Washington Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said he hasn't paid too much attention to the United States' unblemished eight-game run through the Tournament of the Americas Olympic qualifier heading into Saturday's semifinal against Puerto Rico.

He has been too busy finding a place to live and putting together a plan to mesh a young, talented and interesting mix of players when training camp starts Sept. 29. Jordan does know that New Jersey Nets stars Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson are on this star-filled team and the fact he spent the past few years helping mold then into high-caliber players -- and winners -- has touched him a bit.

"To see Kenyon, Richard and Jason, I'm so happy for them," Jordan said in a phone interview. "I'm happy to have been a part in their careers and some of their success."

The feeling is mutual.

"Eddie is great," said Kidd, who was close to Jordan and said he was sad to see him leave. "He deserved a head coaching job. He was great with us in New Jersey. The big thing with him is that he works very hard. He'll get that team going."

The Nets' trio benefited greatly from the hawkish defensive schemes and ball-movement-based offense Jordan helped implement with head coach Byron Scott.

How Wizards scorers Gilbert Arenas and Jerry Stackhouse and big men Brendan Haywood, Kwame Brown and Jared Jeffries adhere to that system -- and not vice versa -- will dictate the Wizards' fortunes, Kidd and Jefferson said.

The simplest things -- an elbow to the chest under the basket from George Williams and the sounds of his sneakers raking across the basketball court -- bring a smile to Jared Jeffries' face these days.

The former Indiana University standout and Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball is immersed this week in his first on-court contact drills since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee almost nine months ago during his rookie season with the Washington Wizards.

"I'm trying to re-learn some things about my game and about myself," said Jeffries, 21, a Bloomington, Ind., native. "I'm really trying to do the little things to get myself back in a groove because having basketball taken away from me for the first time in my life tore me up."

Jeffries wasn't cleared by team doctors for limited work until Friday. And he's only allowed to play one-on-one and two-on-two games. He won't taste live, five-on-five full-court action until training camp opens Oct. 1.

Mentally and emotionally, though, Jeffries was ready months ago.

President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the Washington Wizards have signed free agent guard Chris Whitney. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.

?We?re extremely pleased to add an established veteran player like Chris Whitney to our roster,? Grunfeld said. ?Chris is a quality person who will help us both on and off the court, and is an outstanding professional for our young players to emulate. I know that the fans in Washington have a very special relationship with Chris. He is a very competitive individual and is an outstanding perimeter shooter.?

Whitney returns to Washington where he established himself as a fan favorite during his first eight seasons as a Wizard. Entering his 11th NBA season, Whitney is the franchise leader in three-point field goals made (481) and free throw percentage (.878) for players with at least 700 attempts.

?I am thrilled to be back in Washington and to return to the community that has supported me for the majority of my career,? Whitney said. ?I already have a great relationship with many guys on our roster and I look forward to working in Eddie Jordan?s system and being a part of the exciting things happening here in D.C.?

LeBron James has evolved into a legalized form of gambling with corporate America.

James is the basketball flavor of the moment on whom corporate America is betting a considerable sum to be the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson.

Wherever James goes these days, he is usually trailed by someone lugging a suitcase of money from corporate America.

James stops at a convenience store, and someone wants to hand him a bunch of money to endorse a chili dog. He goes to a shopping mall, and store owners are prepared to hand over their inventory in exchange for his stamp of approval.

It can't be easy. It must get tiresome.

James steps outside his house and people start throwing money at him. Everyday is a ticker-tape parade with James, only the adoring throng is throwing dollar bills in his direction instead of confetti.

Not too long ago, James was just another high school basketball player with a Hummer H2.

Now he is a high-powered businessman who has a team of marketing advisers, legal gurus and image consultants endeavoring to bring his deity-like presence into your home.

The Washington Wizards announced yesterday that they have signed University of Maryland standout Steve Blake to a contract.

Blake, a point guard selected by the Wizards in the second round (38th overall) of the NBA Draft, signed a two-year deal. He'll earn $367,000 this season. The second year is not guaranteed.

"Steve is a proven winner from a terrific college program, and he played well for us during summer league," Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. "He showed the ability to lead a team, make plays for his teammates and defend at the pro level."

