Gilbert's Knee

Agent Zero says "People who usually have microfracture are usually big players who get off the floor. I don't jump, I don't get off the floor." I dunno, I'm pretty sure he does jump:

It is true that these knee problems are normally associated with big men, but when you get down to it it seems like it's probably a bigger problem for a perimeter player. A tall guy with skills can be valuable to his team even if he's a bit slow and doesn't jump very well. A guy like Arenas, however, really depends on his quickness to make plays.

Comments

Gilbert doesn't jump? Hmmm. I agree with Matt's assesment. Arenas is a combo guard who's quickness and jumping ability are what allow him to create his own shots. Not really sure how this isn't going to be devastating. Sounds like a bit of wishful thinking.

Posted by Stacy | March 31, 2008 5:50 PM

It's Opening Day. (MLB) Forget hoops for a nanosecond.

Posted by Trevor | March 31, 2008 5:54 PM

A tall guy with skills can be valuable to his team even if he's a bit slow and doesn't jump very well. A guy like Arenas, however, really depends on his quickness to make plays.

These are the kind of insights that you get from watching basketball at its highest level.

Posted by Gabriel | March 31, 2008 7:10 PM

Matthew probably isn't a Washington Times reader, but I assume he saw the following via TrueHoop:

Arenas willing to take cut in pay
By Mike Jones
March 31, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said last night that — while he still plans on opting out this summer to sign a max deal — he is willing to take a pay cut so the team can re-sign Antawn Jamison, who will be an unrestricted free agent.

"Just sign Antawn first, and I'll take the pay cut," Arenas said. "That way, we can keep the team intact. I want him to be a done deal first, then I'll go after that."

Arenas has one year left on his $65 million deal, but he previously said he would opt out to sign a six-year deal that would pay roughly $14 million a year. Jamison is making $16.36 million this season.

Posted by Al | March 31, 2008 7:22 PM

Microfractures are the worst, the worst. I don't know how he is going to ever fully recover.

Posted by Bill | March 31, 2008 7:53 PM

Well, it seems like it takes NBA players two years to fully recover. I don't know if that's a full recovery or not, though. At least he's not too old yet.

Posted by mpowell | March 31, 2008 8:24 PM

I'd never really noticed before, but watching that highlight reel, he doesn't jump all that much. Most of those fancy layups are done with pretty minimal jumps.

He gets a lot higher off the ground on those long threes than on any of the plays in the paint.

Posted by j.e.b. | March 31, 2008 8:49 PM

Kidd had microfracture surgery, and seems to have recovered, especially when you factor in his advancing age.

I think Arenas will still be able to rain j's.

Posted by Rich | March 31, 2008 9:09 PM

I think the real question that needs to be gotten to the bottom of is how many damn jersey colors have the Wizards had?

Posted by Dylan | March 31, 2008 9:19 PM

I am glad they started showing jump shots. Otherwise I was assuming there had been a mistake and we were seeing his greatest missed traveling calls.

Posted by Nat | March 31, 2008 10:28 PM

What is this "travel" you speak of? We have no acquaintance with "travel" at the highest levels of basketball.

Amare is looking like a good advertisement for microfracture surgery right about now. He can definitely still jump.

Posted by mq | March 31, 2008 11:55 PM

I'm not sure Erik Rohmer would be all that amused, but I was.

Posted by SqueakyRat | April 1, 2008 12:08 AM

"Quickness" in basketball is a complex blend of intelligence, instinct, the ability to fake, and athleticism. The ability to jump is only part of it -- probably not that big a part. By NBA standards, neither Larry Bird nor Magic Johnson could really jump (compared to say, Larry Nance, David Thompson, or countless other less famous athletes) but they were both really quick.

Another guard who doesn't have great hops but still is very effective is Andre Miller. He rarely dunks, never posterizes anyone, but still gets plenty of lay-ups, and shows every sign of being able to play for years to come. I suspect it'll be the same with Agent Zero, although being able to stay on the floor will be crucial, and he may also have to get better at sharing the ball.

Posted by Kit Stolz | April 1, 2008 1:01 AM

Actually, I feel like the video proves Gilbert's point. None of his top 10 plays is a dunk. That was surprising. So maybe he really doesn't jump that much.

Posted by Tom | April 1, 2008 8:37 AM