One of the bright spots in Wednesday night's loss to the Orlando Magic was the play of guard Chucky Atkins, who came off the bench to score six points on 3-of-7 shooting in 13 first-half minutes.

However, Atkins didn't get off the bench in the second half and it remains somewhat of a mystery what exactly his role with the team is.

After struggling with his shot in the first five games, Atkins saw his minutes reduced to the point where he took a dreaded DNP (did not play-coach's decision) in the game against Denver.

"I have no idea," Atkins said after Wednesday's game. "I have no idea what my role is. One minute, I play. Last game, I didn't play. This game, I come out and play 13 minutes in the first half, none in the second half. I have no idea. I'm just rolling with the ball. When you get traded to a team, sometimes it can be tough."

Washington's Jarvis Hayes, stuck behind Antonio Daniels and Caron Butler, is looking like a top candidate to be on the move.

Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison practiced yesterday and will play tonight against the New Jersey Nets.

Jamison rolled his ankle during the first quarter of Thursday night's loss at Minnesota but remained in the game. He appeared to twist the same ankle and tweak his right knee in the fourth quarter and left the game with 4 minutes 40 seconds remaining.

Jamison has started all eight games this season after missing 14 games last season, most of them with knee soreness.

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas won the Eastern Conference player of the week award Monday after averaging a league-high 31 points over three games Nov. 7-13.

"Individual honors come with team success, and the most important thing is that we are really coming together and playing well," Arenas said.

He also averaged 7.7 assists while helping the Wizards go 2-1 against the Clippers, SuperSonics and Spurs. He scored an NBA season-best 43 points against San Antonio in Washington's 110-95 victory Saturday.

The Washington Wizards assigned center Peter John Ramos to the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA's D-League on Monday.

Ramos, 20, was a second-round pick last year. The 7-foot-3 native of Puerto Rico averaged 1.8 points and 0.7 rebounds in his rookie season and has been on the inactive list for all six Wizards games this season.

Roanoke has been designated as the Wizards' D-League affiliate this year in a new arrangement between the NBA and the developmental league.

Guard Gilbert Arenas has led the resurgence of the Washington Wizards, and the former Grant High standout said he was also impressed with the new-look Clippers.

Both are "two franchises that have been in the doghouse for centuries now, so it's great for both teams that we've got off to good starts," said Arenas, who won the NBA's 2002-03 most-improved-player award.

The Clippers had hoped to bring in Arenas before the 2003-04 season, Coach Mike Dunleavy said, but he signed with the Wizards.

"You want to be at home, but you don't want all the distractions of being at home," he said . "When I go home, I usually need 170 tickets. I couldn't imagine spending that every night."

Andray Blatche, the team's second-round pick in June's NBA draft, found out he had been activated approximately 45 minutes before last night's tip-off against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I didn't know," Blatche said, moments after hearing about Coach Eddie Jordan's decision from a reporter. "I'm real excited because I didn't get a chance to play during the preseason. I don't even know what to say."

Blatche has rapidly recovered from wounds he suffered to his right forearm and left chest area during a Sept. 25 shooting but missed the preseason and only recently was cleared to practice and travel with the team. Blatche, who played at South Kent Prep (Conn.) last season, was unable to exercise for several weeks because the bullet punctured a lung.

Washington Wizards forward Caron Butler didn't practice yesterday after taking a knee to his right thigh from Raptors guard-forward Morris Peterson late in Wednesday night's season-opening victory at Toronto.

Butler came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting and had seven rebounds and five assists in his Wizards debut. He hopes to be ready to play tonight against the Knicks.

"It's just a matter of getting it to loosen up a little bit so I can move my leg better," Butler said. "That's why I was in a rush to get back in the game after it happened. I knew it was about to start locking up on me as soon as I sat down and cooled off."

Rookie Andray Blatche practiced with the Washington Wizards on Monday for the first time since he was shot during an attempted carjacking.

?I was really excited to be out there,? Blatche said. ?To just sit there and watch ? it?s been aggravating.?

The 19-year-old Blatche, drafted in the second round out of South Kent Prep School in Connecticut, was shot in September while riding in a car near his home in Alexandria. A bullet went through his right forearm and the left side of his chest.

?It was a blessing from the start for me to still be alive,? he said Monday, before rolling up his sleeve to show reporters marks where the bullet entered and exited his arm.