The Official Gilbert Arenas Shrine

[pineappleheadindc]

.
I can't stand it anymore.

I can't stand haters, the glass-half-empty crew, the ignorant "get your opinion from ESPNers", the bandwaggoners, the guys who'll expect a break in their lives when they screw up but will cut others no such consideration.

I stand before you today in appreciation of Gilbert Arenas. First, I stipulate the following:

-- It's dumb to bring guns to your workplace.
-- Gilbert has a big contract (which was based not on him holding a gun to anyone's head, but based on his on-the-court performance).
-- Gilbert -- and every other NBA player out there -- live a completely different life than I do.


Okay, that being said:

-- Gilbert has paid his price. He went through the legal system and has served his time - to my understanding as a model individual. Legally, his debt to society is paid, it's the way our system works. And if it's good enough for our legal system, it's good enough for me.

-- Think about all of the good things he's done in our community. He's been accessible, charitable, and an outstanding member of our community.

-- He put the Wizards on the map again. For those of you with short memories, I remind you of a team including Anthony Goldwire, Tyrone Nesby, Ike Austin, Chris Whitney (I liked him, though), and Laron Profit. No other player in recent history - except MJ during his comeback - did more to put our franchise on the map and infuse the then MCI Center with a sense of excitement.

-- We all were, both around town and in this virtual space, the community of "hibachi!" Of Agent Zero. Of the Steve Buckhantz "DAGGER!" as you gaze onto the court and see Gil, right arm raised in the sky and wrist cocked post-jump shot, looking as if that 35 footer was a free throw.

I believe in redemption. I believe in second chances. I am an unabashed fan of Gilbert.

A few years ago, I talked to Gilbert's dad over the phone - I' wanted to interview him, but he called me while I was driving in traffic and I couldn't pull over to take notes. Anyway, Gil's dad talked about his son's drive and determination. And as I recall, he also talked about the web and how there were people who just didn't know what they were talking about posting all kinds of tripe.

Gil, if you or your peeps read this, I hope you take all of negativity and put it into that place that only you know - the one that will drive you to make your comeback truly successful. And then, you can look at all of the negativity, the blogger, the whoever and you'll know who has won.

Gilbert Arenas is my guy. I'm a fan. Period.

Pine

[no D in Hibachi]

What is a Gilbert Arenas Shine thread without this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5orlL3s161E[/youtube]

[jimij]

A-fricking-men Pine.

I sick to death of the Wilbon's of the world telling us how much of a cancer Gil is and how it will never work for him in DC. They point to his moodiness and seem to read so much into his statements to the media. At this point, Gil doesn't trust the media and virtually everything he says to them should pretty much be ignored.

Now everyone seems to point to him being depressed because he's sullen in dealing with the media. Personally I'd argue that he's legitimately correct to be wary in front of the camera these days because he's certainly been burned before. But if he's such an obvious drag on the psyche of his teammates then why in the hell was he the first guy off the bench yelling his @ss off tuesday when Hudson hit the game winner.

I also saw where he was criticized for not being very aggressive against Dallas and he was being characterized as "going through the motions" since he's obviously checked out. ****. He was as into that game as Dallas's veterans were because it's preseason. Our younger guys were understandibly going all out, but the vets on both sides ALL seemed to have the been/there done that attitude since (unless they were fighting for a roster spot) they know it doesn't mean anything until the regular season starts.

I can't wait to see what happens when the season starts and I sincerely hope that Gil isn't traded anytime soon because not only do I want to see him stage a comeback to his pre-injury form, I want to see it happen here.

[JWizmentality]

Here Here!!

[Induveca]

Great thread, one well deserved. Hope Arenas leads us to the playlets this year alongside Wall and drops 30 on 5 or 6 teams before mid December. One of the most exciting/dynamic players I've watched in my lifetime.

Arenas/Wall can really do special things together.

[go'stags]

Gil is my favorite athlete, and one of my most favorite people, ever. It makes me mad when people portray him as a Baron Davis/Steve Francis type of locker room cancer, a guy who doesn't really give a da*m, and only cares about stats.

Gil is a great, great player, one whose only "horrible" act was something that IMO was completely overblown by the media.

