Stack: I might not be back

Near the end of the most disappointing season of his eight-year career, Jerry Stackhouse yesterday said he is not certain he will return to the Washington Wizards.

“I might not be here next season,” said Stackhouse after practice. “Nobody is promised anything, other than the rookies who are locked into their contracts. Of course, we’ve got to make some changes. As far as this summer is going to go, I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Said Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards’ president of basketball operations: “It’s way too premature to talk about future plans. I’m sure players are frustrated about the way the season has gone.”

Particularly Stackhouse. Last season he led the Wizards in scoring (21.5 points) but was forced to take a back seat to Michael Jordan. Despite the Wizards’ 23-52 record heading into tonight’s game at Minnesota, Stackhouse’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, said yesterday the player doesn’t want to be traded.

“He’s frustrated,” Schwartz said. “He just wants to get healthy.”

Trading Stackhouse might be difficult because of health concerns other teams may have about his knee. Also, in this era of salary caps and luxury taxes, teams are more concerned with dumping salaries rather than acquiring them.

It is also unlikely the Wizards would leave him unprotected for the June22 expansion draft, because that would only serve to devalue him more. Teams can protect eight players under contract from being picked up by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who begin play next season.

Before the season, team owner Abe Pollin took the bold step of awarding Stackhouse an $18million contract extension that will pay him roughly $34million at its completion in 2007. But Stackhouse, 29, missed the first 45 games of the season following surgery to repair the worn lining behind his right knee.

Stackhouse subsequently said he was shutting it down for the season at the end of February with 25 games to play. However, after talking with Grunfeld and coach Eddie Jordan, he merely sat out the next six games to allow his knee more time to heal. He returned — in a reserve role — on March12.

This season Stackhouse has played in 23 games, averaging a career-low 14 points. Most recently, he left the team before the last game of a five-game road trip, and on Wednesday against New Jersey he was ejected in the second quarter.

Stackhouse admitted earlier that he should have conferred with Grunfeld and Jordan before deciding his season was finished. However, he has maintained that it would be best if he didn’t play again this season.

“I’m definitely not happy with who I am as a basketball player,” Stackhouse said. “I’d rather be sitting out getting ready for next season.”

Meanwhile, other weak teams like Philadelphia (Allen Iverson) and Orlando (Tracy McGrady) have shut down their best players for the season because of injuries.