Gilbert Arenas: Orlando Bound...
Gilbert Arenas must have done something good, since the Orlando Magic gave him an early Christmas present. Agent Zero is part of the recent seven-player deal that involves Rashard Lewis going to Washington. Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus going to Phoenix in exchange for Jason Richardson and Earl Clark.
Gilbert wanted a chance to rebuild his legacy or restore what’s left of it. It has been a roller coaster ride and for most part, the journey was bumpier than what he expected. Aside from his recurring knee injuries, the gun incident was the exclamation point to his troubled career.
He was the face of the franchise and the leader of the pack. The Wizards built a team around him with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. But now Washington can’t wait to unload Gilbert’s multi million dollar contract elsewhere. However, nobody was crazy enough to take it. But not the Orlando Magic, which readily took the bait and traded key players on their roster for a bigger agenda. The Magic are already a formidable championship team, so why fix it when it’s not broken in the first place? The answer falls on two words, Dwight Howard. The best and most talented big man in the NBA today wasn’t happy about how his team recently skidded down to fourth place. The Magic are definitely going to keep Howard, by hook or by crook, and they will be offering him a contract extension with his recent contract ending in 2012. Dwight wanted Arenas. He knows Gilbert’s career is far from over with Arenas showing a glimpse of his former self this season.
Christmas is not all about giving it is also about second chances, and Gilbert got his ticket to redemption.
With a new city and a new environment, he will be teaming up with his former Golden State teammate Jason Richardson and former mentor Otis Smith. He will be playing for a playoff team, that is also considered a championship contender. Even so, there are still holes to fill up. Arenas will have to live up to expectations. He would have to fill in either Lewis's or Carter’s shoes. History shows he is up to the challenge, the only problem is how long his knees can take up the load.
Arenas believes that there’s always a crack in everything, there is no perfect person or a perfect career, every crack is always a welcome sign because that’s how the light gets in. Dwight Howard got what he wants for Christmas and for Arenas, he wants something that he had been trying to get back… Respect.
