Will Gilbert Arenas ever be embraced by the Wizards again?

[Kanyewest]

Arenas was done after his injury at least as an elite NBA player. Times were good before his knee injury though.

[JonathanJoseph]

I'd have a tough time embracing him. He had a chance to come back and be a mentor here to Wall and be a part of the rebuild but he chose not too. They traded him to a good situation and he seemed to take shots and put the blame here whenever he could. I'm a huge fan of his and appreciated what he did, but Gil's immaturity was his undoing and is a large reason why I can't see him ever being a part of this organization or embraced here again

What? He absolutely tried to be a mentor to Wall but it was known that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade him. What else was he supposed to do?

WIth all things Arenas, the perception and reality are far apart. Arenas should have his number retired. It was a short amount of time, but I recall Wilbon saying that Arenas had reached the 3rd best player in franchise history. It was supposed to take a different trajectory from there, obviously.

[JonathanJoseph]

pretty sure that bridge is well burnt. I hate that his legacy in DC is so tainted, but he can only blame himself for never having reached an adult-level of emotional maturity. Sucks, cuz I really loved the guy.

What Arenas was guilty of, possessing a gun, is something that most professional athletes do, they just don't get caught. Other teams have arguments over card games that end up in fights too, they just handle it in house. Grunfeld weakly tried to use the gun situation to void Arenas' contract, so he is the one who made a big deal of it. He destroyed Arenas mentally, and killed his trade value in the process.

I'm not saying Arenas is or was mature, but the "trouble" he got into is nothing that couldn't happen to a large percentage of NBA players.

[verbal8]

We should retired his jersey.

Looking at the Bullets numbers that are retired, it seems to be the Hall of Famers who have been retired.

However looking at some other teams, they retire numbers of stars who are the tier below Hall of Famers. I think you can argue that Arenas does fit in that group. A couple of examples are Mark Price and Kevin Johnson. However due to the incident, it would probably be a while before his number is retired.

Another interesting case is Grant Hill and the Pistons. In my mind he is right on the border for Hall of Fame consideration, but it looks pretty clear he would meet the criteria to be retired as a Piston. Objectively if they retire Laimbeer and Vinnie Johnson, they should retire Grant Hill and Ben Wallace.

[20MexicanosIn1Van]

I'd have a tough time embracing him. He had a chance to come back and be a mentor here to Wall and be a part of the rebuild but he chose not too. They traded him to a good situation and he seemed to take shots and put the blame here whenever he could. I'm a huge fan of his and appreciated what he did, but Gil's immaturity was his undoing and is a large reason why I can't see him ever being a part of this organization or embraced here again

What? He absolutely tried to be a mentor to Wall but it was known that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade him. What else was he supposed to do?

WIth all things Arenas, the perception and reality are far apart. Arenas should have his number retired. It was a short amount of time, but I recall Wilbon saying that Arenas had reached the 3rd best player in franchise history. It was supposed to take a different trajectory from there, obviously.

The third best player in franchise history should have his number retired as far as I'm concerned.

[20MexicanosIn1Van]

I feel like a lot of you guys are forgetting all the good he did for the community as well. The guy donated a ton of money to DC Public Schools and other charities. Let's not forget the story about the kid whose entire family died in a house fire and Arenas became a father figure to him. To me, that's such a noble thing to do. It's one thing to donate money when you're a millionaire but it's a whole nother level when you dedicate your time and energy into making a difference. To me, it seems silly that all this is moot because of a stupid mistake.

House fire link: http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news ... uby/101223

[verbal8]

I'd have a tough time embracing him. He had a chance to come back and be a mentor here to Wall and be a part of the rebuild but he chose not too. They traded him to a good situation and he seemed to take shots and put the blame here whenever he could. I'm a huge fan of his and appreciated what he did, but Gil's immaturity was his undoing and is a large reason why I can't see him ever being a part of this organization or embraced here again

What? He absolutely tried to be a mentor to Wall but it was known that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade him. What else was he supposed to do?

WIth all things Arenas, the perception and reality are far apart. Arenas should have his number retired. It was a short amount of time, but I recall Wilbon saying that Arenas had reached the 3rd best player in franchise history. It was supposed to take a different trajectory from there, obviously.

