Jun

3

Arenas – Does He Stay Or Does He Go?

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under SDC COMMENTARY 

????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas

I think it is safe to say that the Washington Wizards are at the crossroads.? By that statement, I mean that they have a major decision to make regarding the future status of one Gilbert Arenas.? And truth be told, Arenas is what one would call a “complex” individual – both as a player and as an individual.? That in and of itself should make for an interesting month of June as the Wizards contemplate whether to re-sign Arenas to a long-term contract.? And without a doubt, there’s compelling arguments on both sides of the coin.

One thing for certain is that Arenas isn’t your typical NBA point guard – meaning that while he is very capable of dishing out the ball as all good point guards do, he tends to lean towards “shoot-first, dish-later”.? Depending on the team in question, that can be a good and bad thing.? In Washington’s case, it’s hard to gauge.? Part of the problem is the fact that the Wizards did as well – perhaps marginally better – without Arenas in their lineup.? Another thing to consider is that Arenas publicly has stated that he plans to opt out of his contract; as recently as yesterday, he stated that he wanted to wait until the NBA deadline – June 30 – to file the appropriate paperwork with the league.? Arenas represents himself in his negotiations, so you can assume that he is holding out in the hopes that the Wizards sign him to a long-term, maximum-level contract (in the neighborhood of 6 years, $100 million).

Anyways, back to the pros and cons of signing Arenas.? Let’s start with the cons:

  • Team win-loss record.? The Wizards, with Arenas in their lineup in 2006-2007, went 41-41.? This season, Washington went 43-39, while Arenas made only 13 starts all season.? On a statistical basis, the differences weren’t appreciably different; and yes – the Wizards were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs both seasons.? But oddly enough, they seemed to be more focused defensively – something that Arenas will not anytime soon be accused of being.

Now the pros:

  • Arenas’ upside.? When he is healthy, he is without question one of the top point guards (contradiction in terms?) in the NBA.? The Wizards are an up-tempo team with Arenas on the floor and can light up the scoreboard when they’re on their A-game.? And he’s capable of taking over a game, as evidenced by his offensive fireworks in 2007 as he bombed the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns with 60 and 54 points, respectively.? So that capability is there.
  • His “it factor”.? Let’s face it – Arenas, when healthy, puts butts in the seats.? When he isn’t healthy, attendance and TV ratings in the Washington, D.C. metro area drop markedly.? So expect Arenas to bring that to team general manager Ernie Grunfeld’s attention when negotiations commence.

Also factor in the fact that the Wizards are a relatively young team and they have a potential “Big Three” of their own in Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.? So you can well imagine the offensive potential with those 3 on the court at the same time.? So to summarize, Arenas can be a difference-maker for the Wizards – when healthy.? And he did say some time back that he would be willing to take less money in order to re-sign Jamison.? If the Wizards can deal with the occasional quirkiness that Arenas brings to the table in addition to his aforementioned upside, then they need to sign Arenas ASAP.?

Lightning doesn’t usually hit the same bottle twice (in other words, the Wizards overachieved last season), so don’t expect the team to match last year’s record without Arenas on their roster.? And quite frankly, there’s no true point guard to back up Arenas (or take over if he doesn’t re-sign) unless you consider Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson and Roger Mason point guards.? Bottom line – the Wizards need to sign him to a long-term deal soon; otherwise, some other lucky team will do?it for them.


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Comments

One Response to “Arenas – Does He Stay Or Does He Go?”

  1. Eric on June 3rd, 2008 8:16 pm

    Arenas wants out and the team probaly won’t mind.They did fine without him .

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