Wizards place Brown and Thomas on IL; extend Haywood

Brown underwent successful surgery in early August to repair a fracture in the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. It was originally believed that Brown could be ready when the Wizards open the 2004-05 campaign on November 3 at home versus Portland. However, a late November or early December time frame is now more likely.

The Wizards took Brown with the top overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, making him the first high school player ever taken with the first selection.

The 22-year-old Brown averaged 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds over 74 games last season, including 57 starts. In three seasons with Washington, he has posted averages of 7.8 points and 5.6 boards per outing.

Last season, his third with the Wizards, Thomas 8.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 79 games.

Blake averaged 5.9 points and 2.8 assists as a rookie for the Wizards during the 2003-04 campaign.

Also Monday, the Wizards signed center Brendan Haywood to a multi-year contract extension. Haywood averaged 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 blocks per game last season.

"Brendan has shown solid progress and has made outstanding strides this offseason," said president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld. "He is a big part of our core for the future."

In 220 career games, Haywood has averaged 6.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his first three seasons with the Wizards. Haywood was acquired from the Orlando Magic in exchange for current teammate Laron Profit and future considerations in 2001. He was originally selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round (20th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft after playing four seasons at the University of North Carolina.

"I am very happy to sign an extension with the Wizards," said Haywood. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue to work with my teammates and coaches and grow with this team. I feel like the franchise is going in the right direction and I’m excited to be a part of it."