Agent Zero

Gilbert Arenas gets his big profile in The Washington Post magazine. In my experience, a lot of us Wizards fans are experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance over the whole Gilbert phenomenon. When I first moved to town and the Wizards were, as they are today, a middling franchise capable of making the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference, nobody in DC seemed aware of that fact. It's not really been a basketball town historically, the Wizards/Bullets had been terrible for a long time, and everyone wanted to talk about the Redskins or the new baseball team.

But for DC's NBA fans there was this treat — a charismatic underrated combo guard with at times questionable decision-making and commitment to defense, but an unquestionable nose for scoring and various delightful quirks. Now over the past twelve months or so, Gilbert seems to have leapt from underrated to overrated — he's on the cover of NBA Live, I saw his jersey prominently featured in the NBA Store in New York, etc. — and I'm not sure he realizes that he owes his fans in DC something more. In particular, a winning basketball team. In double particular, the Wizards defense was so bad last season that it seems to me that something as simple as a little leadership by example from the team's star player could do a lot to boost the defense from "awful" to "below average" and win a ton of games. But I'm not at all optimistic that it'll happen.

Comments

and I'm not sure he realizes that he owes his fans in DC something more.

EA Sports NBA Live '08 cover man isn't enough for you?

Maybe the Wizards owe Gilbert a decent inside presence.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 30, 2007 5:27 PM

"In double particular, the Wizards defense was so bad last season that it seems to me that something as simple as a little leadership by example from the team's star player could do a lot to boost the defense from "awful" to "below average" and win a ton of games. "

Bad analysis.

Arenas isn't built for defense any more than Iverson or Nash is built for defense.

The problem is your team's personnel. There were perfectly sensible reasons for letting both Hughes and Jeffries walk, but if you keep losing your best defensive players and replacing them with ungood defensive players, well...

You're weak on perimeter defense and ultra-weak on interior defense. More "boosting" from Arenas or even more defensive coaching from Jordan isn't going to make up the personnel problem.

The teams above you in the East are all above you because they have better defensive personnel. Blame Gilbert because he's overexposed, not because of his roster.

Posted by Petey | October 30, 2007 5:33 PM

The Warriors referred to Jason Richardson as the "good rookie," which left Arenas with the "bad rookie" label. Arenas seemed to delight in it. Asked one morning to perform the mundane task of bringing doughnuts to the veterans, Arenas went by Krispy Kreme, walked into the locker room giggling and whispered to Richardson: "Yo, dawg, don't eat these. Whatever you do, don't eat 'em."

The veteran players dug in and began spitting them out as Richardson and Arenas rolled on the floor laughing.

"Gilbert licked every one of them, then he put talcum powder on the top to make it look like powdered sugar," Richardson recalls. "I couldn't believe it."

Neither can I. That's pretty sick.

Posted by SoCalJustice | October 30, 2007 5:35 PM

"There were perfectly sensible reasons for letting both Hughes and Jeffries walk, but if you keep losing your best defensive players and replacing them with ungood defensive players"

Hughes and Jeffries both played the same position as Stevenson, who's a pretty decent defensive player. Jeffries admittedly played both small forward (where he was too small) and shooting guard (even though he couldn't shoot).

Posted by ostap | October 30, 2007 5:48 PM

M.Yglesias, could you please go shoot ball somewhere on a team or, since your career and or skill level may prove prohibitive, just ask someone who knows something about ballin' for some advice before you write something about basketball. A star offensive player in the NBA deciding to 'lead by example' and 'play' defense has no bearing on the defensive ability of the peg players (easily replaceable players) he is surround by to also play defense. 'Playing' D takes much more energy and concentration than 'O'. Being a successful defender-Jordan, Bowen, Kobe, Rodman, etc. takes even more energy and concentration. If a player isn't really good at it or well suited for it in the first place and it's not a focus of his teams system it makes no sense to do it symbollicly and jeopardize his gas for the offensive end, especially when offense is what got him the rise in status and exposure. I appreciate it that you make sure you know your stuff on all other subjects. That keeps me coming back. There's no use sullying your rep as 'the man' for naught. Just ask somebody, man! Please.

A.Lee

Posted by andre lee | October 30, 2007 6:19 PM

It's not really been a basketball town historically

Really kind of stuck in your own little place and time, Yglesias. Baltimore-DC is one of the best basketball areas in the country, historically.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | October 30, 2007 6:39 PM

Neither can I. That's pretty sick.

I'd call it gross. But Gilbert's moved up from the old "talcum powder on the doughnuts" prank to grand theft auto.

Posted by Al | October 30, 2007 6:49 PM

second the comment re charmcity/dc as ball towns. do you know how many college and pro greats come from the area? do you know how many of them kept coming back to dc (to run in the summer at cole field house or gtown or wherever)? admittedly, for pro sports, the skins have owned the town since the 80s. but the hunger was always there for a good team (arena downtown, rather than landover, help alot too).

Posted by dj superflat | October 30, 2007 6:51 PM

That's pretty sick.

At least he didn't sit bare-assed on other player's birthday cakes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparky_Lyle

Posted by blah | October 30, 2007 8:04 PM

What SCMT and dj superflat said (and if you think "nobody in DC" was up on the Wizards, may I suggest you have some sampling issues?).

Saying "[DC]'s not really been a basketball town historically," is like saying, "U Street's always had luxury condos and white people, hasn't it?"

(and the way to *fix* this is to wander down to Ben's Chili Bowl, sit at the counter for the afternoon, start a running conversation about hoops in DC with whoever's around, and take a poll. You'll get more than full (and your doctor won't thank you), but you'll get more perspective...)

Posted by Chris | October 31, 2007 10:25 AM