Arenas Traded for Rashard Lewis

sfam · Post #1081 » by **sfam** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 4:54 pm

fishercob wrote:What's become of Gilbert's playing career is just astounding and sad. I hope there's a happier ending than this.

Look, at least he reached his version of greatness, being on the cover of a video game and all. If he doesn't get better, he'll probably still have fine life as an overpaid millionare. So I have a hard time feeling sorry for him. That said, I too believe his jump shot will return next year, but his speed is clearly behind him.

hands11 · Post #1082 » by **hands11** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:47 am

Wow

Orl goes down to ATL 1-2

Gil Zero Minutes.

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #1083 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:23 am

Jason Richardson's fight and likely suspension for game 4 might be Gil's chance at minutes.

Shanghai Kid · Post #1084 » by **Shanghai Kid** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:08 am

Gilbert has fallen hard, but as someone else said, I don't see him as a quitter whose going to settle for not even being in an NBA rotation. Maybe it will take the off-season, but I expect at least to be a productive player again. He's still only 29.

Shanghai Kid · Post #1085 » by **Shanghai Kid** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:10 pm

One thing to add, Gilbert's career was such a great story a few years ago. It was actually a story about overcoming obstacles and making the most of your opportunities.

And now his career story is sort of going down the toilet. We still remember the good stuff, but now he's really known as an overpaid felon. Somebody on the general board called him a paycheck player, which you could destroy that post a few years ago. Now, he has become the Marbury/Francis overpaid, aging guard that I did not think he would become.

I hope he turns it around. It makes no sense to me that he can't shoot anymore or dribble or do anything. But he should have a better end to his story than the complete downfall that's happened the last two years,

DMVleGeND · Post #1086 » by **DMVleGeND** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:14 pm

I don't know how Gil has fallen off so hard. He did pretty well last season for his first season back from injury, and he looked pretty good in the preseason before the injury. When they said he gained 15 pounds during the injury, one of his trainers said that "He's gonna burn it all off real quick", but he still looks heavy. And I don't buy that stuff about him having lingering knee issues. He never injured the knee again since the previous knee injury, and he was fine all of last season and this season with the Wiz. I think it's just him being out of shape. The guy can't get past anybody! I think he can still be an OK player if he works his way back into shape.

Wizardspride · Post #1087 » by **Wizardspride** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:32 pm

DMVleGeND wrote:I don't know how Gil has fallen off so hard. He did pretty well last season for his first season back from injury, and he looked pretty good in the preseason before the injury. When they said he gained 15 pounds during the injury, one of his trainers said that "He's gonna burn it all off real quick", but he still looks heavy. And I don't buy that stuff about him having lingering knee issues. He never injured the knee again since the previous knee injury, and he was fine all of last season and this season with the Wiz. I think it's just him being out of shape. The guy can't get past anybody! I think he can still be an OK player if he works his way back into shape.

Gil's knee condition is degenerative.

It's arthritic....and that's not getting better.

Post #1088 » by **pineappleheadindc** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 12:54 am

This thread is depressing.

I'm still such a Gilbert fan. It pains me to see where his career is now. And, because his career isn't good (plus lots of the personal stuff that's been gone over on this thread), his outer joy is gone. I'm really saddened.

I've already written this playoffs off for Gilbert. But I'm not giving up totally. I'm hoping that an off season living in Florida, a long off-season (perhaps with part of the regular season getting lost to lock out), and some opportunities to rebuild a support network in ORL will spark him into being something of the old Gil again next season.

:pray:

FAH1223 · Post #1089 » by **FAH1223** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:14 pm

Even with Gilbert's arthritic knee, his main problem is that his confidence is shot. Losing his mom, being in a halfway house, his rep being ruined (obviously his mistake), and his baby mama drama has probably all taken its toll on him mentally

If mentally his head is in the game, he can still put up the numbers he put up last season. But he just flat out is not assertive on offense and is extremely passive.

