(My Sportsbook) - So far Gilbert Arenas has yet to prove he is worth the multi-million dollar contract he signed with the Washington Wizards last summer, and he may not get a chance until next fall.

Team president Ernie Grunfeld said it was 'a great day' when Arenas signed on the dotted line even though he probably had doubts on the superstar's health. Let's face it, investing a reported $111 million over six years in a player whose health issues have been well documented is a major gamble, perhaps even bigger than Vegas.

Grunfeld has to be elated to know that Arenas is gradually getting back to work on his surgically-repaired knee, especially since the Wizards are 13-43 this season and already went through a coaching change. It might not be the best idea to have Arenas play this season since it's pretty much a wash anyway, and the three-time All-Star would benefit greatly with the extra time for rehabilitation and getting acclimated with his teammates again.

Arenas has been participating in non-contact drills and has interim head coach Ed Tapscott excited. Tapscott noted that it was nice to see both Arenas and center Brendan Haywood running the floor again. Haywood hasn't played this season either because of a wrist problem. Current and healthy stars Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler are doing their best to keep the spirits high in DC. Jamison leads the team in points (21.5) and rebounds (9.2), while Butler has been handing out a Wizards-best 4.4 assists in 2008-09. Butler is also posting 20.5 points per contest.

Washington has lost six of nine games and opened a three-game homestand with a 98-67 loss versus San Antonio on Saturday. The Wizards are 9-20 at home this season and will also host Philadelphia and Chicago.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: MIAMI'S WADE ON A SCORING BINGE

He's an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, a television icon and the hottest thing in South Beach right now. He's Miami Heat All-Star guard and current leading scorer Dwyane Wade.

Wade is torturing opposing squads to the tune of 28.8 points per game this season and has scored in double figures in all 55 contests. Wade has reached double digits in scoring in 70 consecutive games dating back to last season and already holds the team record with 78 games in a row with 10 or more points.

In his last performance at Orlando on Sunday, Wade recorded a career-high 50 points on 17-of-30 shooting in a losing cause. It's hard to believe it was the first 50-point performance of his career yet he has many left in his young career. Wade, who has scored 40 or more points in a game 17 times in his career and six this season, posted 18 points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds in the recent NBA All-Star game in Phoenix, AZ.

The Heat (29-26) have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games and will host the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. In other team news, Miami forward Udonis Haslem is shooting 26-of-39 (.667) from the floor and averaging 10.3 points (62 total points) in the last six games.

HAWKS SET TO END ROAD TRIP

On Wednesday the Atlanta Hawks will close out a six-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. They are 2-3 on the road swing and have lost two straight and three of four games, but are still fourth in the Eastern Conference standings -- just 2 1/2 games ahead of Miami.

The Hawks (32-24) are 13-18 as the visitor this season, as opposed to their 19-6 home mark, and already have more road wins than last season (12).

Atlanta may be without forward Josh Smith soon after he was ejected for a hard foul on Utah's Matt Harpring in Monday's loss. Smith will most likely face a suspension by the league for the flagrant foul 2 which occurred late in the fourth quarter. The athletic Smith is averaging 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season.

Prior to Monday's game against the Jazz, Atlanta reserve Flip Murray was averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting .508 from the floor in the past 24 contests. He ended with 13 points at Utah. According to Hawks head coach Mike Woodson, point guard Mike Bibby was ill and ended with no points and one assist in 15 minutes of action.

SKIP TO MY LOU FITTING IN WITH MAGIC

Kudos to the Orlando Magic for bringing in veteran point guard Rafer Alston now that All-Star Jameer Nelson is done for the season with a shoulder injury. It's a shame, too, for Nelson because he was having such a great year, but now it's Alston's turn to literally take the ball and run.

Nelson underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and is expected to need about four to six months of recovery time.

Alston made his Orlando debut in a win at Charlotte last Friday and came off the bench to post three points and eight assists. He then started Sunday's victory versus Miami and finished with 12 points and a game-best nine assists. There's no reason why Alston can't flourish in his new surroundings with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu to zip the ball to.

The former playground legend, who was acquired in a three-team deal from Houston, will lead Orlando Tuesday against Chicago in the opener of a short two-game road trip. The Magic will also visit New York and are 19-8 as the guest this season. The 41-14 record is the second-best mark in franchise history after 55 games behind the 42-13 record at this point during the 1994-95 campaign. Southeast Division-leading Orlando is just one of four teams in the NBA with a winning percentage above .700 (Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics).

MODEL OF CONSISTENCY: OKAFOR LEADING CHARGE IN CHARLOTTE

The Charlotte Bobcats haven't had much to smile about this season except for the fact that they have one of the best young power forwards in the game.

Emeka Okafor is a beast and will always overshadowed in the Southeast Division as long as Orlando's Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison of the Wizards are alive and kicking. Okafor is a consistent scorer and rebounder, having reached double-figure scoring in 13 straight and 31 of his last 34 games with 20 double-doubles over that span.

Okafor, who has 20 double-doubles on the year, enters Tuesday's game at Phoenix ranked fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (57.3). He trails only Nene of the Nuggets, Howard of the Magic and the Suns' Shaquille O'Neal in that category. Okafor also leads the Bobcats in scoring (14.0), rebounding (10.8), field-goal percentage and blocks (1.8).

Charlotte (22-34) has dropped two in a row and will resume a five-game road trip Tuesday against the Suns. It is 6-19 away from home this season and will also visit the Kings, Warriors and Clippers. After a surprising double- overtime road win against the Lakers on January 27, the Bobcats have dropped seven straight as the visitor.