Arenas for Vince or dump Arenas for cap space?

[montestewart]

^
Great post Shanghai Kid. Agree on all points.

[LyricalRico]

Here's a summary of the differences between an option and an ETO:

•A contract with a player option can be extended when the option is not exercised. A contract with an ETO may not be extended if the ETO is exercised.

I'm not sure how that applies. Is it techinically considered an "extension" if Arenas exercises his ETO and then the Wizards sign him to a brand new contract?

I'm pretty sure that means that anytime an ETO is exercised, the player must become a UFA. The team cannot extend the player to prevent him from hitting the open market. But the Wiz would still have Bird Rights, which I guess doesn't matter if the plan is to re-sign him for less.

[nate33]

Yeah, I'm thinking the distinction between an extension and a brand new contract is irrelevent for a team that is under the cap and intends to sign the player without using Bird Rights. If the Wizards are over the cap in 2012, my reading is that we could not ask Gil exercise his ETO and then use Bird Rights to exceed the cap and sign him to a cheaper salary. It would work if it was a player option, but not an ETO.

Fortunately, the whole premise of making this move would be if we were already under the cap and looking to free up even more cap space. So it's an option that may be on the table when the time comes.

[Wizardspride]

Lets just say that Arenas is between 85%- 90% of his old self and decides to opt out after next season.

I'm curious as to what you guys think is a reasonable deal for both parties?

(I know a lot of this is predicated on what the new CBA looks like)

[fishercob]

Lets just say that Arenas is between 85%- 90% of his old self and decides to opt out after next season.

I'm curious as to what you guys think is a reasonable deal for both parties.

For me, that's impossible to answer without knowing the parameters of the new CBA.

[no D in Hibachi]

Depends a lot on the CBA, but something along the lines of 4/40. I could see Gil making a crazy move like this as a goodwill gesture of sorts. It'd be surprising, but certainly not out of character.

[closg00]

Saw this tweet:

Chris Miller: Gilbert Arenas held out of practice due to general soreness. Besides that another professional practice out at George Mason.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

General? He hurt his ankle yesterday. I hope his ankle and not knee is what is generally sore. Otherwise, this is not good at all. At face value, I don't like the sound of it.

[closg00]

General? He hurt his ankle yesterday. I hope his ankle and not knee is what is generally sore. Otherwise, this is not good at all. At face value, I don't like the sound of it.

They are calling Lester Hudson Microwave at the camp, I think we should sign "Microwave" as an insurance policy for Gilbert, Kirk and Young aren't enough.

[no D in Hibachi]

General? He hurt his ankle yesterday. I hope his ankle and not knee is what is generally sore. Otherwise, this is not good at all. At face value, I don't like the sound of it.

They are calling Lester Hudson Microwave at the camp, I think we should sign "Microwave" as an insurance policy for Gilbert, Kirk and Young aren't enough.

I think you have to sign him regardless. It's a bad move going into the season with only 4 guards on the roster. You can go with three guards for a brief stretch, but let's say one of Wall, Arenas, Hinrich, or Young sprains an ankle and are out for '2-3 weeks'. You'd burn out the guard rotation pretty quick. Hudson has earned a spot, it's time to sign him up.

[Wizardspride]

General? He hurt his ankle yesterday. I hope his ankle and not knee is what is generally sore. Otherwise, this is not good at all. At face value, I don't like the sound of it.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/

Coach Flip Saunders said Gilbert Arenas sat out of the Friday morning practice session with soreness in his leg, but should be able to participate in the team scrimmages later in the evening. The Wizards didn't do much more than skeleton, five-on-none offensive drills and close out practice, with a three-man weave drill. Arenas shot free throws after practice.

"A little soreness, leg soreness," Saunders said. "He didn't do anything today, just stretched out. That was it. He'll go tonight."

Arenas injured his ankle in a collision during team scrimmages on Wednesday, but was back in action the next day. When asked if he had any concerns about Arenas, Saunders said, "No."

[TheGreatWall]

Uppin to get opinions on the new article in the Post:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizard ... aside.html

"Right now I'm out there to hit open shots, teach John the ins and the outs of the game, and then eventually go on and move on. I'm on my way," Arenas said, offering a subtle hint that he could be dealt before his $111-million contract expires in 2014. "This is the NBA. There's few players that stay in the same city, so right now the city is John's. I'm not here to fight anybody. I'm here to play alongside of him. He's Batman, I'm Robin. When I came in, Larry [Hughes] moved aside for me to become a star and I'm moving aside for him to become a star."

Sounds like Gilbert is ready to move on.

[fishercob]

Uppin to get opinions on the new article in the Post:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizard ... aside.html

"Right now I'm out there to hit open shots, teach John the ins and the outs of the game, and then eventually go on and move on. I'm on my way," Arenas said, offering a subtle hint that he could be dealt before his $111-million contract expires in 2014. "This is the NBA. There's few players that stay in the same city, so right now the city is John's. I'm not here to fight anybody. I'm here to play alongside of him. He's Batman, I'm Robin. When I came in, Larry [Hughes] moved aside for me to become a star and I'm moving aside for him to become a star."

