DeShawn Stevenson Knows How The Wizards' Bread is Buttered

DeShawn Stevenson is neither hot nor cold to me. Sometimes, he can be a productive force on the basketball court, and sometimes he can be lost in his own delusions of talent.

Sometimes he can say provocative and meaningful things, and sometimes, he can be Captain Bojangles.

In spite of his dueling perspectives on professionalism and life, one could argue that this upcoming season may be his finest hour. He has much to prove after an injury-riddled season, and new and old faces preparing to encroach on his playing time. That’s what makes his conversation with WaPo beatnik Michael Lee so impressive; particularly when you get gems like this one.

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“This whole team revolves around Gilbert Arenas. Everybody knows it. Nobody wants to say it, but I’m going to say it,” Stevenson said. “I’ve been on this team four years—it depends on Gilbert Arenas. We can make as many trades as we want to. When he’s healthy and he’s playing, we’re a dangerous team. When we don’t have him, it makes it harder to move the ball; it’s hard to get things easy. That’s my point of view. If Gilbert is 70 percent, we’re going win a lot of games. If Gilbert is 80 percent, we’re going be No. 1 in the East. If he’s 100 percent, we might win a championship.”

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Honest, mature, and on the money (with the exception of the championship part and winning the East). Maybe I’ve been missing something about this guy, and the only prescription is to stop feeling my face.

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