, said he is looking forward to the experience. Fans in Berlin and Barcelona should enjoy watching Arenas square off against Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who is rapidly becoming a superstar.

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity, you know, for two young up and coming NBA teams to go out of the country to Berlin and Barcelona to show off their skills and their talent," Arenas said in a conference call. "When you are growing up, you never think you'll experience something like this, you know, playing out of the country on an NBA team and I think it's going to be great for both teams and both franchises."

The only potential concern about the trip, according to Jordan, could be how players respond to extra travel. A plane ride from Washington to Berlin could range from eight to 12 hours depending on the flight plan, and teams that have gone on the European tour in the past did plenty of sightseeing and other activities in addition to playing and practicing basketball.

"That's the only problem that the players are concerned with, you know, traveling," Jordan said. "We hate traveling from East to West and that's six or seven hours."