Jamison: I think it definitely is a second home. With my family’s support it feels like home. That’s what it’s all about when you’re playing professional sports and playing in a city that is different than the one you were raised or born.

It has been a great relationship from day one. This is a place that I definitely do call home. I’m just glad that I found the kind of place where I’m comfortable, my family is comfortable and where the work relationship is also a positive one.

WashingtonWizards.com: How much does it help that you are not far from your home town of Charlotte?

Jamison: That helps out a lot because I always feel that being in this region, you kind of get a mix of the east coast/northern atmosphere and of course a little of the southern flavor.

Being from the south you still get a little of that feeling and that flavor, and the mid-atlantic feeling is the perfect mix. I think the two definitely go hand and hand.

Obviously, from a travel standpoint it’s not far from going home at all - it’s an hour flight which makes it easier for family to come up and see me, and when I do want to go home or have the opportunity to go home its not that much of a commute like Golden State or Dallas was.

WashingtonWizards.com: In a recent interview, you stated that despite a season which saw you average 20 points and nine rebounds, you weren’t happy with your performance last season…

Jamison: The most important thing to me is to win as many games as possible. Last year I felt was difficult because some games that I did not play particularly well in we lost, and if you look at those games that’s the difference between getting home court advantage in the playoffs and not getting home court advantage.

I’m my harshest critic. I know what it takes to be successful. I know what it takes for me to have a productive year not only with the stats but as a team.

I look at success as success for the team. Last year we crept into the playoffs and lost in the first round. I have higher standards than that and losing in the first round, that’s not being successful.

This year is about winning more games and going deeper into the playoffs. Once that happens than I will consider it being a successful year.

WashingtonWizards.com: Let’s talk about the upcoming season. The prevailing theme from training camp on out was the need for improvement on defense. But last year, the talk was similar. What’s the difference between now and last October?

Jamison: That’s the one thing I am really stressing to these guys. We talked about it last year, did it for the first four games, and then there was a lot of inconsistent play after that. So this year, we’re not talking about it. We’re going to let our game do the talking. We’re going to go out there and try to be more consistent throughout an extended period of time as opposed to what we did last year.

I think that’s going to be the biggest difference between the expectations and the way we handled things last year. If we don’t get the job done, we have to hold ourselves accountable and try to turn things around.

WashingtonWizards.com: You’ve got eight years of NBA experience under your belt. You’ve done and seen a lot over that time. Do you ever give much thought to your career and what comes after it?

Jamison: I have definitely thought about it, going into my ninth year. I definitely don’t want to play nine seasons more, not at all. Like you said, I have history from being a rookie to finally getting the grasp of the NBA. Now being comfortable and knowing what the NBA is all about the only thing left to achieve is winning a championship. After that I will think about life after basketball.

Nine years. Most people don’t have the opportunity to play for nine years but one thing that I never took lightly is the love for the game and the passion I played with.

I definitely understand and know that my career will end sooner than later. I wouldn’t say time is running out but I’m definitely at the peak and I know what it’s all about. But right now it’s all about basketball and winning and trying to bring a championship to this city and this organization and hopefully I can do that before my time is done.

WashingtonWizards.com: What would you say is the biggest difference between life for you in the NBA 10 years ago and today?

Jamison: Maturity - coming to the league you don’t know what it’s all about. I have definitely done and said some things that I regret, and I had some situations that weren’t handled properly, but now I know how to do all things and above. I know how to take care of my body, I know how to communicate with my coaching staff and teammates, and I know how to take care of myself for 82 games and now going into the playoffs.

I have definitely matured over the last couple of years. The things that I have been through and all the bumps and bruises have definitely prepared me for this point. It’s one of those things where I am grateful and blessed to be in this situation and all the things that have happened to me happened for a reason and made me stronger.

WashingtonWizards.com: How do you think you’ll look back on your time here in Washington?

Jamison: I think it is a stepping stone, not only for my basketball career, but my life in general. I learned a lot about myself as a person and as an athlete. I’ve learned a lot more about respect and trust, and that’s something that this organization has believed: to trust in me. They trust me and they respect me. Likewise, that’s the way I feel about this organization. I think this organization really opened up different avenues for me as a person and as a player.

Those are things you don’t take lightly because a lot of athletes don’t even get the opportunity to experience that. For me, hopefully I was part of a time that brought another championship to the city and hopefully after I’m done playing basketball, I’ll still have some ties with this organization. That’s the kind of future I look for when I’m here with this organization when it’s all said and done.