"One Hundreddd Milliooooon Dollaaaaaarrrsss"
-Dr. Evil
I think it's safe to say that the phrase above is synonymous with Mike Myers and his crazy antics of the 90s.
Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas is a dynamic and humorous personality in his own right. When healthy, he is one of the most exciting players to watch, bringing energy unparalleled by most on the court.
Off the court, Gilbert recently manned an all too honest blog on NBA.com and makes no hesitation of embracing his "Agent Zero" persona and the extensive exposure he receives whenever in the public eye.
So it should be no surprise that "Agent Zero" has decided to test the waters of the (not so) free agent market. Currently, there are only a handful of teams with enough cap space to even dream about signing Arenas. The main teams in the sweepstakes are the Warriors and the team Arenas seems to be leaning toward and played for the last five seasons, the Washington Wizards.
After all, who could resist an alleged 127 million dollar contract for six years. Do the math. That's 21 million and some change PER year. Plus, Arenas gets to play with the player that he stated is a big part of his game in Antawn Jamison.
Then again, it is rumored that his former team, the Golden State Warriors are bracing for Baron Davis's possible departure and that they may have already offered "Agent Zero" a max deal. To say Gilbert will be in an even better financial state than he already was in is an understatement.
But is the energetic point guard Washington fans know and love really worth all that money? For the Warriors and Wizards, it doesn't help their cause that Arenas has missed 77 games over the course of the last two regular seasons (not including the playoffs).
Furthermore, you could make the argument that Gilbert Arenas has only taken the Wizards to the second round of the playoffs once and not further.
Yet, when Gilbert Arenas is healthy and at the top of his game, he can produce anywhere between 20-30 points and 5-6 assists per game. And even though he has only taken the Wizards as far as the second round in 2005, it was the first time the team was in the playoffs since 1997. It was also the first time making the second round since 1982!
Sure, Washington has not been associated with championship glory, but "Agent Zero" has kept the Wiz relevant. He led the Wizards to the playoffs three straight times from 2005-2007, before being sidelined with a nagging knee injury most of 2008.
Some may say the Wizards were fine without him this past season, but last time he didn't play in a postseason series in 2007, the team was swept by the Cleveland LeBrons.
Had Arenas been healthy, I firmly believe the first round series against the Cavs would have been at least six games.
Once again, NBA teams are faced with a risk. The teams in question are the Wizards and Warriors. The teams may not know what they are going to get from "Agent Zero" right off the bat, but if he is healthy, there are a few guarantees.
Arenas will put butts in seats.
He will be entertaining and give whichever team he signs with great exposure. More importantly, whether "Agent Zero" is at 75 percent or 100 percent, you can bet he will give it his all. I am confident Gilbert Arenas will be finally back into his old self next season, but that's not for me to decide...or my money that I'm banking with.
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
Great article and you made the biggest point there at the end. He puts butts in the seats. The last four years here in Washington have been as great as ever for Bullets/Wizards fans, even though we've gotten bounced in the playoffs. Still, the excitement that goes on throughout the season is courtesy of Gilbert and there is no denying that. He is worth every penny and given that he is only 26, I think his knee will be alright.
If two teams are willing to invest 110-127 million into this guy, one would think that his knee is okay, right?
about 1 month ago
Nice article...love the picture.
I think he could be worth it if he stays healthy. Washington has a playoff team so a healthy Gilbert should only make them stronger.
write a new comment