This morning the Wizards went through a regualr team practice. Then there was one player in Wizards black practice jersey still working on his shooting with assistant coach Dave Hopla after the team practice.

Antawn Jamison is working his way back to the action from a right shoulder sprain he injured when he chased after a jumpball tipped by Caron Butler late in a game against the Bucks last Wednesday. He went through practice today and looked really good in the limited action we saw!

Here are some quotes from today’s practice:

WIZARDS FORWARD ANTAWN JAMISON
On his shoulder injury:
“Everything is going well. The trainers have done a great job getting me back to normal. It was good to get out there and practice today. The last couple of days I have been able to get some rest, and I feel good right now.”

On the team:
“We want to play well in these last five games and put ourselves in the position to be playing our best basketball going into the playoffs. Every game means a lot to us. Our guys are refreshed. I had a couple of games to rest so I feel pretty good. The same goes for Gilbert (Arenas) and Caron (Butler) as well. We can really put our foot on the pedal in these last five games and do what we need to do to win all five games. We want to be able to feel good about ourselves going down the stretch.”

WIZARDS HEAD COACH EDDIE JORDAN
On Antawn Jamison:
“Antawn looked great today. He did a lot of good things on the floor. He got hit a few times and came out of there pretty clean.”

NBADraft.net put together a great list which looks back at some of the best and worst moves that took place on those eventful (or non-eventful if you count the 2000 not-so-classic) nights in late June over the last 10 years.

But here’s one part of the piece that got me thinking…

“2004: Washington Wizards trade Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laetner, and the draft rights of Devin Harris to the Dallas Mavericks for Antawn Jamison.

Dallas got the better of this one, essentially getting their point guard of the future and the league’s best sixth man in Stackhouse for Jamison, a talented player who didn’t fit in with the Mavs.”

I think this is in the eye of the beholder in terms of who got the best of the deal. Washington traded Stackhouse, who was coming off an injury-filled season where it became apparent that he didn’t fit in to Wizards’ future (same goes for Laettner, who was making a relatively hefty salary) and a first round pick (#5 overall) for Jamison, that season’s sixth man of the year.

I think it worked out for both teams in their own way, with Washington making the playoffs for three straight seasons (while Arenas rightfully gets the credit for much of the team’s recent success, Jamison was IMHO the catalyst who brought leadership and credibility to the locker room) and Dallas doing what they did…or in the case of this past season, didn’t do…I know, “kick em while they’re down why don’t ya!” .

What do you guys/gals think? Who, if anyone, got the best of that fateful 2004 deal? And read the Draft.net story too - great comment on the selection of everyone’s favorite #1 overall pick from 2001 that hits the nail on the head (and is what I’ve been saying for years).