Thomas Gets Up To Speed

Etan Thomas won't test himself in an NBA game until October, but yesterday the veteran center took an important step in that direction by going full speed in a practice session with the Wizards' summer league squad.

Even better, Thomas said he felt great afterward. That's excellent news considering Thomas missed all of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a leak in his aortic valve. His heart is fine, but Thomas had to allow his sternum to fully heal after it was separated during the surgery.

Thomas said he was cleared for full-contact work about a month ago and has since been participating in physical one-on-one sessions with former Maryland and longtime NBA forward Tony Massenburg.

"I feel fine now," said Thomas, who matched up against rookie first-round pick JaVale McGee yesterday. "It's just something that takes time to heal. I wanted it to heal a lot quicker, but it's something that just took time. Now, it's all healed and I'm just working out for the summer."

Thomas, who has averaged 6.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in six NBA seasons, will not play when the Wizards open summer league play on Monday against Portland, but he does expect to be at full speed when training camp opens in October.

Thomas was pleased to see the team retain Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas. "I'm glad that they are keeping the core together," Thomas said.

Team Gets Look at Brown

The team got its first look at point guard Dee Brown, who signed a two-year partially guaranteed contract yesterday. Brown, who appeared in 49 regular season and eight playoff games with the Utah Jazz during the 2006-2007 season, played in Turkey last season and is thrilled at the prospect of getting back to the NBA.

Brown, who will be introduced to Coach Eddie Jordan's system during summer league, said he drastically improved his outside shooting and playmaking skills in Turkey last season.

He could provide the Wizards with a solid third point guard behind Arenas, who is coming off of two knee surgeries, and Antonio Daniels, who is entering his 12th season.

"The NBA never went out of my mind," said Brown, who starred as a college player at Illinois. "I was going to go over there and prove myself and try to get better. A lot of guys play a lot of years in the league, but they sit the bench and do not get an opportunity to get better. I was able to get a lot of minutes to work on my game and now I'm excited about having the opportunity to come back over and prove myself."

No Veremeenko Just Yet

The Wizards had 14 players on hand for yesterday's practice but were without 2006 second-round pick Vladimir Veremeenko, who has had problems getting a work visa. Veremeenko, a forward who has played in Russia the past two seasons, is expected to arrive in time for today's practice.

Second-year forward Oleksiy Pecherov sat out yesterday's practice with a sprained left ankle.

Former Georgetown point guard Jonathan Wallace and former George Mason forward Will Thomas are among the free agents trying out to make the final summer league roster.

The roster will be trimmed from 15 to 11 or 12 players before the team leaves for Las Vegas tomorrow.

Depending on the seriousness of Pecherov's injury, Monday's likely starting lineup will be Brown and Nick Young at guard, Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche at forward and McGee at center. Assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. will run the team.