Blake, who played with Wizards guard Juan Dixon on the 2002 NCAA national championship team, becomes the second true point guard on the roster. Recently signed Gilbert Arenas, who became the starter the second he signed a $64 million contract earlier this month, is the other.

Doug Collins hadn't been a TNT analyst for nine years and now the network wanted him back. He had been fired by the Washington Wizards with two and a half years left on his contract, and during the July 4th weekend, he decided that he wanted to call N.B.A. games again.

ESPN and ABC also wanted him and dangled three different deals: ABC's Sunday games; an ABC-ESPN deal or ESPN's Friday night package. To accommodate Collins - who wanted to work only in a two-man booth - ABC and/or ESPN would have had to move Bill Walton and Tom Tolbert as the joint No. 1 analysts.

"I don't care who's No. 1 or No. 2,'' Tolbert said yesterday. "All I know is that I get to call basketball games - from the court, a studio or as a No. 1 or a No. 2.''

In their first year together, Walton, Tolbert and their play-by-play partner, Brad Nessler, struggled to be cohesive. ABC has begun discussions with Al Michaels that might lead to his replacing Nessler on all or some of its games.

Unlike Walton, who found a basketball nirvana by working in almost every outlet ESPN owns, Collins had little interest in doing that. "There would be no ESPN.com, no columns, no 'SportsCenter,' no ESPN Radio," said John Langell, Collins's agent.

TNT had three advantages: a Thursday night schedule, giving Collins plenty of time for his family; his loyalty to the network; and TNT's superior production.

"Doug remembers that he was here before, and that we gave him his first opportunity when he left coaching the Bulls,'' said David Levy, the president of Turner Sports. "I truly believe he felt comfortable here."

Washington Wizards forward Kwame Brown could face at least a one-game NBA suspension if he is found guilty of driving under the influence.

"The league doesn't have a policy toward the charge that says if you do this, you will get this," league spokesman Mark Broussard said. "But if you look at the history, I think it's been pretty consistent that a conviction usually results in a suspension of at least one game."

Derrick Coleman pleaded guilty, and Stephon Marbury pleaded no contest to DUI charges last summer and received one-game suspensions from the NBA.

Regarding the Brown incident, Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said the team would have "no further comment until the matter is resolved."

Small forward Jarvis Hayes, selected 10th overall in this summer's draft, signed a three-year, $5.7 million contract with the Washington Wizards yesterday, the team announced. Hayes will earn $1.75 million this season, in which he is expected to compete with Jared Jeffries for playing time.

"Jarvis has an opportunity to play a key role in helping build our team for many years to come," President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement released by the team. "He is an outstanding athlete with a very good outside shot. Jarvis is a very competitive person and is always trying to improve."

The 6-foot-7 Hayes deferred the signing of his contract to help the Wizards clear an extra $300,000 in salary cap space to help sign free agent guard Gilbert Arenas to a team-high six-year, $64 million contract.

Hayes will receive a 20 percent increase from the pre-determined salary of $1.45 million for the No. 10 pick. By waiting until after Washington signed Arenas, that bonus ($300,000) did not count against the salary cap, allowing the Wizards additional money to offer Arenas, who will earn $8.5 million this season.

Hayes, a two-time first-team all-Southeastern Conference selection, entered the draft after his junior season at Georgia, where he averaged 18.4 points. His outside shooting touch (37 percent from three-point range, 50 percent from the field during his junior year) is something sorely needed by the Wizards, one of the NBA's worst three-point shooting teams last season.

Free agent forward Bobby Simmons, who spent the past two seasons with the Wizards, is not expected to be re-signed, according to his agent, Mark Bartlestein.

President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the Washington Wizards have signed first round draft choice Jarvis Hayes. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

?Jarvis has an opportunity to play a key role in helping build our team for many years to come,? Grunfeld said. ?He is an outstanding athlete with a very good outside shot. Jarvis is a very competitive person and is always trying to improve and I think he will fit in very well in Eddie?s system.?

Hayes was the 10th overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft after leaving the University of Georgia following his junior season. The 6-7, 220-pound swingman was Georgia?s first two-time consensus First-Team All-SEC honoree since Dominique Wilkins in 1981-82. Hayes led the SEC in scoring as a sophomore and finished second in the conference last year while becoming the second fastest player to top the 1,000-point mark in school history.