More on Etan:
“We found out about it late last week.  The only thing that we know is that he needs further testing.  He will be re-evaluated and we will see where that takes us.” 

On the first practice:
“We had a good practice.  It was nice to see everybody out there.  It was a very enthusiastic and serious practice.  I thought the players gave a great effort.” 

WIZARDS HEAD COACH EDDIE JORDAN 

On Etan Thomas:
“Our thoughts are with him right now.  We talked last night, and he is obviously disappointed.  He is concerned, and we are all concerned.  Everything is in the early stages now and it will be some time before we know the extent of all the medical examinations.” 

On the team:
“I watched them develop their bodies all summer.  This is probably the best conditioned team we have had.  It starts with Gilbert (Arenas), Caron (Butler), Antawn (Jamison) and Antonio (Daniels).  Tony Massenburg is in great condition.  It tells me that the team is motivated.”

 On Tony Massenburg:
“He is in great shape.  We are going to give him a look.  He has experience and brings us some toughness.” 

On assistant coach Randy Ayers:
“He brings a presence and poise that demands respect.  The guys like to hear that and their concentration level was up.  He was clear and concise.  He clearly makes a difference.” 

On the first practice:
“We worked on this practice as a coaching staff for two weeks.  The veterans took over and that is what we thought.  As much as we want to teach, the veterans know what we like to do.  That was the best part of practice today.” 

WIZARDS GUARD GILBERT ARENAS 

On his first practice:
“It is great to finally get back on the court in a controlled environment.  I can’t wait to get back on the court tonight to do more five-on-five drills.  I feel great.  I did not feel tired on the court today.  The thing I was worried about the most was my wind and I was fine.”

 On Etan Thomas:
“It is disappointing.  He is a guy that works really hard and he takes good care of his body.  It is hard to swallow and I know it is hard to swallow for him and his family.” 

On Tony Massenburg:
“He is one of the hardest working players I have seen.  Every summer when I am at the gym, he is always at the gym.  I am glad they gave him a chance and I hope he makes the team.” 

On team chemistry:
“It is a great advantage for us because we kept our core group of players.  We added two or three pieces but everybody else has been here.  We are just ready to get our basketball minds clicking again.”

 On the rookies:
“You do not know what to expect when you are a rookie.  You are like a deer in headlights.  They are just trying to soak up all of the information, but by Friday they will be back to the way they are used to playing.” 

WIZARDS FORWARD ANTAWN JAMISON 

On the start of training camp:
“It’s good to be back in the gym again with all of my teammates.  This ‘first day’ went a lot smoother than some of the ‘first days’ in the past because of the chemistry that we already have.  It was easy to go hard today.” 

On Etan Thomas:
“It’s an unfortunate situation.  We heard the news this morning, and as soon as I heard the news, I put him in my thoughts and prayers.  All that we can do now is pray that he’ll get healed.  The most important thing is his health, first and foremost.  Basketball is secondary, and we can’t be selfish.”

 On Tony Massenburg:
“He doesn’t look 40.  He’s in excellent shape.  He’s a savvy veteran.  And you can be sure that he’s going to be physical and bang around down there.  He’s still got it.  The shape that he’s in is phenomenal, and he’s a guy that when called upon, he’ll find a way to get it done.” 

On Pete Carrill’s presence at training camp:
 “He’s one of the best masterminds of basketball, period.  I was blessed to be able to play for Coach (Dean) Smith also.  Just to hear him talk, he’s a phenomenal guy.  Our offense is based around what he did at Princeton, and he’s one of the best minds to ever put an offense together.” 

WIZARDS FORWARD CARON BUTLER

 On Etan Thomas:
“We’re all thinking about him.  Obviously we want him back here with us as soon as possible, but he has to take care of himself before anything.  His health is priority number one, and we’re all thinking about Etan and his family.”

 On Thomas’ absence:
 “It was different out there without him today.  His presence was definitely missed.” 

WIZARDS CENTER TONY MASSENBURG

 On his return to the game of basketball:
“After being out of the game for a couple of years, and not knowing if I was ever going to make it back, this is truly a blessing.”

 On overcoming the odds at the age of 40:
“The biggest thing for me is that I didn’t have an injury on the court.  I had an accident, so I didn’t get to end my career in the way that I wanted to end my career.  It took a lot of soul-searching to ask myself if I wanted to put in the amount of work that I knew it would take to get back to playing basketball at this level, but basketball is what I love, and I’m just grateful to have this opportunity.” 

On the Washington Wizards:
“This is where I want to be.  This is my first choice, and it is home.  I have a lot of friends and contacts here from playing college ball at Maryland, and I came down to play with the Wizards every summer for the last few summers, so they’re very familiar with me as well.  They have a better understanding of me than a lot of organizations that I played for because they’ve allowed me to be at the facility every summer, so the familiarity was there.  I like the way Eddie coaches.  I like his style and the way he relates to his players, and like the players here.  There’s a natural rapport that we have.”