TELL US YOUR PREDICTIONS…

First things first: 27 hours and counting. With the Wizards set to tip-off tomorrow night, here’s a little bit of practice footage to wet your appetite for tomorrow’s big game. Eddie Jordan rounds out the footage so don’t close the box too quickly.

Now, the big question: you’ve all had time to gauge the team based on what you’ve read/seen/listened to, etc. Tell us what you think the team’s final record will be, where they’ll be seeded for the playoffs (assumptuous, I know, but what do you expect?), and how far they’ll go in the postseason.

The floor is yours - and enjoy the 2006-07 season.

FANTASY HOOPS TEAM…BUZZ OR BUST?

Ok folks, here’s what I came up with. Take note that it’s a 12-team league (head-to-head format). I had the eight pick to start things off and drafted Elton Brand. Here’s the rest of the team (in no specific order)…

Mike Bibby
Ray Allen
Andre Iguodala
Bobby Simmons
Elton Brand
Emeka Okafor
Marcus Camby
Alonzo Mourning
TJ Ford
Kyle Korver
Darko Milicic
Chucky Atkins
Shaun Livingston

Proudest Moment: Picking Shaun Livingston with the my last pick (my 13th pick, 153rd overall)

Moment I Have a Feeling I’m Going to Regret: Picking Chucky Atkins. Good for some threes but I don’t know how much he has left. Oh, I picked Camby before Shaq.

Overall, it was a fun experience (was my first NBA fantasy draft). I’m not looking forward to staying up til 1AM to follow those West Coast teams, but what are you gonna do.

SONGAILA TO UNDERGO SURGERY; WILL BE OUT 10-12 WEEKS

Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that forward Darius Songaila will undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc, and will be out for 10-12 weeks.

“I am very disappointed that I will not be out there with my new teammates,” said Songaila. “I plan to work hard and look forward to getting back on the court. Unfortunately, surgery is my best option at this time.”

This obviously doesn’t help the team depth-wise. Do you think Songaila’s absence will be a big hinderance through the first months of the season? Based on the time-table provided by the team, it looks like the earliest Songaila will be back is around February.

THOMAS NAMED STARTING CENTER; ROSTER FINALIZED

Head Coach Eddie Jordan announced Monday that Etan Thomas will start at center for the Wizards when the team tips-off the regular season Wednesday in Cleveland. Thomas appeared in 71 regular season games for Washington last season, including nine starts towards the end of the season. Brendan Haywood, who started 70 games last season, will come off the bench. More on this topic can be found at The Wizards Insider, courtesy of blogging extrordinaire Ivan Carter.

Jordan also announced that the team has released guard/forward Mike Hall, bringing the team down to the NBA-maximum 15 players.

Two days til tip off….

Q-AND-A WITH ANTAWN JAMISON

Antawn Jamison recently sat down with us to discuss the upcoming season. Jamison also reflected on his career in Washington and explained to us why he wasn’t happy with his performance last season, despite averaging 20 points and nine rebounds.