You probably heard yesterday that the Wizards were involved in a deal that brought guards Javaris Crittenton and Mike James to the District.  Presumably, these will be the two guys sharing point guard duties with Gilbert on the Wizards for the next year and a half, give or take.  So how does Gilbert feel about the new additions?

“They wanted bigger guards so when I come back they can play me at the two.  [Just a] Switch up.  They’re bringing them in to help me and Desteve.”

Now, Gilbert also makes it clear that a switch to shooting guard wouldn’t be a permanent switch, but with Javaris on board, it’ll be interesting to see if they utilize Arenas & Crittenton in the same way that they utilitzed Arenas & Larry Hughes during their time together.  Both Crittenton and Hughes are 6-5, 200 lb. guys who can play at point and shooting guard which in turn gives Gilbert the flexibility to play at either guard.

We’ll see how that works out once Gilbert comes back.  While Gilbert has worked on his rehab to get back on the court, he’s also been helping out the Wizards’ coaching staff, according to Hoops Addict.

During the many Wizards’ film session, Brendan Haywood and Gilbert Arenas are extremely helpful to both Coach Tapscott and the team in general.  Coach Tapscott said that they bring the unique perspective of being players but also being keen observers because they are injured, so their input is extremely useful.  Coach added that Haywood and Arenas also play close attention to the college game, and they can easily break down the top prospects in the college game right now.

Somehow I get the feeling that 10 years from now that there’s going to be a minor league team with an infrastructure that looks something like this:

Owner: Gilbert Arenas

GM: Gilbert Arenas

Head Coach: Gilbert Arenas

Head Scout: Gilbert Arenas

Starting Point/Shooting Guard: Gilbert Arenas

Mascot: Gilbert Arenas

Here’s what Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott had to say about Gilbert’s rehab schedule:

“We’ll get together soon to write the script for his return, but right now, we are not at that point.  I ask him to come in and take a look at some of the stuff we’re doing. He has a keen basketball mind. He comes to practice, and he’s into what we do.”

I get the feeling that this means Gilbert’s return date has been pushed back a little farther.  Ultimately, it’s not the worst thing in the world because it doesn’t look like the Wizards are going to be anywhere close to making a playoff push this season (and that might be part of why his return keeps getting pushed back) but the longer he stays out, the more you get concerned that there’s more to his injury than the team is letting on.  Let’s hope I’m proven wrong, sooner rather than later.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Gilbert staying on the Wizards wasn’t always a sure thing.

Injured Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said Tuesday that a second tour of duty with the Warriors was more than likely to happen had his own team low-balled him during free agency this past summer.

“I was close to going back,” Arenas said. “If (the Wizards) would have flinched any, I would have gone back to Golden State. … My injury, they felt like they didn’t have to throw any money at me because there was nobody there. And then they found out (Baron Davis) opted out and realized (the Warriors) were still looking at me.

As we all know Gilbert’s a very candid fellow who can sometimes get a little too candid for his own good.  There probably isn’t a whole lot to read into (and even if there is, it doesn’t matter much since he did sign in D.C.), but it is interesting that he said that the day after Eddie Jordan (the only coach that he’s had since he signed in Washington) got fired.

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.

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.