Most importantly, Gil is a guy who should have been looked up to as a role model, as he was nothing but charitable and giving. Instead the media tore him down while focusing on LeEgo. Eff them. Let's go Gil.

[AceDegenerate]

Thanks for this thread pine.

I feel like I've spent the better part of this past year defending Gilbert anywhere and any way I knew how. Not only is he my favorite athlete and Wizard/Bullet of all time, his personality and journey as a human-being has sincerely captivated my attention. Any one of us that knows his story knows what kind of person he is, and this past year has been miserable for any of his fans to watch him dragged through the mud at any and every opportunity.

I so badly want this story to have a happy ending that at times I've come to blows with my fellow Wizards fans here who all have the same rooting interests as I. It's just that the lack of team success and turmoil the team has been through the past few years sort of made me feel a line was drawn somewhere this year between Wizards fans and Gilbert fans despite the fact that he is still a Wizard. I apologize for offending anybody and taking out a lot of my frustrations with local media/blog commenters/etc. on my fellow fans. We are all rooting for the same thing, and I'll do my best to keep that in perspective in all future posts.

Gilbert has every opportunity to make this work and I know he will. If this team somehow makes it's way to the playoffs and Gil is a part of it, that is all the redemption he'll need.

On that note, what's a shrine without a couple videos:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DcjazqOSh0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKrcLWSvNrA[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xON3cmZGods[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsXkaCyfYg8[/youtube]

[dobrojim]

.
I can't stand it anymore.

I can't stand haters, the glass-half-empty crew, the ignorant "get your opinion from ESPNers", the bandwaggoners, the guys who'll expect a break in their lives when they screw up but will cut others no such consideration.

I stand before you today in appreciation of Gilbert Arenas. First, I stipulate the following:

-- It's dumb to bring guns to your workplace.
-- Gilbert has a big contract (which was based not on him holding a gun to anyone's head, but based on his on-the-court performance).
-- Gilbert -- and every other NBA player out there -- live a completely different life than I do.


Okay, that being said:

-- Gilbert has paid his price. He went through the legal system and has served his time - to my understanding as a model individual. Legally, his debt to society is paid, it's the way our system works. And if it's good enough for our legal system, it's good enough for me.

-- Think about all of the good things he's done in our community. He's been accessible, charitable, and an outstanding member of our community.

-- He put the Wizards on the map again. For those of you with short memories, I remind you of a team including Anthony Goldwire, Tyrone Nesby, Ike Austin, Chris Whitney (I liked him, though), and Laron Profit. No other player in recent history - except MJ during his comeback - did more to put our franchise on the map and infuse the then MCI Center with a sense of excitement.

-- We all were, both around town and in this virtual space, the community of "hibachi!" Of Agent Zero. Of the Steve Buckhantz "DAGGER!" as you gaze onto the court and see Gil, right arm raised in the sky and wrist cocked post-jump shot, looking as if that 35 footer was a free throw.

I believe in redemption. I believe in second chances. I am an unabashed fan of Gilbert.

A few years ago, I talked to Gilbert's dad over the phone - I' wanted to interview him, but he called me while I was driving in traffic and I couldn't pull over to take notes. Anyway, Gil's dad talked about his son's drive and determination. And as I recall, he also talked about the web and how there were people who just didn't know what they were talking about posting all kinds of tripe.

Gil, if you or your peeps read this, I hope you take all of negativity and put it into that place that only you know - the one that will drive you to make your comeback truly successful. And then, you can look at all of the negativity, the blogger, the whoever and you'll know who has won.

Gilbert Arenas is my guy. I'm a fan. Period.

Pine

this

(right back atcha Pine)

[dobrojim]

Great thread, one well deserved. Hope Arenas leads us to the playlets this year alongside Wall and drops 30 on 5 or 6 teams before mid December. One of the most exciting/dynamic players I've watched in my lifetime.

Arenas/Wall can really do special things together.

quite possibly already the best backcourt in the league

[Soup's Uncle]

Wow, that Gay for Gilbert Arenas video is hilarious.

[DaRealHibachi]

Gil is frickin awesome, my favorite athlete ever, the sole reason I started following the Wizards & the NBA... One of the best offensive players in the league, probably top 5 at his best...

Underrated on D because he plays/played the most difficult position to guard... Not saying he's All-NBA, but average at the very least...

