Jamison to miss another 3-5 weeks

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Antawn Jamison's ailing shoulder will take much longer to heal than expected -- keeping him off the court well into the regular season.

The Washington Wizards revised their estimated recovery time for Jamison's injury Friday, announcing he's likely to miss eight to 13 games in the regular season.

The two-time All-Star forward partially dislocated his shoulder trying to block a shot in an exhibition game against Cleveland on Oct. 14. The Wizards originally ruled him out for the rest of the preseason. But team president Ernie Grunfeld said Friday that Jamison is expected to be out three to five weeks.

The news is another blow for a franchise that has had three straight seasons marred by injuries to marquee players.

Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood barely played last season, and DeShawn Stevenson missed more than half of the games as the team finished 19-63, one of the worst marks in franchise history. Jamison had a healthy year, missing only one game and leading the team in scoring at 22.2 points per game. He also averaged 8.9 rebounds.

Andray Blatche and offseason acquisitions Fabricio Oberto and Mike Miller will vie for more playing time during Jamison's absence.

The Wizards open the season in Dallas on Tuesday.

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