NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Would Be Foolish to Pass on Gilbert Arenas

If a team gets torched in a playoff series by J.J. Barea, it's an obvious sign that a new point guard is needed. That team is not in a position to be picky, or worry about guys who don't have wonderful pasts. They need to bring in help at the point guard position and that needs to be done immediately. 

According to Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the top of Gilbert Arenas' wish list. Given the offseason they have had, the Lakers have no choice but to make this happen. 

Arenas averaged better than 17 points per game last season when he was a member of the Washington Wizards. Playing limited minutes, he averaged eight points after being moved to Orlando. 

That's an upgrade over Fisher, who needs to be a sixth man (if that) at this point of his career. 

There's no reason for the Lakers to not want a player like Arenas. 

Schilken feels that the Arenas would need to revert to the form that he showed during the prime of his career. 

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To help the Lakers -- or any team -- Arenas would have to return to the form he displayed several years ago, when he averaged more than 25 points for three straight seasons (2004-07) before injuries kept him off the floor for much of the next two seasons.

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If he's going to a team that's not talented, I would agree. But the Lakers do have Pau Gasol and of course Kobe Bryant to score 50 points (or more) a night between them. Arenas coming in and averaging 15 a game would easily set the Lakers on track towards being a title contender.

While Schilken did mention one place where Arenas falls short of Derek Fisher, it's not a deal breaker. 

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But while Fisher is known for his leadership abilities and positive influence among his teammates, Arenas is known for bringing firearms into the locker room, an incident that led to a suspension and his eventual trade from the Washington Wizards to the Magic.

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Weren't similar things said about the Artist Formerly Known as Ron Artest? In case you don't remember, he was known for something else before going to the Lakers. 

Yet, he signed with the team after the 2009 season. When his first season in Los Angeles was over, the Lakers won a title that they would not have won without him. 

Players like that work in Los Angeles because there is a very clear chain of command there. That chain starts with Kobe Bryant. Everything runs through him. Any veteran players signing with Los Angeles know that, and their power structure does not allow for problems. 

So while Arenas is far from a choir boy, his off-court antics are just not a concern for the Lakers. They need his production. 

Right now, better options don't exist. If Arenas wants to be a part of the Lakers, they need to do everything they can to make that happen. 

With him, their point guard situation isn't as weak anymore, nor is their depth. Derek Fisher as a backup point guard doesn't look so bad, nor does Gilbert Arenas as a starter.

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