At the end of this article about Nick Young (Monumental Air ’09!), Ivan Carter drops this juicy tidbit about Gilbert’s rehab:
Arenas said Wednesday that he is “a lot ahead of schedule,” and could return in late November. Jordan said the team will remain cautious with Arenas, who signed a six-year, $111 million contract in July. “Gil’s gone down this road before. He’s tried to really enhance his rehabilitation on his own in previous surgeries,” Jordan said. “But now he knows he has to be diligent, he has to be disciplined and follow the advice of the trainers and the doctors and he’s done that.”
Exciting news? Absolutely. But let’s make sure we guard our optimism here. Remember last season he said that he’d hopefully be back by the end of February and didn’t officially come back until April, so while there’s a chance we could see him by Thanksgiving, there’s also a good chance we won’t see him until New Year’s Day, if not a little later. Let’s just hope he doesn’t try to come back ahead of schedule if the Wizards struggle early without him and Brendan Haywood.
Speaking of Gilbert’s return, there’s a nice discussion going on over at Bullets Forever regarding what Wizards fans are expecting from him this season. Check it out.
No doubt you’re aware that as an Adidas endorser, Gilbert has been a big part of the Basketball is a Brotherhood campaign. In this year’s ad campaign, they’re focusing on Commanders (frontcourt players) and Creators (backcourt players). Even though Gilbert has a rebound rate for a point guard, Gilbert is one of the creators in this campaign.
In this video, you can see him round up some kids which sounds way creepier than it really is) and take them over to the Verizon Center where he teaches them how to improve on their creating skills. While you watch, keep your eyes open for a cameo by DeShawn Stevenson and a funny story from Gilbert about Dwight Howard.
Feb 28 Washington @ Milwaukee – Citizens of Milwaukee organize a conference to teach Gilbert about the wonderful things the city has to offer. When he’s told that Milwaukee had the first socialist mayor in America, Gil calls bull****, claiming that most politicians get along with everybody.
Of course, anytime Milwaukee and Gilbert are put in the same sentence, it gives me the chance to show this again:
- In NBA TV’s preview for the Wizards this season, former Cavalier Eric Snow called Gilbert Arenas “the toughest point guard to guard over the last 5-6 years.” High praise coming from one of the better defensive point guards of the last decade.
So I’m checking on Google Reader today to see if there’s any news on Gilbert and this feature from ESPN Magazine pops up. I can’t seem to locate the date it was published, but it was sometime between the ’05-’06 and the ’06-’07 season. A few paragraphs in, you get treated to this gem:
While most of his hip-hop-loving peers obsess over Scarface or Goodfellas , Arenas’ favorite movie is Bambi. “It’s so sad when the mother dies,” he says. “I just got Bambi II on DVD—finally. But I’m waiting for a special day to watch it.”
That’s just one of the many stories you’ll find in this piece that are well…what you’d expect from Gilbert.
After several takes, Gil lifts up his shirt to reveal an elaborate, stunning tattoo of a tiger’s head that stretches from pecs to navel. A touch of swelling announces it was done just the night before. It stops Gilbert Sr. in his tracks. For the first time this day, he is speechless. Finally, he musters a disapproving, “What the hell is that?”
“That’s the eye of the tiger,” says Gilbert.
“Eye, my a**! Is it permanent?” His expression is one of pure dismay as he comes closer to inspect the artwork.
Finally, there’s this quote, which is just a little ironic (and hopefully not foreshadowing) considering that he’s engaged:
He lives alone in his $2.7 million estate 20 minutes northwest of DC, a place he admits would be perfect for settling down. But don’t hold your breath, ladies. Even when he meets The One, she should be forewarned: It’s not likely to be forever. “I don’t want to get married unless they change the marriage laws,” Arenas says. “You should have to sign a marriage contract for no more than five years, with an option to opt out.”
Then again, he also said that he was setting the wedding date for sometime in 2027, so he’s still 24 years away from his first five year contract option.
- Here’s Dime’s interview with Gilbert Arenas (via DC Sports Bog) from their latest issue. Most of it focuses on his new contract and his interactions with the media, but I found this question particularly interesting:
Dime: Because of how you play, though, a lot of people would say you’re not a team guy. You’re known as a gunner or, to some, a ball-hog. GA: When people say that, it’s like … OK, basketball is a game of skills, and no one ever looks at it like this, but do you call Jason Kidd selfish or do you call Steve Nash selfish because they pass too much? Do you call Dwight Howard or Ben Wallace selfish for rebounding or blocking shots all the time? That’s what they’re good at, so you let them do that. I’m a great scorer. If you say, “Take this guy who’s averaging 30 points and make him average 10 assists,” you’re not using my ability. Kobe could average 10 assists, but that’s not Kobe. Ben Wallace could try to score 10 more points, but that’s not what he’s there for. When people say that, I say they’re not knowledgeable about basketball. You don’t tell LeBron “Get to the hole and make finger rolls.” You don’t say, “Shaq, when you get into the lane, do a fadeaway hook.”
I’m a great scorer. I’ve been a great scorer my whole career. I could average 10 assists no problem, but no coach has asked me to do that. It’s like, you have to let Jordan be Jordan; he can’t be anything else.
