WASHINGTON WIZARDS PRESIDENT ERNIE GRUNFELD

On the Wizards’ 2007-08 season:
“This team has shown that we can be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference when we have all of our pieces together. I think that this team has grown. Our young players have improved. Brendan Haywood had an outstanding year. Our bench is much deeper and better than it has been in the past. I would like to see how we do with our three players (Arenas, Jamison and Butler) playing together for a significant amount of time.”

On the team’s goals:
“Making the playoffs was our ultimate goal when we first got here. We wanted to be a perennial playoff team, and now we have been in the playoffs for four years in a row. Only one other team in the Eastern Conference can say that, and that is Detroit. That is an accomplishment. Now I think that the players themselves feel like it’s not enough anymore just to make the playoffs. Now we want to make the playoffs and advance in the playoffs and see how far we can go.”

On the team’s accomplishments:
“I think this year, even with some injuries, we showed that we can compete with anybody. We beat the Celtics three times, we beat New Orleans, Dallas, Detroit and Cleveland. We can beat all the best teams; everybody that we went up against, and now we have to be more consistent throughout a longer period of time. Very few teams in the league can put three legitimate All-Stars out there.”

On the coaching staff:
“The coaches did a very good job for us under tough situations. They kept us afloat. If you said that our leading scorer was going to be out for as long as he was, I don’t think that most people would have said that our record would be what it was and that we would have the fifth seed. I think the coaches did a very nice job.”

On next season:
“I think there are a lot of really promising things for us to look forward to and I think that our players are excited about coming back next year and showing that they feel that they are a better team than (a team that plays) one round of the playoffs and out.”

On Gilbert Arenas wanting to re-sign with Antawn Jamison:
“It’s good because we are on the same page. We want to sign Antawn and we want to sign Gilbert. I like that he is supportive of his teammate and that he likes playing with Antawn. That has been our plan all along, so I am glad to see that everybody in the organization is on the same page.”

More on Arenas and Jamison:
“I am glad that he wants to have Antawn back. They have a good relationship and there is a good chemistry between the two of them. Our intent all along has been to sign those players back and keep our core together. At the appropriate time we will sit down with both of those parties and see what we can work out.”

On what the team will offer Arenas and Jamison:
“We are going to be fair with our players. These players have done a lot for our franchise and we hope to have them here for quite some time.”

On Arenas returning to his pre-injury form:
“Time will tell, but we feel confident. He is still a very young player. Players have come back from these types of injuries many, many times and we feel confident that he will be the same type of player that he has been.”

On whether Jamison would like to re-sign with the Wizards:
“Antawn loves it here. He likes this community and he likes his teammates.”

On Roger Mason Jr.:
“We would love to have Roger back. We have to wait and see how everything develops from a financial standpoint. We have to see what the salary cap and luxury tax figures are going to be. We will put all those things down and work through it. It is possible that it can happen. We respect Roger. He is a good teammate and he had a very good season for us this year. He is also a true professional and a very good guy to have on our team.”

On preparing for the 2008 NBA Draft:
“We are getting ready for the draft. Orlando (Pre-Draft Camp) is coming up shortly. We will go down there and scout a lot of those players. We are scheduling players to come in for workouts; players that we have our eyes on. I am going to make another trip to Europe to see some of those players in the next couple of weeks.”

On the 2008 NBA Draft:
“My philosophy has always been to take the best player available. We are going to go for the best player available. That is what we have always done. You never know with the draft. The draft is a little bit of a crap shoot. I think it is a deep draft. I don’t think you can ever depend on a rookie to come in and help a team and be a real difference maker; especially on a deep, veteran team like we have. I definitely think we can get someone that has potential and someone that can help us down the road if we keep the pick.”

On possibly trading the first round draft pick:
“It’s a possibility. We are going to explore all of our options. If we can make a move and get better, then we will look at it. I think the players we have coming back will make us a very deep team, with our rookies having an extra year and a healthy Etan (Thomas) and Gilbert. I believe in continuity and keeping your core together if possible. We want to see how everything would be if we had everybody together.”

More on the possibility of a trade:
“Strange things happen during the summer and you never know what possibilities and opportunities might present themselves during the summer. But there is a possibility to package a player, a draft pick or draft picks, because we also have the right to one of Memphis’ picks going down the road.”

On Etan Thomas:
“He will be ready for training camp. He actually practiced with the team towards the end of the season. It wasn’t 100 percent contact, but he was running and he did go through some contact drills. I met with him the other day and he is doing well and he is also excited about coming back next season. There are no issues at all with his heart. His sternum is not 100 percent healed. He went to the doctors a few weeks ago and they said it would be another three to four weeks before he could resume full contact activity.”

On the young players:
“We were really pleased with the development of our younger players. Andray Blatche took another step. He is still the youngest player on our team. He is 21 years old and he averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds. Those are good numbers. Obviously he knows he has to improve this off-season and he has to be more consistent next year.”

On Andray Blatche:
“Andray is going to play in summer league and also spend a lot of time here working out. With his size and skill level, if he puts in a good summer and we see the same type of improvement from this year to next year, as we saw from last year to this year, he can be a significant contributor for us. He was a significant contributor this year. He is growing and getting better and maturing. Andray has been with us for three years and he is still our youngest player.”

On Nick Young:
“We would like to see him get more minutes, but obviously he is going to have to earn it. Nobody is handed anything, you have to earn it, and Nick is going to have to earn it. Obviously, if you see him play you can see flashes of a big-time talent. He has speed, quickness and great length. He has great scoring ability, and also the ability to get his own shot and create for his teammates. Very few players in the league have that and hopefully he can play more minutes next year. I think he is going to have to earn it. This is going to be a big summer for him and he is going to have to put a lot of work in. He is going to have to refine his game. I definitely think he has the potential to be a factor for us next season.”

On Nick Young and Dominic McGuire:
“They are very hard workers. They like to play the game and they are very competitive. They are committed to summer league and they are excited about it. Nick already told me that he is going to be working out with former (Washington) Bullet Don MacLean in Los Angeles this summer. He is already making plans to get a good routine. Our coaches will go out and visit them and they will also spend some time here to improve.”

On Oleksiy Pecherov:
“He is a smart kid and a hard worker. It is difficult when you come from a different country and you have to learn a different culture. There are certain things he has to change and we talked about that. You can’t just stay on the three-point line and shoot jump shots. Last summer league, he showed the ability to rebound the basketball and get inside a little bit more, he has to get back to doing that. During the preseason, before his injury, he played well for us. He had some real nice moments during the preseason. He has to get his timing and confidence back. Obviously, shooting is one of his strengths, but as a seven-footer he has to get closer to the basket, rebound the basketball and do some other things.”

On Vladimir Veremeenko:
“Veremeenko was our second round pick from a few years ago. He played overseas this year, and he had a good year. He is under contract there, but we may bring him over for summer league. He is a solid player, and he has had some good years over there…he is very athletic, he’s a good defensive player and a tough hard-nosed rebounder. He’s not a great scorer, but he brings a lot of energy and toughness.”

On the fans frustration about losing in the first round:
“I really like that there is a reaction, because that means there is an interest. That means they are following, that there is a passion. I think that is really good. That’s what makes great fans, they want to see you succeed; they want to see you move on, and they show great passion.”