Etan Thomas' heartfelt return

Wizards center Etan Thomas spoke publicly before the game for the first time since undergoing heart surgery Oct. 11 to repair a leaky valve. Thomas, originally drafted by the Mavs, hopes to play again this season.

“It’s good to be back,” he said. “It was a long process, but it feels great to be back with my teammates and to be back on the road playing the game that I love.

“I have known that I had a heart murmur since I was young. I found out when I was in middle school. I always knew that eventually I’d need to have something done about it. I thought it was going to be when I was 50 or 60.”

Dallas selected Thomas with the 12th pick of the 2000 Draft. He spent his rookie season with the Mavs on the injured list before being traded to Washington in an eight-player deal on Feb. 22, 2001. The key pieces coming to Dallas were Juwan Howard and Calvin Booth.