An Ounce of Redemption

So, Arenas is going to the All-Star game after all because commissioner David Stern demonstrated common sense, an attribute not associated with the coaches who selected the original reserves. Arenas will fill in for Jermaine O'Neal, who cannot play because of injury. Kudos to Stern for making the right choice and rectifying this situation somewhat. But being named as an injury replacement is hardly the same as being named as a reserve, so don't expect Stern's decision to knock that large chip off Arenas's shoulder.

(And in response to my boy J-Mazz:

I've seen the link you provided me in your comment, and I understand the Wizards have underachieved. Big time. But despite that, they are a better team than the Celtics. I don't exactly know what that link was supposed to prove. Furthermore, I don't know where you heard that the rest of the Wizards hate playing with Arenas. Just because Bill Simmons says something doesn't make it true. Most of his stuff is commentary. That's his schtick. All the players hold Arenas in the highest regard. They enjoy playing with him, and they understand they need him to be successful if they want the team to be successful. He's not Kobe East.

And he hasn't frozen Jamison out. Jamison's scoring numbers are down because for the first part of the season, he was shooting about 30 percent from the field. He put up a number of 6-for-20 shooting nights. That's not because Gilbert didn't get him the ball. Now he's playing better, and Gilbert's finding him. Not to mention, Arenas is averaging six assists per game, the highest assist total of his career. He may not be a dish-first point guard, but he's a helluva player, and he makes that team go. He's shown some leadership recently, and he's involved his teammates, which is why they've won 11 of 14. I've seen Pierce help the C's lose a bunch of games late, which is how they've earned their 18-31 record. This is an all star game, and Arenas is clearly more deserving of an All-Star spot than Pierce. He's the first player since World B. Free in the '70s not to make the All-Star team despite averaging 28 points a game. Maybe the coaches took Pierce because he has a track record. This is fifth All-Star game, and he's consistently played a high level. All-Star games generally reward prolonged consistency, and Pierce has provided that. But my argument is that Arenas is more deserving than Pierce.)

Edit to add at 9:04 p.m. Central Standard Time: Good win for the Wizards tonight against the Cavs. I'd imagine it's hard for Gilbert Arenas to freeze out teammates when he piles up 10 assists. Props to Arenas, who scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a career-high three shots in a 101-89 victory. Arenas took his snub to heart.