Arenas pulls plug on comedy routine (column)

[Andrew]

Check it out here.

It's been said before in previous threads, but what a fall from grace it's been for Arenas. It really seems like he's replacing one gimmick with another, or maybe he's just an all-or-nothing kind of person; either he's cracking jokes and being the life of the party or he's sullen and brooding. It's a disaster for the Wizards as there's no way anyone's taking the risk of trading for him and it seems highly unlikely to say the least that he'll play up to his huge contract. And it's a shame for Arenas, who seemed like he'd at least have a respectable NBA career as a prolific scorer and entertaining personality, to have had his career derailed by injuries and the off-court issues.

[Fresh8]

The injuries couldn't be controlled but the gun-toting was foolish to say the least. It will be interesting to see how he and John Wall will co-exist in DC.

[Dan's Brain]

Of course the NBA – which fed handsomely off Arenas’ shenanigans before the argument last fall that led to Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton(notes) brandishing weapons against each other in the locker room – hasn’t helped. Last week, NBA commissioner David Stern told the Washington Post’s Michael Lee he ordered Arenas and new owner Ted Leonsis not to discuss the gun incident publicly as if this could make people forget that NBA players sometimes bring guns into locker rooms.

Even the NFL, the most publicly confining of all American sports leagues, understands the importance of addressing crimes so everyone can grow from the experience. Imagine telling Michael Vick not to talk about the dogs he killed, denying him some of his most powerful work in churches and community centers where he has admitted his mistakes to rapt audiences and begged others not to make the same mistakes.

Arenas could be wonderful in such situations, talking in schools about the stupidity of playing with guns. Perhaps he’d even find himself there. But, apparently, it’s better to let him act like a recluse, pretending his greatest failure never happened, leaving him to be washed up at 28 – the comic who went one joke too far and can never get back.

This is a reasonable point. Hay could be made from this situation, but the NBA's absolute stubbornness about its thuggish reputation is really doing more harm than good.

[benji]

phpBB [video]

[Lamrock]

Super depressing. Three years feels like an eternity with Arenas.

[Andrew]

This is a reasonable point. Hay could be made from this situation, but the NBA's absolute stubbornness about its thuggish reputation is really doing more harm than good.

Agreed, it's a missed opportunity to turn a bad situation into a positive one for all concerned. It reminds me a little of the way they're handling technical fouls for complaining about calls, actually. They've identified something that's damaging from a PR standpoint but rather than addressing the problem directly, they're just calling for silence. Perhaps they're concerned that Arenas wouldn't take the opportunity to rehabilitate his image and do something constructive seriously, so they don't want to give him the chance to make a bigger mess of it?

[Lamrock]

[The X]

I for one hope he outshadows John Wall & puts naysayers back in their place. That being said, I can't see the Wizards giving him the chance with Wall now on the roster.

[Andrew]

Arenas plans to show Wall the ropes—then move on

Arenas spoke after the Wizards’ preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, the first time he was met with reporters since his brief comments on the eve of training camp. He was again expressionless, maintaining the serious demeanor he presented to the public throughout camp.

“Right now I’m out there to hit open shots, teach John the ins and the outs of the game, and then eventually go on and move on—on my way,” Arenas said. “This is the NBA. There’s few players that stay in the same city, so right now the city is John’s. I’m not here to fight anybody. I’m here to play alongside of him.”

I doubt he's going anywhere until 2013, when he enters the final year of his contract...unless of course he opts out in 2012 but I don't see him giving up a guaranteed $20 million.

[shadowgrin]

“I lost all feeling a long time ago,” he said. “Basketball is basketball now, no matter what floor I’m on.”

He should just "move on". Kirk Hinrich is already with the team to teach Wall the ropes.

[Dan's Brain]

This probably fits under the umbrella of "it's only the pre-season",

but Gilbert Arenas has been fined by the Wizards for faking an injury, in order to give Nick Young more PT.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5681425

At least his heart was in the right place this time.

[Andrew]

Noble in its own way I guess but if I'm the Wizards I'd prefer he concern himself with earning that contract and let Flip Saunders make the decisions about the rotation.

[Fresh8]

He's a walking joke. I don't know whether to believe him about sitting out to give Nick Young more minutes seeing that Young denied knowing anything.

[Andrew]

Young didn't necessarily have to know about it to be true though.

[JaoSming]

I'll believe him on this. It's preseason, who cares?

[Fresh8]

Young didn't necessarily have to know about it to be true though.

"I told [Young] I'd sacrifice playing tonight so he can get some time in because I know he's kind of frustrated he's not getting a chance to crack the [small forward] position, especially since we're going three guards," Arenas said Tuesday, smiling. "So I told him I'll go and fake an injury or say something's wrong with me so you can start."

[Andrew]

Apologies, for that part you're absolutely right (assuming of course that Young isn't feigning ignorance to avoid punishment). What I meant was that Arenas could well have set up and carried out his plan without Young knowing anything about it so that part at least may be true. As for Young being in on it, that part certainly may have been fabricated.

[Fresh8]

Apologies, for that part you're absolutely right (assuming of course that Young isn't feigning ignorance to avoid punishment). What I meant was that Arenas could well have set up and carried out his plan without Young knowing anything about it so that part at least may be true. As for Young being in on it, that part certainly may have been fabricated.

Well, it's really not a big issue. I just am pretty disappointed in Arenas. There's other ways to ask for less minutes like being straight up instead of saying your knee is sore.

[[Q]]

it was a nice move, but he didn't have to say anything about it. the fact that he had to go public about it proves he's still an attention whore

[JaoSming]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5681425

He's been fined by the team.


And Sportscenter said he is gone if they can find another team that can deal with his personality and pay his 4 years $80 million.

[benji]

So he'll be sticking around for three more years.

[Andrew]

Exactly. Short of him returning to pre-injury form and then some, there's not much incentive for anyone to take a chance on him.

[rise]

The funniest part of his fake injury: the real injury that followed.
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/25235651

[JaoSming]

On the bright side, no one really cares because Wizards rookie John Wall is quite good at basketball.

ha

[Andrew]

New jersey number, same old Arenas.