WASHINGTON (AP) – Not that long ago, the Washington Wizards owned a cushy lead in the Southeast Division, Gilbert Arenas was the NBA’s latest big thing, and Caron Butler was excited about his All-Star debut.

The Miami Heat, meanwhile, were languishing below .500 and being written off because of Dwyane Wade’s dislocated left shoulder.

All of a sudden, things don’t look quite so good for Arenas and Co.

The Wizards are struggling and will be without the injured Butler for the next week to 10 days, the reigning NBA champion Heat are surging thanks to a rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal, and the clubs are neck-and-neck in the standings.

“Every team goes through ups and downs,” Washington’s Jarvis Hayes said after practice Friday, “and right now we’re kind of playing mediocre.”

About as streaky as a team can be, the Wizards have fluctuated between so-so and superb all season. They began 4-9, then went 13-3. A 3-4 stretch was followed by a 7-1 run – and then things really started to seesaw.

The Wizards went 1-4, then 3-0, followed by 0-4, then 3-0, followed by 0-3, before beating the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

And the Heat? They entered their game Friday against the Sacramento Kings having won eight consecutive games and nine of 11 since Wade went down. That streak allowed Miami to close within a half-game of Washington.

“They’re close,” Arenas said last weekend after the Wizards lost to the Heat for the 18th time in the teams’ last 19 meetings, “but they still have to catch us.”

Still, while the Wizards have been no worse than tied for the division lead since Jan. 16, and were alone in first place by as many as 5 games, they know they have to fix some things or give up that perch.

“We can’t hope that someone plays poorly and loses. We’ve got to work hard to make us play better,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “We want our veterans to play like veterans. We need to execute. … That’s been the message: If we play hard, we have enough to win the division and we have enough to be good come playoff time.”

After hosting the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday, the Wizards head on a five-game West Coast trip – and Butler will stay behind because of a left knee that’s stiff and swollen.

The other members of Washington’s so-called “Big Three” – Arenas and Antawn Jamison – also missed practice Friday, but for personal reasons, and Jordan said he expects both to play Saturday.

Hayes probably will start in place of Butler, who hurt his knee March 7, but continued to play, then left Washington’s win at Indiana early in the second quarter.

Butler had an MRI exam on the knee Thursday that showed no structural damage, and team doctors said he needs rest. He’s averaging career highs in most statistical categories – including points (19.1), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.7) and steals (2.1) – and when he missed three games last month with back spasms, the Wizards went 0-3.

When Jamison was out with a knee injury in February, the club went 4-8.

“You can’t put your finger on it,” Hayes said. “The chemistry isn’t always great when one of those ‘Big Three’ guys goes down. It’s just (about) building chemistry when we have to fill in.”

It’s still not clear when – or whether – Miami will get Wade back this season.

He is trying to rehab his dislocated left shoulder, but if it doesn’t get stronger, he could decide to have surgery and return for 2007-08.

“We’ve got a lot of experience and everyone knows what needs to be done,” O’Neal said, “especially until our No. 1 option gets back.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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