Thursday practice

The Wizards had eight players for last night's loss to New Jersey, and will be shorthanded again tomorrow agianst the Denver Nuggets.

Neither DeShawn Stevenson nor Juan Dixon practiced today, still nursing back and elbow injuries, respectively, and Caron Butler wasn't at Verizon Center today, still out with the flu. Ed Tapscott said there was a chance that Butler could report for shootaround feeling better tomorrow, but said that he wasn't sure of how likely it would be that that would happen.

Gilbert Arenas, for the second straight day, was wearing his Do Not Disturb sign hanging from a chain around his neck, but he did play Nick Young one-on-one after practice. The game ended with the two disputing a play. Not exactly sure what the play was, because Gilbert kept stopping the game any time a member of the media stuck their heads back in the practice gym. But Nick said it was typical Gil, trying to play mind games to beat him. Either way, I guess it's a bit of progress. Arenas came off the court sweating and smiling as he headed back to the locker room.