The vow of silence is over! Kind of. Gilbert explains in his latest blog:

When people are asking me, “How does it feel to be back?” I don’t consider myself back. It’s jinxy. That’s why I don’t talk to the media right now. They’re going to ask the same questions, “How does the knee feel? … How does it feel coming off the bench? … Are you opting out?”

You know what, there’s only so many times you can answer those same questions. I mean, can’t they just use the same quotes I said last week? There’s only so many times you can answer the same questions so I just said, “Forget it.”

I retired from talking to the media for this year. I’m going to wait until next season.

After this, I’m not blogging for a little bit either. Right now, it’s not all about me. It’s about keeping focus on the team. We’re in the middle of a playoff positioning fight. I’m trying to do anything I can to help us achieve our team goals. If that means coming off the bench, then that means coming off the bench.

After ripping on Tom Knott and Latrell Sprewell for a little bit, he rips on the people that mocked his prediction that he would beat Boston:

I remember when I made the prediction at the beginning of the year that we would beat Boston, everybody laughed at me after we lost. They had their little shorts giggles. I’m glad you guys giggled, because I’m going to be giggling the whole summer now.

I think we’re the only team in the league to beat them three times this season. So, giggle giggle giggle back. You all were so quick to kill me, but five months later I got the last laugh.

Three out of four.

HA!

He also talks a little about the birthday parties that teammates Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson threw and about Jerryd Bayless opting for the NBA Draft. Sadly, it looks like it will be his last blog for a little while (he probably won’t blog again until the Wiz are knocked out of the playoffs), but I have to say I’m kind of liking this new, angrier Gil that we’ve seen since his comeback.

On an unrelated note, check out the DC Sports Bog. Dan Steinberg managed to get some quotes from Todd Gallagher’s new book Andy Roddick Beat Me With A Frying Pan which features of lot of Gilbertisms.

Last weekend you might remember that Gilbert sat out on Saturday night against Chicago as a precaution after playing Friday night against Miami.  The Wizards face a similar situation this weekend, with a road game tonight against Detroit, followed by a game against Philadelphia, who’s right behind Washington in the standings on Saturday.

It will be very interesting to see if the same policy will be in effect this weekend, and if it is, it’s going to be an interesting decision on which game they decide to keep Gilbert out of.  Right now, I’d say the Wizards would be better suited to save Gilbert for the Saturday game against Philly since Detroit will likely be saving their key players for the playoffs, which should make getting a win without Gilbert easier than it will be on Saturday when they have to play against a Philadelphia team still trying to work its way up to the 5th spot that the Wizards currently hold.

Stat Line: 13 points (5-14 shooting, 1-5 beyond the arc), 3 assists, 1 rebound, 4 steals, and 1 turnover in 24:21 (+7).

Shoes: Gil II Zero DC Football/Chocolate City which were given to a lucky fan after the game.

The big thing that I’m going to take away from Wednesday’s game against Boston is Gilbert’s steals.  Like I mentioned in the game against Miami, the key to Gilbert’s return is going to be how he performs in the fast break and since forcing steals is a really, really good way to start a fast break, I’d say he succeeded in that regard tonight.

As you can see from the stat line, his shot was off tonight.  Part of that was the Celtics D, part of that was bizarre phenomenon known as an off night.  It happens sometimes.

Two other quick notes from the game:

• This was the most minutes Gilbert has logged in a game to this point in his comeback.  The training staff has given the coaching staff strict orders to keep him from playing more than 20-25 minutes a game, so I don’t see him exceeding tonight’s total by much.
• Have you noticed that Gil hasn’t really talked since he made his comeback?  You’re not the only one.

I’ll have the full recap of Gilbert’s performance against the Celtics later today, in the meantime, enjoy #4 on NBATV’s top 10 countdown where Gilbert comes up with the steal and makes the pretty assist.

It’s been a while since Gilbert’s blogged, and we have no idea when the next one is coming out, but we do have something that can tide you over until then. The Basketball Jones and Green Bandwagon both have made hilarious parodies of Gilbert’s blog that will make you feel like you’re reading the real thing.