NBA Weekly Digest: Gilbert Arenas Back to Form
October 29, 2009 by Staff
Filed under All Sports
It doesn’t matter whether you like him or not.
It’s not about his attitude.
Who cares how many games he has missed in the past?
The fact is Gilbert Arenas was a baller the day he arrived in Washington D.C., and on opening night of the NBA season, Arenas proved that he still is.
Agent Zero opened up the 2009-2010 NBA season with 29 points and 9 assists against the Dallas Mavericks—so much for easing him back into the game.
I don’t claim to be an Arenas supporter, but perhaps I should pick up my bandwagon papers. In just his 16th game in the last 2 seasons, after several knee surgeries, how can anyone not be impressed with what Arenas did against the Nets no less?
Granted, he was guarded by Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, not exactly the most prolific defensive guards in the NBA, but the Mavericks as a whole are a good defensive team, and to give up 29 points to the point man is unacceptable on their part, and fantasmagorical on the part of the Wizards fans.
But the question Washington Wizards fans want to know is, “Can Arenas keep this up for the rest of the season?”
I don’t see why not.
To say that he may have a setback, or that he won’t be in shape, is kind of ludicrous. I don’t see how he could be anymore prepared for the rigors of an NBA season. He was healthy for the entire summer and looked great throughout training camp and the preseason. And more important than Arenas’s 29 points and 9 assists the other night were his 38 minutes. Not to mention, in the statistics that could have demonstrated fatigue (shooting percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers), Arenas had complimentary numbers across the board.
So Wizards fan should rejoice right now. They beat what is presumed to be a good Mavericks team on the road. They won with out the services of Antawn Jamison. They won in spite of Caron Butler shooting 6 of 17 from the field. And most importantly, their lead dog is back.
If Arenas continues that type of play—and I don’t see why he wouldn’t—then the Wizards are definitely going to be back in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, perhaps with a sliver of a chance of making it out of the first round in 2010.
