<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 24 -- Etan Thomas rose up and swatted Carlos Delfino's layup attempt into the corner of the court, where it was promptly scooped up by Gilbert Arenas and taken in the opposite direction. Thomas's third -- and most emphatic -- blocked shot of the first quarter was one of the highlights of the Washington Wizards' 101-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. It prompted Antonio Daniels to rise off the bench and slap his teammate on the back. "Yeah, Etan," Daniels yelled. "That's what I'm talking about!" And it's exactly what Coach Eddie Jordan and the Wizards are looking for out of Thomas and his competitor for the starting center position, Brendan Haywood. In keeping with Jordan's plan to rotate starts between his two veteran centers, Thomas started Tuesday night's preseason finale. Thomas finished the game with two points, four rebounds and those three blocks in 12 minutes, and Haywood finished with three points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. "I saw some real force in there," Jordan said of Thomas.</div> Link Well, the pre-season ends with a 4-4 record by the Washington Wizards. The starting lineup outscored their scorers in the first quarter by 43. Etan Thomas showed a lot more toughness than Haywood as it seems and Roger Mason looks like he may earned a spot on the team with his 10 for 19 three point shooting in the preseason and the 22 point performance tonight.
