Veteran deems himself healthy after ugly year The players who assembled Wednesday for the latest informal workout on Verizon Center’s practice court were tired. They deferred to the eldest veteran present on whether to play another game.
Rashard Lewis wasn’t ready to quit, and his team, with John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton and Andray Blatche, was dominant one more time.
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Dominant in no way describes Lewis’ 2010-11 season, in which he managed just 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a game in a frustrating half season for the Wizards. He had a nagging right knee injury and a large contract that left him linked with the amnesty provision in the new NBA collective bargaining agreement. But on Wednesday, the 32-year-old looked refreshed, slimmed down and ready for the second shortened season of his career.
“I think the lockout benefitted me more than anything because of my knee,” said Lewis, who was a rookie during the 50-game NBA season in 1998-99. “I’ve been rehabbing pretty much all summer, but it gave me a little bit of extra time to rehab my knee and, not only that, just get my legs back under me. It feels good just to run up and down, especially with my teammates.”
Due $46 million over this year and next, Lewis resigned himself during the lockout to being a victim of the amnesty clause, which allows a team to waive a player and clear his salary from its cap. Despite the shame of a bad contract, Lewis had considered the opportunity it might have presented to move to a playoff contender. Last week, however, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said the team had no plans to invoke the clause this season.
“You can’t believe every rumor you hear,” Lewis said. “You kind of got to read between the lines and wait until you talk to the boss man. And when the agent finally got a chance to talk to [Grunfeld], he told me I’d be a part of their plans this year. When I heard that, my main focus switched toward the Washington Wizards, and I got to get myself ready to play basketball with these guys.”
After undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy instead of surgery, Lewis said his knee is about 90 percent, and he intends to establish himself at small forward, where he averaged more than 20 points a game for three straight years earlier in his career with Seattle.
“You can tell that he’s healthy, that he really wants to play, that he wants to come back and not just be here but contribute,” said Crawford, who also returned to Washington and participated in workouts for the first time. “I’m excited about it. I seen Rashard play since I was little. I know what he’s capable of.”
Former Wizards forward and current free agent Josh Howard also made a cameo at Verizon Center on Wednesday and said that the Wizards, Bulls and Spurs remain the leading contenders for his services this season.
After getting his work visa approved, top draft pick Jan Vesely was scheduled to arrive later Wednesday from the Czech Republic, as well as Kevin Seraphin from his fall stint in Spain.