JonathanJoseph · Post #1090 » by **JonathanJoseph** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:24 am

I asked @KDThunderup if he thought Gil would ever get his game back. He said for sure. I agreed.

http://bit.ly/hvLAMC

cb1115 · Post #1091 » by **cb1115** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:06 am

From what I saw tonight, he can definitely still play. This was his first good game in which he didn't get hot from the 3 point line. He was aggressive and was getting the basket at will.

Didn't matter, as we're in a 3-1 hole, but it was very encouraging.

hands11 · Post #1092 » by **hands11** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:45 am

Gil break out for 20 pts on 9-18 shooting.

I told you that if he was going to do it, it would be the playoffs.

But it may be late. We will see.

Post #1093 » by **Ruzious** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:22 am

hands11 wrote:Gil break out for 20 pts on 9-18 shooting.

I told you that if he was going to do it, it would be the playoffs.

But it may be late. We will see.

You're "I told you so" was just as predictable as you're not posting after he scored 6 points in the first 3 games - against an average Hawks team. He had a nice game, but he was hardly his old self - needing 18 shots to score 20 points.

Shanghai Kid · Post #1094 » by **Shanghai Kid** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:29 am

It WAS a breakout simply because he scored almost ALL of his baskets on drives to the hoop where he got past his man. That was the first time he's done that in an Orlando uniform. Every other time he's scored alot it was from getting hot from the field. Last night he was just getting to the basket at will.

Fact is, Gilbert is pretty likely to get better with his jumpshot, but he's only a 20ppg player in the league if he can still get to the basket, and whether it was a fluke or not, last night he showed he can still drive past his man and finish at the hoop.

willbcocks · Post #1095 » by **willbcocks** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:36 am

It was a great game for him; he repeatedly got in the lane and finished.

With that said, when he was on that scoring run, the man he was defending (Jamal Crawford for the most part) was taking most of those points back.

Post #1096 » by **Ruzious** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:40 am

When a breakout game is scoring 20 points on 18 shots, you're expectations are very low.

hands11 · Post #1097 » by **hands11** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:43 pm

Ruzious wrote:When a breakout game is scoring 20 points on 18 shots, you're expectations are very low.

20 pts on .500% shooting for a guard is usually something no one is going to complain about.

Specially when that player had been playing so poorly they didn't even get any minutes last game and people are talking about how they are done.

For Gil, the expectation from pretty much everyone were almost zero.

I wouldn't call 10 pts a break out for him but 20 pts, yeah, that was a breakout.

Post #1098 » by **W. Unseld** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:57 pm

I hope Gil gets all of his confidence back, even if he's never 2006 Gil again he could still be a good second or third option for the Magic. Had he taken the last shot instead of passing to Hedo (proof that he's not all the way confident) the game might have done the other way.

Dat2U · Post #1099 » by **Dat2U** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:07 pm

Confidence is a huge part of it. I don't think Gil is done. Never did. But he's a weird place mentally, even for him. Gil is a rhythm player and playing off the bench doesn't work for him. Gil needs to be starting and getting plenty of minutes. What I've learned from Arenas' stint in Orlando is that Van Gundy is incredibly slow to adjust. He's been trying to relive the past with Turkeyglue and its been an abject failure, he's also stubbornly tried to make Arenas into the next Chris Duhon and that's been a complete disaster.

Also Jameer Nelson is what he is. A decent PG for sure but when your relying on the guy to be your 2nd or 3rd option, yikes! It may be too late this year but Gil starting & Jameer coming off the bench or getting dealt might be an upgrade for them.

Induveca · Post #1100 » by **Induveca** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:49 pm

Happy he had a good game. But 20 points on 18 shots is something to complain about only if his shooting % wasn't .500.

If he shot 33% and scored 20 on 18 FGAs with a 8-14 from the line, that's entirely different.

Also on a side note responding to this midair. Gotta love Wifi onboard commercial flights these days.