- If you haven’t been checking out FreeDarko’s preview for every game this season, you need to.  In their latest installment, they tackle the games happening this February and I found this preview especially poignant:

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:

Wasn’t that fun?  Anyways, while we’re talking about FreeDarko don’t forget their almanac (with a foreword by Gilbert Arenas) is coming out next month, mark your calendars accordingly.

- 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.

- Speaking of interviews, Myles Brown, who conducted that memorable interview with Gilbert last week, talked with Ryne Nelson about how the interview went down.  I’ll put it this way: Like anything involving Gilbert, it wasn’t done the traditional way.

- Finally, in the latest edition of NBA Street Series, they do a feature on Gilbert’s rise to All-Stardom

There’s part 1, and here’s part 2.

TNT Overtime has a nice little feature on Gilbert’s involvement as an owner of Final Boss, the top ranked team in Halo.  Just in case you needed more proof that Gilbert still has the enthusiasm of an 8 year old, here you go:

Before anyone thinks I’ve gone completely off my rocker, let me first say that I didn’t make the claim (that honor belongs to the Globe and Mail’s Michael Grange).  Once you read his reasoning, I think you’ll agree with what he’s saying.

[...] as good a player as Agent Zero is, he might be a better blogger. Honest, opinionated and voluminous, there’s no athlete even close to him. He is the Michael Jordan of blogging. In fact, he’s better at blogging, relatively, than MJ was at playing. He’s that dominant, blog wise.

For now, MJ’s spot on the basketball throne remains unchallenged, but he’s got a long way to go if he wants to challenge Gilbert’s spot as the best blogger.