Gilbert Arenas' Proclaimation

Facing a busy and crucial offseason, the Washington Wizards were dealt an ultimatum by three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who stated in his blog that he would only return to the nation’s capital if Washington also re-signed Antawn Jamison. After enduring a tough campaign in 2007-08, Arenas’ value has taken a bit of a slide, but he has claimed on several occasions that he would be willing to take a pay cut for his teammate. Now he’s gone a step further, and sent the Wizards front office a strong message as they enter negotiations.

Arenas has already declared that he will opt out of his current contract, a six-year, $65 million deal that was signed in 2003. He’s stated on numerous occasions that he is looking for around $100 million in his next contract, something that Arenas says is a smarter business decision that will allow him to stay in one place for the long term. Jamison made $16 million last season, and if he and Arenas were to stay in Washington, he would assuredly have to take a pay cut in order to accommodate for his teammate of six seasons, including the last four with the Wizards. Jamison was one of only four players in the league to average 20/10 this year, something that makes a pay cut hard to justify.

Arenas is no fool, and he has been candid in attributing his meteoric rise from a second round pick to superstardom to his often less regarded teammate. Here’s an excerpt from his blog:

“If Antawn is not back, then there’s no point in me coming back because he’s part of my success, too. When you’re doing pick and roll with a player like him, they can’t double you, they can’t trap you because you have a pick and pop guy who can shoot the three at your four position. My success is because of him too. If he doesn’t come back, I’m not coming back. I make it easy for him. When we do pick and roll, if they don’t stop me then I’m going to go to the basket or shoot a jump shot. If they do stop me, he’s the pop guy. He has a lot more open looks when I’m on the floor. Same thing when I played with Caron, he never got doubled when I played. You can’t double him with me and Antawn on the floor.”

Gil is spot on with his analysis; when him, Jamison, and Butler were playing at their highest level in the first half of the ’06-07 season, Washington was the best team in the East. The entire team leaned on Arenas to be the scorer, but Butler and Jamison proved to be as good a second and third option as you could possibly desire. As you know, the Wizards fizzled down the stretch when Arenas hurt his knee the first time. Without his 28.4 points a game for the final 11 games of the season and the playoffs, Washington ended the season on a 1-10 tailspin before getting swept in the first round. Washington can still be good without Arenas, but their buzz factor certainly won’t be as high without him.

The Wizards had a successful season despite getting bounced for the third straight year of the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the second time in three years, they lost in six games; in retrospect, the series could have been much different if it wasn’t for the antics they pulled to get Cleveland and LeBron amped up. Arenas, the NBA’s third leading scorer in a magical 2006-07 season, played in only eight games over the course of the season as well as the first four games of the first round, but watched as his teammates learned to play without him. Jamison and Caron Butler became bona fide All-Stars, and role players like Brendan Haywood, Roger Mason and even DeShawn Stevenson played a key role in Washington’s 43-39 record, helping the team bounce back from a listless 0-5 start.

Washington’s president Ernie Grunfield wants to have both players back next year, and must make every effort in order to do so. In the nation’s capital, Arenas has become a larger than life figure, an iconic basketball player that the city hasn’t had in years. If he comes back, Washington will have its three All-Stars locked up long term to go with its improved supporting cast. The Wizards will certainly be a dangerous team in the East for years to come with plenty of ammunition to close the gap between themselves and the Pistons, Celtics, and Cavs. However, it will be expensive to get both, and one won’t come without the other. Let the games begin in Washington.