- The US Basketball team was announced today, and as expected Gilbert was not named to the team.  Does this reinforce the Gilbert’s accusation that USA Basketball already had a roster in mind when they set out on the team building process back in ‘06?  Michael Lee says yes.  Chris Paul might not agree:

- Now, on to news from “secret agreement”-gate.  Ivan Carter talked to Gilbert and according to Gil, there’s no deal in place.  However he does mention that the Wizards will likely try and offer a good deal off the bats, so he doesn’t head off on his tour to Asia without a deal in place.  As he puts it, “If the process drags out, the chances of Gilbert doing something impulsive (like flipping a coin and deciding to take the mid-level from the Lakers just to be different) increases dramatically.”

- If you’re looking for some more evidence that there could be a “secret agreement” in place, check this out.

- Sorry New Jersey, Gilbert will not be a Net next season.

- Finally, in case you’ve never heard the story about the car Gil bought after going pro, the Arizona Daily Star has a nice recap of it.

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.

- If you’re looking for another reason to keep Gilbert Arenas around, Pradamaster of Bullets Forever would like to direct your attention to Finals MVP Paul Pierce:

[...] it’s all I was thinking about as the clock ran out.  I saw Paul Pierce, a star who played for so long on crummy teams, who suffered tons of criticism for hurting the rest of the team with his selfish play, who was involved in so many trade rumors and who visibly showed his frustration, win the Most Valuable Player award, and I couldn’t help but think about Gilbert Arenas.  Imagine if the Celtics traded Pierce instead of keeping him and building around him?  Certainly the Celtics wouldn’t be where they were right now.  Admittedly, Arenas’ situation is different because of the knee injuries, but there are some eerie parallels to their situations.  At 26, Arenas still has lots of years left to get to where Pierce is right now.

I really like the comparison, especially in terms of where Paul and Gilbert were statistically at age 26.  Seriously, check out their number in relation to the rest of their respective careers and tell me it isn’t eerily similar.

- DC Sports Bog has found tennis’ version Gilbert Arenas.

- Finally, here’s a video that tries to compare Agent Zero to MJ.  I think the comparison is in jest, but watching MJ clank that dunk never gets old:

It might not be an epic boxing match, but I’m sure that the good people of the Philippines are going to have something to cheer about next month because Agent Zero is headed to Manilla.  The Bog has all the details on Gil’s plans while he’s over there.

It’s interesting to note that Gilbert is leaving only 4 days after the free agency period begins, which tells me that Gilbert feels confident that he’ll have a deal done by then.  If not, it could lead to some bizarre global negotiations which really wouldn’t surprise me at all.  Actually, given that we’re talking about Gilbert, I’m actually looking forward to that possibility, just as long as he stays with the Wizards.

On the court, Gilbert’s injuries kept him from having the kind of season that he was looking for, but he still delivered as one of the more marketable players in the NBA. Despite missing most of the season, Gilbert sold more jerseys than such star players as Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, and Pau Gasol.

It’s interesting to note that at the Wizards’ online store that most of Gilbert’s merchandise is on sale. At first glance, it would seem that maybe the Wizards are putting them on sale to prepare for no Agent Zero next year, but if you look at Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison’s merchandise, you’ll see that most of their items are on sale as well, so I wouldn’t panic.