Before I begin, a little feedback on me and some on my creative process in these posts. First, about me: even though none of my local sports area teams are my "favorites," I always would rather have them doing well than poorly. I also take pride in
those players from the area that excel in sports since they arise from such an underrated sports talent pool. Second, about my creative process: Most of my posts are written sorta superficially in the sense that they're not as expanded as I could or would like to do. The reason is that I don't want to overload you readers with info, and I want to leave a little inquiry in your minds so that questions/comments may flood the comment section. So, in theory, there could be sequels to pretty much all of my posts.
The reason why I chose to expand on the Arenas theory is that I thought about a correlation between he and the
FBP.
In the initial post, I alluded to the fact that D.C. has a tough time gaining credibility, respect, or whatever you wanna call it, as a city. I cited the example of go-go music as a microcosm of Chocolate City's plight. D.C. is a city that is home to the most powerful man in the world and is a solid tourist spot, but isn't thought of as one of the U.S.'s elite cities.
The same is true for Agent Zero. He is easily one of Basketball's deadliest offensive weapons, and you're kidding yourself if you refuse to believe that. He doesn't have the technical precision of Kobe, the effortlessness of Wade, or the God Hammer of
Lebron; but his unpredictability is his source of strength and is just as effective as the anything in the respective arsenals of the new Big Triumvirate. Yet, Arenas doesn't seemed to be given the credit he deserves. I'm not saying he is top 5 in the Association right now, but top 15 or 20 is easily attainable when he's healthy.
Sure, part of it is due to his recent injuries. And part of it can be attributed to the fact that he hasn't led the Wizards to much postseason success, while Kobe,
Lebron, and Wade have each been to the Finals as the unquestioned head of their respective franchises. However, there is more negativity towards Gil than necessary. For example, Wade's current season of 30-5-7 with over 2 steals is garnering him praise of being the definition of, "carrying a team on his shoulders." Arenas had that same statistical season three years ago, and simultaneously brought hope to a sports town whose hoops team once looked to Ike Austin and God
Shammgod for production (*shudder*). Yet it's Gilbert that gets tagged with the selfish label. Sure, his quirkiness can be harnessed a bit, but no one can question that he has successfully coexisted with two other proven all-stars and he has the genuine respect and loyalty of his teammates that even eludes Kobe.
This third chapter of Arenas' career will be his most important to date. He is a man founded on proving doubters wrong and defying sizable odds. First, he proved he could play the point his way in Golden State. Then, he showed he can summon enough of his energy and flirt with Basketball deity—even if he isn't among the Anointed. Now, he must prove that he is more than a sideshow. He must reestablish that he can shake the very foundation of Basketball structure; but this time, he must do that and lead his Capital City army from The Verizon Center to the Larry O'Brien Trophy. For a man that
called himself the FBP before Obama made it a reality, he certainly knows the nearly impossible when he sees it. If his heart is like the heart shown by the inhabitants of the DC Metro area, I like his chances. The absolute value of Agent Zero is
New Math, and we're waiting to see if he can finish the equation.
Peace.
The reason why I chose to expand on the Arenas theory is that I thought about a correlation between he and the FBP. In the initial post, I alluded to the fact that D.C. has a tough time gaining credibility, respect, or whatever you wanna call it, as a city. I cited the example of go-go music as a microcosm of Chocolate City's plight. D.C. is a city that is home to the most powerful man in the world and is a solid tourist spot, but isn't thought of as one of the U.S.'s elite cities.
The same is true for Agent Zero. He is easily one of Basketball's deadliest offensive weapons, and you're kidding yourself if you refuse to believe that. He doesn't have the technical precision of Kobe, the effortlessness of Wade, or the God Hammer of Lebron; but his unpredictability is his source of strength and is just as effective as the anything in the respective arsenals of the new Big Triumvirate. Yet, Arenas doesn't seemed to be given the credit he deserves. I'm not saying he is top 5 in the Association right now, but top 15 or 20 is easily attainable when he's healthy.
Sure, part of it is due to his recent injuries. And part of it can be attributed to the fact that he hasn't led the Wizards to much postseason success, while Kobe, Lebron, and Wade have each been to the Finals as the unquestioned head of their respective franchises. However, there is more negativity towards Gil than necessary. For example, Wade's current season of 30-5-7 with over 2 steals is garnering him praise of being the definition of, "carrying a team on his shoulders." Arenas had that same statistical season three years ago, and simultaneously brought hope to a sports town whose hoops team once looked to Ike Austin and God Shammgod for production (*shudder*). Yet it's Gilbert that gets tagged with the selfish label. Sure, his quirkiness can be harnessed a bit, but no one can question that he has successfully coexisted with two other proven all-stars and he has the genuine respect and loyalty of his teammates that even eludes Kobe.
This third chapter of Arenas' career will be his most important to date. He is a man founded on proving doubters wrong and defying sizable odds. First, he proved he could play the point his way in Golden State. Then, he showed he can summon enough of his energy and flirt with Basketball deity—even if he isn't among the Anointed. Now, he must prove that he is more than a sideshow. He must reestablish that he can shake the very foundation of Basketball structure; but this time, he must do that and lead his Capital City army from The Verizon Center to the Larry O'Brien Trophy. For a man that called himself the FBP before Obama made it a reality, he certainly knows the nearly impossible when he sees it. If his heart is like the heart shown by the inhabitants of the DC Metro area, I like his chances. The absolute value of Agent Zero is New Math, and we're waiting to see if he can finish the equation.
Peace.
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