He'll prove allot of haters wrong this season, on both sides of the floor, both on and off the court... I hope he stays with the Wiz for a very long time... If he doesn't, well, I'll still root for the dude...

[Donkey McDonkerton]

Checking in, agree with everything you said Pin, Gil is definitely my guy.

As much as I'm liking John Wall and what he is going to bring us, Gil is still my favorite and I want nothing more than him to succeed and have a great season.

[BigA]

Here, Here! Me too! Etc. Thanks Pine.

[Benjammin]

Gil has brought me a lot of entertainment and enjoyment on the court over the years. Plus, despite the incident, I believe he is a good person who has done much good. Hopefully Gil knows that many fans want the best for him and hope he succeeds and turns the nattering nabobs of negativity in the opposite direction.

[no D in Hibachi]

Checking in, agree with everything you said Pin, Gil is definitely my guy.

As much as I'm liking John Wall and what he is going to bring us, Gil is still my favorite and I want nothing more than him to succeed and have a great season.

Exactly how I feel. Wall may be the focus and media darling, but it's all about Gil to me.

[mzaretsk]

gil is like my ex-wife. i love her and always will, but we're better off apart.

all of the gil bashing is fuggen criminal!! no, it probably won't work out for gil in dc, but whats with all the hate spewing.

[manifested]

Thanks for this thread. More than anything, it seems like Gilbert just needs to get some positivity. No one fed off positive feeling like Gilbert Arenas a few years ago.

And I imagine, no one feels more starved of it than the Gilbert Arenas of the last year. I haven't written to an athlete since I was a little kid in the 80s, but I was thinking about writing a letter to the Wizards to pass on to Gil and just try to cheer him up and remind him he's still got fans in this city who remember some of the great stuff he did around here. And not just basketball. Pledging money to DC schools, taking a theater full of kids to see the Spongebob movie, throwing his jersey in the stands...

He brought a lot of cheer to this city outside of just his play. If we can keep re-electing Marion Barry, surely we can all root for Gilbert again.

[hands11]

Here is how I see it.

The media is the media. They follow. They don't lead. And they blow things out of proportion both to high and to low. Hey, they were all on the EJ ride when we were winning. He was the best coach ever. I don't here that anymore. It the media. They are an echo chamber. No truth seekers. They create drama. They see that as their business.

Once Gil gets it going, they will be all about that also. This is why it is best to not go on their ride as a fan or as a player. I think that is what Gil is trying to work out. He is just trying to keep it level this time. When they say there is no hope. There is. When they say things are great, just keep it ok. When they say it sucks, you say we will rebound. That is how you deal with the media.

I try to just look at what I can see as the facts.

With Gil, I didn't go on the Hibatchi or Agent Zero ride. I worried where it looked to me like the blogging, prediction, big three things would lead. I worried because I wanted the best Wizards team and the best Gil teammate and that is what i still want.

So as a fan of the Wizards, I like the possibilities of this team as constructed and with Gil returning. As I posted in another thread, Wall may be the face, but Dray and Gil still need to be core to what makes this thing move. They can be and they should be. They should still be stars here.

They only thing I see that has changed is Gil doesn't need to try to do it all every game. He can still go off for 30-35 pts some games. But if he gets 12-15 and we win, no biggy. So thats that and there is less pressure to be the media darling. When your are not the face of the team, you have more leeway. The media is only all over this because it is a story. Thats to be expected. Once be start to shin it will still be a story. Once he does it over time, it won't be such a story.

Look, everyone doesn't have to be a LaVar. There are lots of talented pro players who get normal attention and are still big names. They don't live for or in the media. Brain O is a star in DC but I don't see him all over the media. Next step up is like a Cooley. He is in the media but he doesn't seem to get to caught up in it. This town loves Cooley. It can be done.

I believe Gil will have great games. As for the 25pts a night. Save it for the playoffs Gil. That is when this team is going to need to lean on him and Dray more.

[CaPtaiN eYeSaNo]

The hypocritical media (i.e. Hamilton, Wilbon) will be back on his sack after a game winner or two.

[bulletproof_32]

Sticky this, Lyrical!!!

Like others have mentioned, Gil is and always will be "my guy" as well.