Gilbert Arenas Just Won't Let it Go

Posted Jan 26, 2007 2:45AM By mjd (RSS feed)

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With Gilbert Arenas' promise to score 50 against the Trailblazers and head coach Nate McMillan, it's been asked a couple of times what Arenas would do if he played Duke. Duke, of course, employs Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Olympic team, from which Gilbert Arenas was cut. Well, Gilbert answered on his blog:

D'Antoni said that after I scored 54 on them and made my prediction to score 50 on the Blazers that he'd like to see what I'm going to do against Duke.

I thought it was funny because if I have the chance to go back to college, I'll give up one NBA season to play against Duke.

One college game...that's five fouls, right?...40-minute game...at Duke, they got soft rims...I'd probably score 84 or 85.

I wouldn't pass the ball.

I wouldn't even think about passing it. It would be like a NBA Live or an NBA 2K7 game, you just shoot with one person.

If Paulus was guarding him, 85 is probably a conservative estimate.

Still, and I hate to speak negatively about the blogosphere's favorite son, but I find all of this just a little bit annoying. And I don't know how serious he is about it, if he really hates Coach K, D'Antoni and McMillan, or if he's just sort of playing around, but ... I wish he'd let this one go.

It's not like being cut from that Olympic team is some kind of terrible slight. It was 16 of the best basketball players in the world, and a few of them had to be cut ... and I'm sorry you were one of them, Gil, I really am, but ... the team needed an extra forward and some guys who don't need to take a ton of shots. The numbers didn't work out for you. It's not like Krzyzewski, D'Antoni, or McMillan punched you in the face and told you that you sucked. The numbers just didn't work for you. Sorry.

Granted, at the same time, I understand that Gilbert's career -- hell, probably his entire life -- is built on turning perceived slights into motivation, and I don't begrudge him that. It works for him. But that doesn't mean it isn't just a little bit petty.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-26-2007 @ 3:34AM

Cheryl said...

You know MJD,
You hit the nail on the head. I too love watching him play, but everything is getting to be a personal vendetta with Gilbert. The coaches didn't do anything to disrespect him. Not every player fits into every team's plans and after some years under your belt, you learn to not take it so personally. We are all in awe of the season he is having and it is refreshing to see a player commit to practicing his shots from the entire floor like he does, but his actions should speak volumes, not his mouth! And show respect for the teams accomplishments this year. He hasn't done it alone. They are a young, fast, exciting team to watch. Now he just needs to get a little less full of himself and play ball.
Good call MJD
Cheryl
Phoenix

1-26-2007 @ 4:20AM

SR said...

The whole "Gilbert vs. The World" storyline got tired one month into this season. Agent 0 has been getting as much press as anybody in the league, yet continues to find new ways to be the underdog. I love his game, but his status as an unheralded talent is obviously history (especially since becoming an All-Star starter, which happened after the quote in this article).

1-26-2007 @ 10:08AM

r.g. said...

Tounge in cheek people. Gil's the last person that would disrespect someone else, you have to take his comments like this with a grain of salt. That being said, as a Wiz fan, I would like to see him avoid the horrendous cold spells he sometimes endures during games. All the other stuff around him could be a distraction and I would be all for him just concentrating on getting the Wiz past the 1st and 2nd round of the Playoffs.

1-26-2007 @ 10:36AM

bfnh said...

I hope, for your sake, that Mr. Arenas doesn't see this. I'm fairly certain he would drop 60 on your laptop; in the first half, no less.

1-26-2007 @ 10:58AM

Prophet said...

Uhh, you're taking his comments seriously? C'mon man.

1-26-2007 @ 11:32AM

leafblower said...

Gil barely managed double digits last time he played Duke, hence the loss in the '01 title game. Of course, he was second fiddle to Loren Woods back then.

1-26-2007 @ 11:56AM

JR Ewing said...

Yea, Agent 0 didn't average double digits against Dook because their refs allowed them to tackle Arenas and the rest of the Arizona team without fouls being called, especially in the championship game.

1-26-2007 @ 12:05PM

burg said...

The reason for the animosity is because Gil believed they had preconceived notions about who they were going to pick for the roster. So it seemed he was trying out for no reason and wasn't given a fair shot at joining the team. I would be upset as well. I love when a player speaks his/her mind. It can't all be about the money. Its like when you are a kid and someone hits a shot in your face and says , "Count it!" You want to comeback and hit him with some swag of your own. And most likey, it will be phenomenal!

1-26-2007 @ 2:00PM

Jamie Mottram said...

Comment #4 in this thread is hilarious. Kudos to bfnh.

1-26-2007 @ 5:56PM

Pradamaster said...

Arenas' comments on paper make him out to be much more arrogant and serious than he should be. Listening to him talk, it's clear that he's kidding around. But when you put his words on paper, it just doesn't sound like it, because you're not there.

1-26-2007 @ 7:03PM

Sports Bog said...

Yeah, Prada's right. Plus, remember these "blogs" are just interviews with people from NBA.com. Gil's just playing to the question. He's said before he just says all this stuff for entertainment.

1-28-2007 @ 6:52PM

Derek said...

Arenas has every right to feel the way he does and make those comments. He is having a huge year and solidifying himself as one of the top 5 players in the league. As of today he is second in the league in scoring at 29.6 points per game. He also averages 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. Pretty solid numbers if you ask me. He also is going to be a starter for the Eastern Conference all-star team. Usually it is the all stars turning down team USA not the other way around.

1-28-2007 @ 10:43PM

"The whole "Gilbert vs. The World" storyline got tired one month into this season. Agent 0 has been getting as much press as anybody in the league."

I disagree, Arenas does not even get close to as much press as other top players in the league. When was the last time you saw him in a commercial? Wade, Kobe and Lebron all get ten times more press than Arenas does, yet they all trail him in points per game.

1-29-2007 @ 9:23PM

Omar said...

Gilbert Arenas is the best College player to come out of any college in the last 10 years. He can dominate the game at any time. In my opinion is just as good, if not better than Lebron and Kobe. I think he does dislike Coah K, McMillan. D'Antoni, and so do I. Theyre haters, Arenas can dump on them all day long, as far as I am concerned, I to wish they would grant him his wish of throwing on a U of A jersey for one more game against Duke, se HE can kick coach Ks little white ass all of the gym floor...well even let coach K bring back his NBA players from the past 5 years and Arenas would still woop em'...Arenas is the greatest...do you thing my man....

2-16-2007 @ 3:39PM

Matt said...

The fact that Arenas gets less press than Wade, Kobe and LeBron but averages more PPG doesn't really matter. Look at his FG% it's like 5% behind any one of them. There is a reason he doesn't get as much press as the other guys, because their better. LeBron is better than Arenas and showed it by beating him in the Playoffs last year. Recently Arenas commented on how LeBron does not want to take the last shot in games. Sounds really smart considering what happened in last year's Playoffs, doesn't it?