Ever since we learned that Jerryd Bayless would be wearing #0 at Arizona, the comparisons between the two have been non-stop.  Aside from sharing a number and an alma-mater, they both share very similar playing styles and they both are remarkably productive.  But as Jerryd starts on his NBA journey, it looks like he wants to be his own man:

Just like Gilbert Arenas before him, Portland combo guard Jerryd Bayless wore No. 0 during his days as a Wildcat at the University of Arizona.

Also, just like Arenas, Bayless’ stock dropped on Draft night. While Agent Zero was projected as a mid-to-late first round pick and fell to No. 30, the 6-3, 200-pound Bayless was slated as a top-five pick and ended up not getting selected until Indiana scooped him off the board at No. 11 before trading him to Portland.

Even though No. 0 was available on the Trail Blazers’ roster, Bayless opted to take a new digit, No. 4, when he started his career as a pro. I asked him about the change and he said there was “no reason.” My guess is that he wanted to make a name for himself and avoid the Arenas comparisons that would surely surround him had he stuck with the big “o.”

So it looks like we can lay off the comparisons from now on, but if Jerryd starts rolling around Portland in a tricked out Escalade, all bets are off.

I was looking through some of my old magazines today and I dug up an issue of ESPN the Magazine from 2003 that has artice on none other than Gilbert Arenas, Boy Wonder (GABW).  Sadly, I can’t seem to find an online version of the article for your consumption, so until then enjoy this passage from the article:

Now, although he still wears that zero on his chest, no number matters more to Arenas than 31.  It is a searing reminder of wrongs perpetrated–and a portent of retribution to come.  Arenas has never stopped thinking of himself as Boy Wonder, even over the past two years.  But others continue to question his ability and maturity; clearly, to the world, he’ll always be 31.  So he has adopted the new number, absorbed it: 31 is Arenas’ new touchstone.

Mentioning the number to him unleashes a storm, because the only thing more wicked than Boy Wonder’s first step is his memory.  Sitting with his girlfriend, Laura Mendoza-Govan, he has some words for several teams that ignored him.

Celtics: With three first-round chances to pick a point guard, they drafted Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte.  “If I could choose one team to score 100 points against,” says Arenas, “it would be Boston.”

Blazers: “They told me if I was there at 19, the wouldn’t hesitate to take me.”  They took Zach Randolph.

Kings: “I heard they said I couldn’t shoot.  They took Gerald Wallace.  Have you seen him shoot?  A monkey could shoot better.”

Magic: “Jeryl Sasser–He’s terrible.”

Why did Boy Wonder fall so far?  Maybe because the 6′3″ guard was projected to be an undersized 2, his position in college.  Or maybe because he was healing from a separated shoulder when he worked out for those teams.

Or not.  “A–holes,” he says.  “They don’t know talent.”

And you thought the stuff that he said nowadays was controversial!

ESPN is reporting that Wizards’ forward Antawn Jamison signed a $50 million deal that will keep him in Washington for the next 4 years.  As you probably remember, Gilbert said he would take less money to keep Antawn in town.  Now that Jamison’s deal is done, Antawn expects Gilbert to put his money where his mouth is:

“He said he’d take less money if they got me, and they got me.  So I think everything will get worked out with Gilbert.”

Now that Jamison’s deal is done, Ernie Grunfeld can focus all of his efforts on trying to make a deal with Gilbert in the little time he has left before he heads off on his trip.  No one’s really sure how these negotiations will go since there’s no precedent for Gilbert representing himself, but if it’s any consolation, Jamison thinks the deal will get done sooner rather than later:

“Once he heard that I had reached a deal, he congratulated me, and I said ‘I can’t wait to congratulate you tomorrow.‘”

Does Antawn know something we don’t or is he just exceedingly optimistic?  We’ll see tomorrow.

There’s going to be lots of wild and crazy rumors flying around about where Gilbert is going, what he’s going to get paid, and what flavor Skittles he prefers over the next few weeks as free agency gets closer and closer.  The first rumor comes from the New York Daily News:

Gilbert Arenas isn’t leaving Washington, despite opting out of the last year of his contract, which would have paid him around $13 million next season. Arenas and the Wizards have secretly agreed on a new multi-year deal, according to a GM friend of Washington executive Ernie Grunfeld.

Only time will tell if this “secret agreement” is real or fake (I’m hoping Gilbert accidentally spills the beans in his next blog), but I’m sure this snippet will stir some debate in the coming weeks.  As Tom Ziller noted at FanHouse, it’s interesting that the New York Daily Times is reporting this rumor rather than someone closer to the story like Washington Post or Washington Times.  It’s just something to keep in mind as you discuss the rumor.  But when you discuss the rumor, make sure you whisper, because it’s a secret.

On Sunday morning, the San Francisco Chronicle had a feature on trainer Frank Martisciano who has trained with Leon Powe (who had a really good game last night) and Gilbert Arenas.  We all know that Gilbert is a workout buff, but what Gilbert did when he was with Frank makes his everyday routine look pretty easy.  Just check out this description from the article:

Players train five days a week, often in the late afternoon, for four to eight weeks.

It’s a retreat for many. Locations, which he often creates fictitious names for, aren’t divulged because he doesn’t want people bothering them.

Scaling the 55-degree, 116-step wooden staircase at Moraga Hill, Goods chases Washington State’s Kyle Weaver, who has a 15-step head start.

Matrisciano barks: “Who wants to get paid? Who wants first-round money?”

At one site he wants known as Post to Post, Matrisciano has players sprint from one marker to another. They hold heavy objects like orange pails filled with sand. At sites he calls just Beach No. 1 and No. 2, Matrisciano puts harnesses on players and tugs on them as they do sprints up sand hills. Other times, Matrisciano sits on the beach, latches on cords and has players pull him across the flat sand for 50 yards. There’s a vertical hill called Backwards Hill where players backpedal up and down.

“If we can do a full (workout) of this,” said Derrick Low, a former guard at Washington State, “imagine what it’s going to be like when we’re on a flat surface.”

The players’ only break during these sessions is when they’re stretching with Yasmen Mehta and Dominic Daprile, massage specialists, and Dagmar Wittner, a chiropractor.

During the day, players have training with Phil Handy, a basketball skills coach, and former NBA coach Bob Hill. Their improvement in conditioning is a given.

“They’re stronger, quicker, more explosive,” Handy says. “We hit them hard on the courts. They get a dose of both worlds.”

Whatever you want to say about Gilbert, you can’t say he isn’t dedicated.