Gilbert Arenas: Rededicated and Renumerated
The Washington Wizards have no doubt been tirelessly studying the top prospects in next month's NBA draft, wherein they hold the first overall pick. But while the front office is busy evaluating the franchise's future, Gilbert Arenas is working hard to put this season behind him.
Like it or not, Arenas is going to play an integral part in Washington's effort to rebuild.
It is hard to overlook the 22.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.3 steals over 32 games, but those numbers pale in light of the 50 games he was suspended for.
By now everyone knows he was rung up on felony gun charges, and through a plea deal he avoided jail time. In accordance, Arenas was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and must complete 400 hours of community service, as well as pay a $5,000 fine.
It will be some time before he can put his own mistakes and their effects behind him, but if he stays true to his character, he'll be back to wreak a new kind of havoc on the NBA. The kind of havoc that gave way to the Agent Zero persona and the long-silent "Hibachi!"
There will be time to think up names for the newly six-ed Arenas, but that is just one minor stop on his road back to stardom.
Arenas will use the last six months as fuel for next season. Next season, Arenas will be doing everything he can to prove to everyone that he isn't the gun-toting felon with no regard for the rules that he was portrayed as in the media.
This coming from one of his most ardent critics.
I admit, I have not been pleased with Arenas on or off the court, but it is impossible to write him off as being worthless to a struggling franchise. Sure, he made a terrible choice to bring guns into the locker room, but Ron Artest beat the crap out of a couple of fans and he's in LA thriving with the Lakers.
Arenas isn't crazy like Artest, though. He just made one really bad decision and is taking his punishment in kind.
As the lone surviving starter following the mid-February roster purge that claimed starters Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison, Arenas should feel like he has a second second chance to be great.
He's lucky he has a friend in GM Ernie Grunfeld, or else he'd be out of town too. First, he battled injuries to return to the NBA, now he has to battle the stigma of being an NBA-sized distraction.
I, for one, think Arenas returning to Washington is perfect for him, the team, and TBD rookie the Wizards have their eye on.
There are two ways the draft is likely to go for the Wizards. Either they draft Kentucky's John Wall or they draft Ohio State's Evan Turner.
With Turner, Arenas can continue developing his much improved passing skills to defer scoring to the young swingman. With Wall, Arenas would return to shooting guard and be the recipient of deferred scoring from Wall.
The best option, from my perspective, is likely to be the most difficult for Arenas.
He is comfortable at point guard. He runs the show, makes his own shots, and can get his teammates effectively. However, a move back to shooting guard would be an exercise in maturity and dedication.
With Wall at point guard, Arenas would be free to prowl the three-point line and deliver the clutch shot that he has shown an ability to hit in the past.
It would be a change from the 15 to 25 shots per night Arenas of the past, but any Wizards fan will tell you they've grown weary of volume shooting. He was criticized by Kobe Bryant for not taking "quality shots." Arenas made it into a catch-phrase for a stretch when he was particularly hot from everywhere on the floor.
This is the perfect opportunity to bring quality and quantity together for the good of the team and to solidify his position on the team.
It is my hope that the self-serving, self-branding, borderline ego-maniacal has been laid to rest with the familiar "0." The newly acquired "6" points toward a more mature Arenas, one who is capable of trusting his teammates and putting the team before himself.
