Mike James just hoping for a chance

The Wizards and point guard Mike James agreed to a buyout yesterday evening, meaning that the nine-year veteran will get a chance to pursue an opportunity with another team in this final month and a half of action left in the season.

He's definitely fresh considering he appeared in only four games this season for a total of 46 minutes. Mike James' situation this season was one of the many perplexing aspects of the Wizards' season.

He reported for training camp in great shape, saw a heavy workload during camp, often running one team while Gilbert Arenas ran the other. He talked about the excitement of the opportunity to chip in and do his part to help the Wizards gain elite status in the Eastern Conference and how hungry he as a 34-year-old was to show that "an old dog learn new tricks."

But the first preseason game came and James got a DNP. He was sitting there on the bench with the most confused look on his face. 'From running the second team to DNP?' he had to have been asking himself.

The season came and James watched, practiced, watched, watched and watched some more. With his team down to only one healthy guard, he got into the Nov. 6 game at Indiana, and the next day broke his finger in practice. In came Earl Boykins. James finally recovered and returned to practice, but continued to rack up DNP's. Whenever Flip Saunders was asked about James, he never gave much insight as to why the shorthanded Wizards weren't using him.

"Coach, what are you looking for from Mike James that you're not getting," I asked after one practice. "Nothing. Mike's a professional and we know he's always going to work hard and stay ready." Soooo, what then?

James always remarked that he didn't know why he wasn't used. He was frustrated, but kept working. Finally on Jan. 24, he got into a game and recorded 11 points, two assists, two steals, three rebounds and a turnover in 19 minutes.

"Ah, they're starting to showcase him for a potential trade," I thought. Wrong. James got in the game for a minute the next outing, and then came another string of DNPs. Weird. Don't get me wrong, Mike James' inactivity wasn't the reason for the Wizards' struggles. He may have helped them get a few more points here and there, and you never know, a couple more wins maybe, but the Wizards' problems were much deeper. Still, he at least deserved a shot. I mean, he was getting paid $6.5 million to do nothing.

James was mentioned in a few trade scenarios -- one of them was to Cleveland with Antawn Jamison. The night Jamison was moved, which was the eve of the trade deadline, James was expecting to be shipped out as well. Imagine the shock James must have experienced when seeing Jamison walked through the locker room with his belongings and said his good-byes while realizing that he was still stuck in D.C. The Wizards gave James leave of absence while agreeing to work on a buyout. That day came yesterday for a reported $150,000. The Wizards might as well have waived him for that small figure.

But anyway, James is now a free man, which is an obvious relief.

"For the last nine years Mike has been in the NBA, so not having his life dictated by practice, games and travel of a given team this early in the year has definitely been an adjustment for him," James' agent Bernie Lee said. "This year in Washington was such a challenge in so many well documented ways that the ups and downs of uncertainty definitely became a drain on Mike. [We're glad] to be able to gain closure and think about moving on is a way for Mike to focus new energy’s and begin to think about what's next."

The Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats have been mentioned as possible destinations for James, who over his career has averaged 10.5 points and 3.6 assists while bouncing between nine teams. But I'm told nothing is imminent.

Mike James this morning returned a voicemail I had left for him last night and talked about this strange season.

Jones: So, you've reached your buyout and are now a free man. Are you happy about your prospects of being able to pursue a new opportunity?
James: "Not really. I feel like it's unfortunate the way this season has went both on an individual and team level. It's been tough to prepare myself the way that I have and watch this team struggle and not get a shot to help."


Jones: That had to have been a surprise given all the action you got in training camp, and then it didn't carry over into the season. What happened?
James: "The first week of training camp, all the Wizards staff was commenting to me how good I looked, and how hard I was working, but then the first preseason game I get a DNP. And then from there, I just kept watching. I was never given a chance to even earn my keep here, and basically they wouldn't even give me a chance to get a [trade] with another team. They just wanted me to rot on the bench. No one ever answered my questions. I was first in the gym, and the last to leave, I prepared like I prepared like I was going to play every day, I didn't have any problems with any of the assistanst coaches, I did everything I was asked, I was great in the locker room, so I don't understand what went wrong. It just seemed like it was personal, but I don't understand why."


Jones: So, what's next for you?
James: "I'm just in the gym, working hard like I have been this whole daggone season. I'm still in training camp. All season I've been stuck in August. I'm doing dribbling and shooting drills, just staying ready, and when I get that shot, when a coach gives me a look, I'm gonna show him and his eyes are gonna pop out and he's going to say, 'You couldn't play on Washington Wizards team, but you can play still?' And that's the thing, I was on a bad team, and to be on a bad team and not have a chance to even play, what does that say about me as a person, it says I'm no good. But I know I've still got a lot to offer. It was basically disrespecting me and my eight previous years in the NBA, saying what I've accomplished is nothing. I don't know why, but hopefully now I can get a chance to show they were wrong. I don't care where I go, I just want to have a chance to play and to help somebody win. And I hope wherever I go that they're serious about winning."