Wizards Report

Seen and heard last night at MCI Center:

WHITNEY’S FUTURE UNSURE — Chris Whitney has been in the NBA for 11 seasons, but he didn’t get his first juicy contract until he made it through a pair of 10-day contracts in 1996 with the Wizards. But this probably was Whitney’s final game with the Wizards. The 33-year-old finished the season on the injured list, and his contract expires this summer. This season has been a disappointment for Whitney, but he says he does not regret re-signing with the Wizards.

“It’s been a year unlike I’ve ever had in my career,” Whitney said. “It’s been disappointing from a personal standpoint and definitely disappointing from a team standpoint. It’s been a rough year.”

Whitney, who signed a one-year $1.07 million contract, has been on and off the injured list for most of the season, appearing in 16 games. Only twice in his career has he averaged fewer than his 2.9 points this season.

Whitney believes he can still play at a high level for at least “two more years.” He is not bitter, however, about how things worked out. “I really can’t say I regret anything,” Whitney said. “When I came here, I knew they wanted to go in a younger direction. That’s part of the business that I fully understand. To me, this is just how the cards played out.”

JORDAN-LESS EFFECT# — Last season with Michael Jordan on board, the Wizards averaged 20,173 spectators at MCI Center. With an average ticket cost of about $51, that was more than $42 million at the gate for 41 dates.

This season, with the average ticket still $51, the Wizards averaged 15,706 for their first 40 home games, a dropoff of 4,467. In terms of the actual gate the team grossed approximately $32 million. The numbers don’t include concessions.

— John N. Mitchell