Healthy at last.

That summed up the way center Etan Thomas feels these days, and this is saying a lot when one considers where Thomas was at this time last year.

Thomas was supposed to enter last season as the incumbent starter. However, open-heart surgery one year ago ended his 2007-08 season prematurely and put his career in jeopardy.

"Man, it feels great to be out there and running with the guys again -- everything feels great," Thomas said.

He doesn't mind that he'll be coming off the bench to back up teammate Brendan Haywood, the player whose starting position Thomas seized two years ago in training camp. "I never doubted that I would come back, but it was very frustrating at times," he said.

Thomas underwent surgery to repair his aortic valve. He remembers times during his rehabilitation when he was unable to climb a flight of stairs without feeling winded.

However, by the summer he was banging bodies with teammates working out at Verizon Center, preparing for the 2008-09 season.

While Thomas still has to work on his timing, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is glad to have the physical, 6-10, 260-pounder back.

"He is just as physical now as he was the last time we saw him," Jordan said. "He and Brendan (Haywood) give us a nice mix on the inside."

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