The third best player in franchise history should have his number retired as far as I'm concerned.

I guess the best argument for Arenas would be the inclusion of Earl Monroe. Monroe was a clear Hall of Famer, but only 4 seasons of his career we with the Bullets(the most were with the Knicks).

[Silvie Lysandra]

Should he? Yes.
Will he? No. Too much bad blood there, and not enough impact on the court.

[Ruzious]

Simple answer to that question is NO

The story of Gilbert and the Wizards will always be a tragic one of wasted talent and bad judgement.

Time isn't going to change that.

I wouldn't use the word tragic. There were good times to balance against unfortunate times that could have been avoided. There was no tragedy, imo.

[jivelikenice]

I'd have a tough time embracing him. He had a chance to come back and be a mentor here to Wall and be a part of the rebuild but he chose not too. They traded him to a good situation and he seemed to take shots and put the blame here whenever he could. I'm a huge fan of his and appreciated what he did, but Gil's immaturity was his undoing and is a large reason why I can't see him ever being a part of this organization or embraced here again

What? He absolutely tried to be a mentor to Wall but it was known that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade him. What else was he supposed to do?

WIth all things Arenas, the perception and reality are far apart. Arenas should have his number retired. It was a short amount of time, but I recall Wilbon saying that Arenas had reached the 3rd best player in franchise history. It was supposed to take a different trajectory from there, obviously.

Was Arenas trying to mentor Wall in the same way that he did NY and Blatche? Arenas knew they were trying to move him when he got back so I agree with you there but he basically pouted and continued his games when he got back. Do you know recall him faking an injury so NY could start and admitting as such afterwards? His conditioning fluctuated, and he came to media day looking miserable. Was it a good situation? No...but he had a direct hand in leading us there and was in the wrong if he was looking for sympathy. Retiring his jersey would be comical and make this franchise a laughingstock at a time where they're finally getting their footing again. What's the message?

[Higga]

I'll always love Gil for the years and great memories he gave us. That 60 point game is still the most dominant individual performance I've ever seen from a Washington athlete, I remember staying up past 1 AM to watch the whole thing. I still remember jumping up and down screaming after he hit that buzzer beater to ether the Bulls in the 05 playoffs.

I'd love to see his jersey retired, but it just ended so poorly I don't think it'll happen anytime soon.

[jivelikenice]

pretty sure that bridge is well burnt. I hate that his legacy in DC is so tainted, but he can only blame himself for never having reached an adult-level of emotional maturity. Sucks, cuz I really loved the guy.

What Arenas was guilty of, possessing a gun, is something that most professional athletes do, they just don't get caught. Other teams have arguments over card games that end up in fights too, they just handle it in house. Grunfeld weakly tried to use the gun situation to void Arenas' contract, so he is the one who made a big deal of it. He destroyed Arenas mentally, and killed his trade value in the process.

I'm not saying Arenas is or was mature, but the "trouble" he got into is nothing that couldn't happen to a large percentage of NBA players.

Nothing? LOL. There are disagreement and fights amongst teams all the times. Gil escalated things by pushing the buttons of a person who seemingly was the wrong person to mess with. If it had ended on the flight, then its a fight or disagreement that has happened before.....By bringing guns into the lockeroom and laying it on Javaris' chair, it escalated into something far greater. And his value was killed before that. He had a $100 MM contract and a bum knee. The lockeroom incident didn't lower his value; it was already non-existent. The only reason they were able to move it was because of the relationship between Gil and the GM in Orlando at that time.

Gil did do a lot of great things here on the court and in the community which shouldn't be discounted. He was extertainment every secdond he was on the court. I still show ppl highlights of the 60 pt game. But what is his basketball legacy here? The only impression I see of Gil now is when I watch NY acting like a fool on the court wearing #0. He is not a part of the community here at all anymore as far as I know...Let's retire his jersey for that great legacy.

[daSwami]

pretty sure that bridge is well burnt. I hate that his legacy in DC is so tainted, but he can only blame himself for never having reached an adult-level of emotional maturity. Sucks, cuz I really loved the guy.

What Arenas was guilty of, possessing a gun, is something that most professional athletes do, they just don't get caught. Other teams have arguments over card games that end up in fights too, they just handle it in house. Grunfeld weakly tried to use the gun situation to void Arenas' contract, so he is the one who made a big deal of it. He destroyed Arenas mentally, and killed his trade value in the process.

