The Rise And Fall Of Gilbert Arenas

For some non-Wire breakdowns of the Gilbert Arenas situation, consult the following. Rather than examine the situation itself, though, I focused more on why Gilbert’s no longer welcome in D.C. Or, at least I think that’s what happened. This whole thing has been pretty head-exploding for me, someone that worshipped Arenas for the past decade (even when he was in Oakland). But here’s my attempt at coherence:

The Rise of Gilbert Arenas:

Sometimes, things just happen perfectly. After being walked all over by the greatest player in the history of the sport, Washington lucked into one of the more likable superstars the game’s ever seen.

Had the Wizards taken Arenas with the number one pick in 2001 (the second rounder would end up being the best player from that draft), he likely wouldn’t have had the fuel that allowed him to become one of the hardest working players in the NBA. Had he gone elsewhere in the first round, and gotten the contract he wanted, he wouldn’t have been eligible to become a free agent and come to the Wizards in 2003. Had Jordan not comeback with the Wizards, the roster would have been built around Richard Hamilton, and adding Arenas probably never happens. And if it hadn’t been for the Jordan disaster, there might have been more expectations, and Arenas might not have fully blossomed.

But it all happened just right. When talent meets opportunity meets a franchise starved for success. Gilbert gave us everything. In 2005, 2006, and in 2007, when Arenas blossomed into one of the best players in the league. The Wizards finally had a superstar.

The Fall Of Gilbert Arenas:

Like a black cloud, Arenas’ presence has haunted the Wizards all year long. Because he’s the STAR, you see. And in the NBA, that means your teammates defer to you at countless points throughout the game. Except… He’s not a star anymore. It’s probably most obvious — and painful — on those possessions at the end of quarters and games, when his teammate clear out so that Gil can attack, and he either flails toward the hoop expecting a call (that he doesn’t get), or takes a pull-up three (that he doesn’t make). Literally. This happens every single game. Just like the Kiss Cam, you can count on at least one end-of-quarter possession where Gilbert fails miserably, and then walks off the court while the fans awkwardly pretend not to notice.

[…]

Just the way NBA.com sanitized Gilbert Arenas for the sake of mass consumption, Wizards fans overlooked holes in his game and character that — for the longterm, at least — made him fatally flawed as a face of the franchise. Now, with bad knees having rendered those flaws obvious, and this gun situation taking his immaturity to what was maybe an inevitable end, it’s all crumbling. There’s no more invincibility. No Hibachi. No Agent Zero.

Just @gilbertarenas — kind of making a fool of himself, immature to the bitter end — and a franchise hoping that fate (and the DC District Attorney’s office) might give them a mulligan on this one.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some more weeping to do.