WIZARDS PRESIDENT ERNIE GRUNFELD

On his reaction to hearing Arenas needed a washout procedure:
"I don't think this is a shock. With the type of injury he had these things quite often happen. It was just a washout, there were some microscopic particles in there that had to be washed out. So the doctors thought it was the best way to go. When we ramped up his rehab he had some discomfort and some swelling so they thought this was the right time to do it."

On this procedure being a setback:
"I don't know if it is a setback. We have a lot of guys with a lot of pride who are very competitive. Obviously we all wanted Gilbert with the team we didn't know if he was going to be ready for training camp or not anyway. Really there's no timeframe on it, it really all depended on how his rehab went."

On how this affects the 6-year contract:
"This is not a one or two month proposition for us. Gilbert is 26 years old and we are looking at the big picture and we are expecting to have him in this franchise for a long time and to be an outstanding player for us."

On when Arenas started feeling discomfort in the knee:
"I think it was a combination of a lot of things. We had ramped it up and got him out on the floor to do some more cutting and more jumping. It was just part of his rehab process and he felt some discomfort and some irritation."

On when Arenas will return:
"We don't really have a timeframe on it. We are not going to rush it. We know he is anxious and he wants to get back out there with his teammates. He is very competitive. He loves to play the game. Whenever he's ready he'll be out there for us, but there is no timeframe."

On the procedure:
"It was just a washout. It is what doctors call a lavage. They just put some saline in there to get out some microscopic particles that were irritating the joint."

On how this affects the rest of the team:
"I don't think it puts pressure on our guys. They are professionals. They are very competitive. We've been through situations like this before, every team in the league goes through situations like this. It's just an opportunity for other guys to step up and pickup the slack. We'll look forward to having him back. I think we've shown that the group that we have is extremely competitive and we can compete with anyone in the league and play at a very high level."

On Arenas' reaction to the procedure:
"We've traded some phone calls. He is in a good mind set. He has talked to a bunch of the people around here today. He's at home resting up right now. He's optimistic, he's positive and he wants to get out there as soon as he can. But we want to make sure that he does things the right way."

On whether Arenas will join the team for training camp:
"We will see. We don't know exactly yet. He will get some rehab here first and then we will see."

On when Arenas will start rehab:
"Immediately. The ice therapy starts right away. The movement in the joints starts right away. So the rehab will start right away."

On how the team will replace Arenas until he returns:
"We had the same type of thing last year and we had success. We have some guys that can handle the ball. We have a two-guard offense so we don't rely primarily on just a point guard. So we feel good where we are right now and I think we will be a very competitive team."