I'm not saying Arenas is or was mature, but the "trouble" he got into is nothing that couldn't happen to a large percentage of NBA players.

I'm the biggest Arenas apologist on the planet. My man-crush on him bordered on homo-eroticism. But even I can see that he was Patient Zero (pun intended) of the AKS (Acquired Knucklehead Syndrome) epidemic that imploded this franchise.

I place a lot of the blame on Grunfeld, too, for being a hypocrite vis a vis his policy of selective enforcement - he seemed all too willing to turn a blind eye to the knucklehead culture that was festering in his locker room. Then, when Gil got hurt and we started losing, the blinders suddenly came off. By trading Gil and his contract, EG was able, in one fell swoop, to erase his own mistake (that contract), while Gil will likely never be afforded that luxury (despite having actually done the time for the crime).

[hands11]

Simple answer to that question is NO

The story of Gilbert and the Wizards will always be a tragic one of wasted talent and bad judgement.

Time isn't going to change that.

I wouldn't use the word tragic. There were good times to balance against unfortunate times that could have been avoided. There was no tragedy, imo.

I was saying tragic the way it turned out and the ultimate waste of a talented player.

Gil had a ton of talent. If he only got his head on straight ( less Gilbertology), focused on defense more, was more mature a leader, played as floor general passing PG first more often and went easier on the knee during his rehab, things could have been different.

Tragic it was, because of all of that happening, not just some of it. For Gil, at least he got paid.

[dandridge 10]

I'd have a tough time embracing him. He had a chance to come back and be a mentor here to Wall and be a part of the rebuild but he chose not too. They traded him to a good situation and he seemed to take shots and put the blame here whenever he could. I'm a huge fan of his and appreciated what he did, but Gil's immaturity was his undoing and is a large reason why I can't see him ever being a part of this organization or embraced here again

What? He absolutely tried to be a mentor to Wall but it was known that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade him. What else was he supposed to do?
WIth all things Arenas, the perception and reality are far apart. Arenas should have his number retired. It was a short amount of time, but I recall Wilbon saying that Arenas had reached the 3rd best player in franchise history. It was supposed to take a different trajectory from there, obviously.

And you know this how? What information do you have that shows Arenas was trying to be a mentor to Wall or that Grunfeld was doing everything in his power to trade Arenas? I have mentioned this a long time ago, but I spoke to Ted Leonsis right after Arenas was traded. Ted personally responded to an email I wrote him asking why he traded Arenas when he had just recently made public comments that Arenas would not be traded. According to Ted, the Wizards had no intention of trading Arenas at that time, but that they found out that Arenas was in cahoots with Orlando to try to facilitate a trade. During this time, Arenas publicly said something about going to Orlando even though the Wizards had had no discussions with Orlando. Ted was incensed that Arenas would make that comment. Ted also said that Arenas was not very welcoming to Wall and he was pouting about Wall being selected, as well as no longer playing hard during the games. I recall noticing this as well. Ted said that he originally had no plans to trade Arenas at the time, but that Arenas' action of announcing that he would likely be traded to Orlando and his handling of the Wall situation is what caused Ted to agree to the trade.

Now, is it possible that Ted lied to me. Absolutely. But why would he do so? Why would he bother to call one fan to tell a lie. He could have just easily ignored my email. Moreover, what he told me seemed to jive what I noticed as well....Arenas did mention Orlando before anyone else did and he was definitely playing like he did not want to be here before the trade. In any event, I have a reason to believe that Arenas was not really trying to mentor Wall and that it was Arenas that wanted out because the owner of the team told me so. What are you relying upon to conclude that Arenas was mentoring Wall or that Grunfeld was doing everything possible to get rid of Arenas, other than you are an Arenas fan that thinks he could do no wrong.

I liked Arenas and still do. Although I think he was directly responsible for his fate, I also don't think he is the goon that a lot of people portrayed him to be. He was just immature. I would love to see Arenas welcomed into the alumni association and participate in alumni events. However, I think there is absolutely no way his jersey will be retired so it is not even worth discussing.

[hands11]

D10

Thanks for the details.

