Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Washington Wizards are quickly finding out that addition by subtraction, in this division, only multiplies futility. Washington fans thought Christian Laettner went as far away as possible when he was traded as part of a package to Dallas, and when Dallas shipped him even further west to San Francisco, that was essentially as far from Washington as you could get.
Now he's back, and he will likely be starting for the Miami Heat in November. The Heat signed Laettner to the veteran minimum.
The fact that Laettner was, for one minute at least, even if in name only, a Golden State Warrior, only adds irony to the fact that this Wizards team is comprised of several former Warriors. Even though they never played a game together, Laettner and Antawn Jamison are in spirit teammates. Both have been Warriors and both have been Wizards. Now these quasi-teammates will do battle four times a year.
Surprisingly enough, however, Washington gets its Heat fix out of the way in 2004, not meeting them in 2005 unless the playoffs shake up that way. They are scheduled to have two home-and-away sets with the Heat, one November 6 and 9 and one December 13 and 15. After that, they won't meet again unless they are the seventh seed and Miami the second, in which case the first round of the playoffs, coming as it would almost six months after their last game together, would have no bearing on the game film they would watch from November and December.
The Wizards would have to do a lot of scouting ahead of time for such a playoff scenario.
But fortunately they are already intimately familiar with Laettner's game.
TEAM NOTES
You can shop at the Wizards team storewhere you can personalized jerseys with your name and number.
Chris Perkins ofThe Palm Beach Post writes: The Heat might have found its starting power forward by agreeing in principle to a deal with well-traveled veteran Christian Laettner.Laettner, 35, was released by Golden State last week. The Warriors had acquired him this summer in the deal that sent center Erick Dampier to Dallas. The Heat has only the $1.1 million veteran minimum to offer Laettner, 6-11. He figures to be at least even in skill level with fellow Miami power forwards Udonis Haslem, Malik Allen, Jerome Beasley and Michael Doleac, who primarily will be a backup center.