Wizards "Real" Exchange: The Emergence Of Young, The Departure of Arenas(Video)

Before the Washington Wizards' game against the Miami Heat, the swarming media looked for someone to talk to before the game about the blockbuster trade that included former all-star Gilbert Arenas. 

Nick Young began to sob, jokingly, before being interviewed by the media on the trade that was made official less than six hours before the game.

Although he was joking, the loss of Arenas was obviously difficult for Nick Young to take. Arenas was a mentor figure to Young from the day Young was drafted. When the two shared the court together, Arenas always made it a point to call plays for Young to score.  

Nick Young explained to the media:

"I was a little shocked, because I was lying down and he knocked on my door and said I'm gone, I thought he was talking about to the store or something. But no, he said he was about to get on a flight to Orlando. That's when I knew. I thought he was playing around, but he was all dressed up, his bag was packed, and that was it." 

"Everything that happened to him here was kind of tough. He didn't know his role, didn't know how he'd fit back in. It came with a lot of difficulty," Young said. "To see him go back home and get a fresh start on a winning team, I know that's something he would enjoy."

The irony of the situation, though, is that the Wizards made this move now in large part to clear time for Young to play, as he has emerged this season to become a main scorer beside John Wall. Young has been one of the team's biggest surprises this year, and is arguably the best shooting guard on the roster outside of Gilbert Arenas. He's stepped up his defense, which in the past, was the main downfall to his playing style and shown confidence in his jump shot. 

"Nick Young is going to get extended minutes now," Wizards' GM, Ernie Grunfeld said. "He's had an opportunity to play, he's played real well, he's shown that he can take advantage of time he's gotten and now he's going to get even more of an opportunity to show what he can do."    

In the same game, Young seized his opportunity. While playing a career-high 46 minutes, Young was the Wizards' main offensive weapon, going one-on-one against superstars by the name of Dywane Wade, and in the 4th quarter, Lebron James. He scored 30 points in the game, hitting shots while driving to the rim, off the dribble and, in his new specialty, the catch-and-shoot role..  

Nick Young said that, despite the blockbuster trade, he's excited for his chance to play. But he also made clear that he couldn't have gotten this far without the mentoring of Gilbert Arenas. Calling Arenas a "great player" and a "good dude", Young showed more real emotion than I've ever seen from him when discussing Arenas.

It's kind of ironic that Gilbert Arenas was heavily criticized for admitting to lying to head coach Flip Saunders about his soreness in his knee, in which he sat out for, to allow Nick Young to get some more playing time.

Now, Arenas has demanded a trade, according to owner Ted Leonsis:

"He has intimated that he would feel more comfortable playing for a contender and not playing as a mentor to young players. He needed a fresh start and I wish him well in this next phase of his career."

I'm pretty sure Gilbert Arenas' reason for leaving would be to let his buddy, Nick Young, shine.