Orlando Magic: Free Gilbert Arenas, Bench Jameer Nelson

By now, everyone has digested the fact that Gilbert Arenas is a member of the Orlando Magic. The most shocking part for me personally wasn't that Arenas arrived in Orlando, but that Van Gundy was so adamant that Nelson would stay in the starting lineup.

As the point guard for a championship contender, Jameer has been very underwhelming as of late. When he's on, the Magic are very difficult to defeat—but that rarely happens.

Which is why they traded away the underachieving Lewis for Gilbert Arenas. Van Gundy seems to think that Arenas should come off the bench for Nelson, but there is a problem with that: Namely that Arenas needs to play a lot of minutes; he needs to be the Gilbert Arenas of old.

Hibachi.

Agent Zero.

If it's the tentative Arenas that shows up, the Magic are doomed. The gamble will have been for nothing and they will be stuck with Arenas' bloated contract. He needs to be given room to work and create, and that will not be the case if he has to come off the bench.

Jameer Nelson has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself as the starter for the Orlando Magic, but has been far too inconsistent. This team can only go so far as Arenas takes them.

When the playoffs come around in the Eastern Conference, the play of the point guard will be that much more important. If the Magic want a chance in a seven-game series against the Heat or Celtics, they will need to get huge points from the point guard position.

Nelson gives this team a knockdown shooter, but he is someone who is limited when trying to create for others. If they hand the reigns over to Gilbert, they will have a dynamic playmaker who can shoot or create matchup problems with a Dwight Howard pick and roll.

The Magic already have enough shooters on the floor. They should look to hand the ball to the player who can dish and enter the lane at will.

As with everything associated with Arenas, it isn't a sure thing. He could fail and continue to be an underachiever, or he can make the most of this chance and put the Eastern Conference on notice.

So Van Gundy has to make a decision that he so far hasn't been able to make:

Bench Nelson.

Free Arenas.