- Kyle Weidie explains why we should change Hibachi’s nickname to Hikikomori over at NBC Washington.

- Wizznutzz has a theory on why we haven’t seen a lot of Gilbert lately:

Gilbert’s injury is especially troubling. There is much mystery surrounding his latest setback. There is even a rumor floating about that Gilbert has polio, and that the league has agreed to only film him from the waste up so that fans won’t notice the unsightly metal braces on his legs.

- Finally, over at The Good Point Austin Kent has done a great job examining how Gilbert’s career has changed since he started blogging.  He may have interviewed some guy who does a blog about Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards, but you’ll have to read it to find out.

Me thinks that Gilbert Arenas has been given a gag order (not that it really matters with him but still) because he’s been keeping a VERY low profile of late.

I can say this: he is feeling pressure, implied and otherwise, to get back onto the court and start earning that $111 million but he’s also looking at this team’s record and at the fact that he has undergone three surgeries on the same knee and that’s made him very cautious. That pressure he’s feeling – from upstairs and from fans – is only going to increase as this season continues to go into the tank.

It’s certainly understandable to see why the team would try to keep Gilbert from talking.  One of the things about Gilbert that can simultaneously be endearing and infuriating is his honestly.  Especially given the flap over Gilbert’s tanking comments earlier in the season, it’s not that hard to understand why the Wizards might want to keep him away from the media where he might blurt out that he’s being shut down for the year, or whatever else he might say that could cause an uproar or distraction.

It sounds kind of sneaky and I’m not a big fan of it since it gives me less to blog about, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t be considering the same thing if I was in there position.  Of course, there’s no way to know for sure if that’s actually what’s going on, but given how little we’ve seen of him lately, it would be a stretch to assume that’s what we’re looking at here.

Gilbert Arenas has overcome lots of obstacles in his life: Growing up without a mother, getting drafted in the second round, and having multiple surgeries on his knee.  But he’s never faced anything like the challenge of eating 6 saltines in 60 seconds.  Can he get them all down in time?  Find out here.

Thankfully, J.E. Skeets of Ball Don’t Lie has this Impossible is Nothing photoshop to tide you over until we get some more news on Gilbert, which hopefully will be sooner rather than later.

At the end of the book, Free Darko focuses on the “Myth of the Next.”  Throughout the history of the NBA, players have been labeled as the reincarnations of great players that have come before them.  Of course, Michael Jordan is the player that’s drawn the most comparison.  Everyone from Kobe Bryant to Harold Miner has been labeled as the “Next Michael Jordan” with varying results.

The thing is, no comparison is ever and more times than not they create a standard that can never be lived up to which inevitably leads to disappointment.  Still, the comparisons continue to be used because it’s easier than writing a scouting report.

In the Myth of Next section, several players who have served as the model for future players have been examined as well as the players who had to follow in their shadow.  When it comes to Gilbert Arenas, five players were identified as players who fit the Myth of the Next Gilbert Arenas (MONGA) mold.

The first and most obvious player to fit the mold would be Monta Ellis, who like Gilbert was drafted in the second round by the Warriors and ended up winning the Most Improved Player of the Year Award in his second year.  FD also identifies Luther Head, Troy Bell, C.J. Miles, and Lou Williams as players who have been stuck with the MONGA tag and it’s hard to disagree with any of those choices.  Certainly, not all of those players have lived up to that hype, but the comparison was used with all of them at different times leading up to the draft.

Since it doesn’t look like these comparisons will end any time soon, we might as well take a look at the next crop of players that will get the MONGA tag.

Jerryd Bayless – Like Monta Ellis, he’s the easy pick.  When you’re a combo guard coming out of the University of Arizona wearing #0, the comparisons are hard to ignore.  However, with a Summer League MVP under his belt and some nasty highlights to call his own, it doesn’t look like it will be long until he creates his own myth:

Jeff Teague – I mentioned him a few days ago but with his team currently at #1 in the nation, it seems like a good team to bring him up again.  Aside from wearing 0 like Arenas, Teague also possesses blazing speed, a strong crossover, a penchant for getting his hand on the ball (2.1 steals per game) and he’s shooting over 52% from 3 point land.  He’s currently 13th on NBADraft.net’s 2009 mock draft.  Plus, the kid can get up:

Lester Hudson – Playing at Tennessee-Martin, Hudson doesn’t get the same kind of pub that a guy like Jeff Teague gets, but once you see his numbers, they’re hard to ignore.  The 6-3 guard is currently averaging 27.4 points per game on 46% shooting and 34% from downtown, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.  Right now, it looks like he’ll be a second round pick, if he’s drafted at all, but he’s certainly someone worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Here is the skinny, according to a source with intimate knowledge of the situation.

Arenas’ knee is better off right now than it was when he tried to come back at the end of last season. While he has yet to play a game for the team, he regularly plays in two-on-two and three-on-three games with teammates.

In fact, if this season weren’t already a wash, Arenas would probably, according to the source, be playing games right now. He would not, however, play in back-to-back games.

One of the main concerns is whether or not he would have any swelling in the knee and, according to the source, there is no swelling at all. This was not the case at any point last season.

Still, there is no guarantee that he will be back this season. In fact, with the Wizards so far out of playoff contention already, it is a good possibility that he won’t be back at all this season.

If it’s true, it’s somewhat depressing but probably good news in the long term.  The most important thing is that there’s no swelling.  As long as that doesn’t flare up, then there shouldn’t be any need for another surgery.  If it’s also true that Gilbert would be healthy enough to play if the Wizards were in the playoff hunt, that’s a good sign as well.  The thing is, if you want to believe this is true, then you also have to believe that Gilbert won’t be coming back this season, even if he gets to 100% before the end of the season.  While I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that being a good idea, it wouldn’t shock me if that’s the route they take.  Then again, it’s kind of moot point anyway since I doubt Gilbert or anyone else in the Wizards organization would come out and say that he’s not playing even though he’s completely healthy so it’s not like we would ever know the truth.

- Bethlehem Shoals adds his name to the list of those who think Gilbert should sit for the rest of the season.

- Looking for the next Agent Zero?  Take a trip to Wake Forest.

It’s a tricky situation because you can’t just grab just anyone to fill his spot because Barkley is such a big part of what makes Inside the NBA such an entertaining show for NBA fans and non-NBA fans alike.  The perfect candidate to fill-in has to do a lot of things well that most people can’t do.

1. Have a good sense of humor.
2. Not be afraid to say something controversial.
3. Have the respect that comes with being an All-Star multiple times.
4. Be available for the next few weeks while Charles figures things out.

There’s only one viable solution.