Sounds like Gilbert is ready to move on.

Hardly:

When asked if he needed to go elsewhere in order to play a more desirable role, Arenas said, "I'm content on what I'm doing right now. Everything happens for a reason. It's easy to play with [Wall] basically we're basically family. We both came from the same agent [Dan Fegan], so me and him get along great. We're like brother, so if I want my brother to grow, I've got to step down."

Arenas added that is unlikely that there will be a return of the gregarious Arenas who reached superstardom with his game, quirky antics and entertaining quips. "It's a double-headed sword," Arenas said. "I guess at this point I'm at that point where people are going to nitpick everything I do just because I got in trouble, so no. I've just got to be serious and worry about what I'm doing."

I think Gil is enjoying being part of something again.

[Rafael122]

The local media will eat this up and suggest he wants to leave. I see it as him stepping aisde and not wanting to be the focus of the team and just play ball.

[nate33]

Wow! A shocking admission by Gil.

[TheGreatWall]

Sorry Cob, but that whole overused cliche "this is the NBA" is just a nice way of saying "i'm getting traded soon." Anytime a player or GM pulls out that card, it means something is going to happen.

[nate33]

Hmmm, after digesting the entire article, I'm not sure it means all that much. Right now, Arenas is like a dog that's been beat too much. He's just trying to keep his head down and be as boring as possible. Obviously, much of his joy for the game is gone, but I don't think that's a permanent thing. If this team can be successful and go on a 6-game winning streak at some point this year, it wouldn't surprise me if Arenas perked up and started having fun again. Arenas strikes me as a guy who has undergone 3 consecutive years of exclusively bad news without a shred of anything positive. He's just trying not to get his hopes up for anything so he won't get disappointed again.

[bullitz]

Hmmm, after digesting the entire article, I'm not sure it means all that much. Right now, Arenas is like a dog that's been beat too much. He's just trying to keep his head down and be as boring as possible. Obviously, much of his joy for the game is gone, but I don't think that's a permanent thing. If this team can be successful and go on a 6-game winning streak at some point this year, it wouldn't surprise me if Arenas perked up and started having fun again. Arenas strikes me as a guy who has undergone 3 consecutive years of exclusively bad news without a shred of anything positive. He's just trying not to get his hopes up for anything so he won't get disappointed again.

Agreed.

I'm not usually one to jump all over the "media" for their general laziness and tendency to fan the flames because I understand it's their job and many of them go about it the right way. However, I've tired of their complete lack of sensitivity to one who in addition to being injured for the better part of three years (no true fault of his own unless we're gonna start hounding athletes who want to prove their worth); was suspended on his birthday, lost his mother within the same span; and spent time in jail. Only two of those things were due to Gil's own actions.

[fishercob]

Sorry Cob, but that whole overused cliche "this is the NBA" is just a nice way of saying "i'm getting traded soon." Anytime a player or GM pulls out that card, it means something is going to happen.

Oh? Where is that written, wikipedia? I'm not saying Gil is going to be here another four years. I just think it's incorrect to pull that one quote of the article and assume that Gilbert has one foot out the door. I assume talk radio will be abuzz over this and it's basically nothing. Here's the real important quote, and Gil is spot on:

"I guess at this point I'm at that point where people are going to nitpick everything I do just because I got in trouble, so no. I've just got to be serious and worry about what I'm doing."

So true.

Look at what Michael Lee wrote:

...and is growing out a thick, scraggly beard that serves as a figurative shield from the outside world.

Give me a freakin break! Is Gil the first player in league history with facial hair? Hasn't it already been reported that he has some stupid bet going with Nick relating to Gil's Peter Griffin beard and Nick's afro? Every single little thing that Gil says or does is being overanalyzed and picked over -- and then proclaimed to be emblematic of the brooding, downtrodden changed man that has become Gilbert.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes a beard is just a beard.

[AceDegenerate]

I think Brendan Haywood puts it into good perspective:

I asked Haywood if he was surprised that Arenas was the last man standing after the roster shakeup at the end of last season. "No. It makes perfect sense," Haywood said in our conversation last spring. "If you look at it, he's probably the most untradeable player on the team. If he's playing well and playing up to the level that we all know he can, management is not going to want to trade him. If he's not playing well, who's going to trade for him? You got the knee issue. You got the gun issue and then you got the amount that he's making. He's got a very hard contract to trade. But it doesn't shock me that he's still there. I think it makes sense that he's still there."

And like many others, Haywood is waiting to see Arenas laugh again.

And regarding Gil's beard, I don't see why nobody is getting all over James Harden for his?