Yeah, Gil was a very mixed bag. Tons of talent and he was the best thing going for the Wizards when they really needed some talent, but not what you want between the ears. And that isn't 20/20 hindsight. I said all this while he was playing at his peak. That's why I wouldn't have been upset if they traded him and cashed in. They could have gotten a ton of assets. I also said trade or dump AJ and keep CB and Haywood.

But I don't even totally blame Gil without having some compassion for him. I think a lot of it was emotional baggage from his mom issues. Not that some people can't over come that, but for whatever reason, Gil was not one of them. Then he got mixed up with that crazy babies momma. It was also documented that Gil had some serious trust issue. Lots of money and stardom, with low self esteem is a dangerous mix.

That all manifested itself as Gilbertology and Agent Zero. A flashy offensive player that was a total gym rat who wasn't interested in playing defense. He was really an introvert. That's why he loved the gym. But Gil didn't want to lead like a professional and he didn't want to follow. Gil wanted to be about buckets and buzzer beaters. Really just a Monte Ellis type if you are objective about it.

But for all the good things be brought to a town starving for a star basketball player, he brought just as much if not more bad. And in the end, the end was the last things he did. Stuff so bad, they had to do a total reboot and blow the entire thing up. They were so lucky they could dump his contract to Orlando. If not, just imagine what it would have been like keeping his dead contract on the books. And remember, there was no amnesty at the time. Gil wasn't a bad person. He had a big heart. But he was troubled and that got in his way.

I do feel for the guy and I wished it would have turned out better, but I do see the entire picture that was the Gil experience in DC. He didn't get his head right while it would have helped him and the Wizards more. He could have been a good bit better then he was. A more complete player. Someone that would have talent you to a conference title if he played the right way and had the right players around him. So when I called out the things he didn't do and the bad he did, its because it could have been so much better. But with all that, I think I understand why he struggled emotionally. I do have compassion about that part.

Ultimately, it was a sad end to what could have been a great story.

But now this team has to be about turning the page with Wall and Beal.... Nene and Gortat. The page they turned from was Gil as the ring leader of goofballs like Nick and McGee. Because of that, they need to keep the focus on where they are going. And that means leaving the Gil experience in the past. Ultimately, he will be a foot note about a flash of great offense, but ultimately there will always be the negative attached to it. I don't think he will ever be shined on by this franchise in the future. I just don't see it.

[jeffsays]

don't know if this is his account, but if so I think it's a good step in the right direction.

[Super2477]

That is definitely his account and I will say that is very mature of him. I'm glad he is accepting responsibility for his actions in the past. I hope one day Gilbert can retire as a Wizard (wishful thinking) and be apart of the alumni association.

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[barelyawake]

What were Gil's sins?

1) Taking practical jokes too far. If that's the worst you can say about me when I die, I expect a golden pass to this heaven I keep hearing about.

2) Wasn't a leader. Well, who didn't know that long before the "incident"? The problem is a management who didn't realize this and didn't put a leader with Arenas (and I don't mean AJ). Better yet, a management that didn't spend enough to help players with guidance off the court. Everything that doesn't count against the cap is worth spending on. This includes therapists and all sorts of personalized coaches and trainers.

3) Lead by example in a negative way. Again, the fault of management and coaching. Why couldn't these idiots follow Gil's work ethic instead of his joking?

4) Took a bunch of money he was offered. Yeah, who wouldn't? And I don't think we remember Gil didn't have an agent most of his career.

If I took a franchise from nothing to the playoffs (based almost entirely on my own sweat). If I worked harder than almost any other player in NBA history to give management and fans wins. If I gave to the community, fans and charity the amount of money and time I gave. And then that said fan base turned their backs on me based on the above "sins," I wouldn't want to come back. One day we need to list ALL the great things Gil did, because I think many here forget the weekly stories about Gil doing something either inspiring or charitable.

Love that man. Always will...

[Super2477]

I agree with you barely 100%. I'm still a fan of Gilbert til this day. He is the only Wizard player in the last 3 decades that made the team relevant to watch. Off the court he did a lot for the city. More than a lot of other athletes that have come and gone. I think if he and Ted have a sit down conversation everything can be wiped away clean. The man still has his home in NOVA. I think he is asking for the organization to let him back in with open arms. Gilbert is "teamwiz4life" in my eyes.

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