Zero Tolerance

Gilbert Arenas has made it clear he intends to opt out of his current contract and will seek a max deal in the off-season. With “Agent Zero’s” return seemingly right around the corner, the Wizards and Gilbert face a conflict of agendas. Because Gil hasn’t played in a year, his desire to play for a max deal versus playing in a team dynamic that will allow the Wizards to make a serious playoff run could prove to be a volatile formula. Adding to the equation is the fact that Caron Butler has emerged as a true leader for the Washington Wizards for all the right reasons; an unselfish, unassuming, hard-working player on both ends of the court who has shown he wants the ball at crunch time.
The Wizards have shown they can compete with anyone while “Agent Hype” was rehabilitating his knee. For the Wizards to succeed and make a run in the playoffs, Arenas doesn’t need to score 28ppg, 18-20ppg would be fine. Scoring the ball is not a deficiency of this Wizards team. What they DO need from “Agent Offense” is a willingness to dig in on the defensive side of the floor. To date, Gil is considered one of the weakest defensive guards in the game. He likes to gamble and will secure a few steals a game, but this ultimately sacrifices the Wizards team defense. To his credit, Arenas is a tremendous one-on-one offensive player, his combination of quickness and range make him a near impossible cover, but he’s also gained a reputation as a “gunner” and rightly so (he shot 41.8% from the floor last season, while among the league leaders in attempts). I guess the “Hibachi” is not as hot as he would like you to believe. The question is, can Gilbert refrain from playing only for himself, or better yet, does he even want to?