Arenas still not talking

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas today declined to answer questions about the circumstances of his return to the court last night after a 66-game layoff because of surgery on his left knee.

Arenas took the floor for the Wizards’ 110-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Verizon Center — an appearance that apparently caught his coaches by surprise.

When coach Eddie Jordan found out that Arenas intended to play remains unclear — Jordan did not attend today’s practice because he was suffering from a sinus infection that almost forced him to miss yesterday’s game.

Jordan said after the game, however, that he had just found out his star guard would play.

He didn’t really tell me, but that’s Gil, the fifth-year coach said. I found out. Let’s say it wasn’t the normal proper channels, but I found out.

Associate head coach Mike O’Koren said today that he didn’t learn Arenas was playing until Arenas emerged from the locker room and joined the bench in uniform with 5:30 left in the first quarter.

I told you guys before the game that he would play when he was ready, said O’Koren, who filled in for Jordan at practice. I didn’t think he was going to play last night, but he did. He felt ready, and I’m glad he did. He was really good.

Today marked the second straight day Arenas declined to talk to reporters. The three-time All-Star was in the locker room before the loss to the Bucks, but he told reporters seeking an update on his playing status that he wasn’t available to comment and then retreated to the trainers room.

After the game, Arenas hastily left Verizon Center before the locker room was opened for post-game interviews.

Arenas received clearance from the team’s medical staff via a phone call Saturday afternoon while he and the Wizards were in Los Angeles. The team’s doctor told Arenas he could return to game action as soon as he felt ready.

But Arenas, who had tried to make his comeback on March 23 only to be ordered by the medical staff to wait another week, told reporters on Sunday that he still hadn’t heard anything from the doctors and would have to wait until he got back to the District.

Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said he and the rest of the organization learned of Arenas’ clearance on Saturday. Guard DeShawn Stevenson said he knew a long time ago that Arenas would come back yesterday against Milwaukee but didn’t want to say anything, because I know he likes to make a grand entrance.

Arenas scored 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and posted two assists and four turnovers in 19 minutes.

Grunfeld said he wasn’t concerned about the way Arenas handled his return, saying he didn’t know how things unfolded between Jordan and Arenas and that there always is uncertainty with injuries. He also added that everybody knew how badly Gil wanted to be back and we all wanted him back.

Grunfeld said Arenas’ late arrival to the bench wasn’t bothersome, either.

Not at all, Grunfeld said. He was out there in the gym — you know, we have a practice gym. He was out there loosening up, getting warmed up during that time, and then when he was ready, he came out.

The uncertainty of Arenas’ return and the grand entrance also didn’t serve as a distraction for the Wizards, Stevenson said.

“Nah, I think everybody expects that from him, Stevenson said. When you have a guy that you expect things from, you just look over it. Some teams, it probably would be a distraction. But we know Gil a lot, and we just look over it. He can do whatever he do, but when he comes on the court, he’s ready to play, so I think that’s why nobody really pays attention to it.”

O’Koren said he didn’t know whether Arenas would start in tomorrow night’s home game against the Miami Heat, deferring instead to Jordan, who is expected to be back by then. He said the guard probably will log similar minutes to those he played against Milwaukee, however.

Notes: Stevenson sprained his ankle in the Milwaukee game and was still badly hobbled today, but he said he hopes he can play against Miami. He boasts the third-longest starting streak in the NBA at 242 games. …

Antawn Jamison suffered a sprained right shoulder in the final minute of the Bucks game and was in street clothes with his arm in a sling today. The team’s medical staff will further evaluate him later today, but Koren said he is probably questionable for tomorrow against Miami. …

Center Etan Thomas, who has missed the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a leaky aortic valve, said he had a CT scan done last week and his sternum still hasn’t healed enough for him to return to action.

His heart is fine, but the manubrium top portion of the sternum is only 50 percent healed. The bottom of the sternum is totally healed, however. This was progress from eight weeks ago when the entire sternum was only 50 percent healed. The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Thomas has been told by his doctors that if he receives a blow to his sternum he could risk jarring it out of place, which would require another surgery to re-set it.