Good for Rox as Clips and Warriors lose out: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26209-2003Jul21.html Arenas to Sign 6-Year Deal With Wizards By Steve Wyche Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 22, 2003; Page D01 Gilbert Arenas, the most sought-after available free agent, will sign a six-year offer of just more than $60 million with the Washington Wizards, according to his father, Gilbert Sr., and several sources with knowledge of his decision. "He made his choice to Washington," Arenas Sr. told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He thought it was a good fit. This was the best opportunity." Arenas, 21, opted for Washington after being heavily wooed by the Golden State Warriors and his hometown Los Angeles Clippers, who offered him a six-year, $64 million contract and tried to maneuver contracts of current players to secure the 6-foot-3 point guard. However, the lure of playing in new coach Eddie Jordan's free-flowing offense and a hard-core recruiting pitch to Arenas by team officials in Washington last week, including a meeting with team owner Abe Pollin, put Washington over the top, Arenas Sr. said. "The Washington owner was there and he made sure Gil would be taken care of," Arenas Sr. said. "He gave us a great tour. He was the man. It was almost like, 'Hey, I'm spending my money to get you here, Gil. I love you just like my son. I want to show you what these people are going to love about you.' That was the difference." Arenas also liked the idea that he could quickly become one of the top point guards in the point-guard thin Eastern Conference. A starting salary of $8 million also helped Washington's cause. Since Arenas is a restricted free agent, the Warriors have 15 days to match the Wizards' offer sheet. However, since Golden State is nearly $5 million over the $43.8 million salary cap and has just the $4.9 million mid-level exception awarded to capped out teams to offer Arenas as a starting salary, it is all but impossible for them to counter and keep Arenas. In fact, Golden State may not wait long to concede the loss of the player who was named the league's most improved player last season, when he averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 assists. The Warriors have already made contingency plans to bring in another free agent point guard, believed to be San Antonio's Speedy Claxton. For Washington, acquiring Arenas is considered a coup, of sorts. Long regarded as an afterthought destination for top-tier free agents -- Washington rarely had the money to lure big name players because of questionable personnel moves. But now the Wizards have a young, potential star to join a youthful roster that includes two-time all-star Jerry Stackhouse. Including Arenas, nine of the 12 players on the roster are 25 or younger. Forward Christian Laettner is the only player over 30. Ironically, Arenas would be reunited with guard Larry Hughes, whom he replaced as Golden State's starting point guard two years ago when Arenas, drafted with the second pick in the second round, emerged as the team's projected point guard of the future. Hughes and Arenas are similar in the fact that each is a natural shooting guard but Arenas made the transition to point guard better, and Hughes was let go and signed to a three-year, $15 million deal by Washington last summer. Had it not been for a stroke of salary cap luck, Washington might not be able to stick its chest out the way it can now. The Wizards came out of the season expecting to have roughly $5 million to spend in free agency. Then, in what came as a surprise, forward Bryon Russell opted out of the final year of his contract, freeing up an additional $1.6 million. Then came another stroke of luck. The salary cap increased from a projected $41.5 million to $43.8, giving Washington more than $8 million to offer Arenas. The next day, Arenas flew to Washington, where he met with President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld, Jordan and other team officials. The following day he took a tour of the team's MCI Center facilities, met with Pollin then flew back to Los Angeles, where he met with the Clippers. Two days later, the Clippers put the full-court press on Arenas, offering him a similar contract as Washington but one that was contingent on it not matching the offer sheets signed by guard Corey Maggette (Utah) and Andre Miller (Denver). The offer was tempting to Arenas, sources said, as was taking a lesser deal to stay with Golden State, but in the end, Washington won out.
The Wizards recovered from the whole Jordan debacle quite nicely. They got a coach who is an ideal fit for the team, Wes Unseld is gone, they got one of the best and most active GM's in the league, kept Stackhouse, and they made their best free agent signing in years. And I'm not saying this makes the Wizards a good team, but when you look at how hopeless it seemed two months ago this is outstanding.
As a Rockets fan I'm elated but if I rooted for the Wizards I would be confused. They are over-loaded and overpaid in the backcourt. If they have resigned Stackhouse and just signed Arenas to big money; they just drafted Jarvis and Blake this year; spent another first round pick on Juan Dixon last year and also spent a little change on Larry Hughes last year as well. QUICK C. D. GET ON THE PHONE MAYBE THEY WANT MOOCHIE
Except for the overpaying of Stack I agree with you. Of course they still stink, with no front court hope unless Kwame grows cajones and Jefries gets healthy and good.
I guess I don't understand their rebuilding plan at all.....I still see Arenas as a circa 1996 Chris Childs, a guy who parlayed a great season on a really crappy team to free agent riches, then he was nothing more than a role player and not the top-flight point the Knicks expected to get. Where does Arenas fit into the Wiz plans with a roster that includes Stack, another GS refugee in Larry Hughes, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon and Jarvis Hayes? That's a huge minutes logjam at both guard spots. This move is a real headshaker, on both sides.
I'm glad to see Arenas wise up and avoid the Clips. He dodged a bullet. Unfortunately, I foresee his career taking a steep decline now -- that is, unfortunate for the Wizards.
The big difference is Stack is a 2 who has proven he belongs in the NBA, Arenas is a one who has proven he belongs in the NBA, and they rest of the guys are prayers who Wash hopes will be good back-up quality NBA players. Plus, the best prospect from the rest, Hayes, can probably play the 3. Overall the move makes perfect sense to me, Wash lost by far their best PG (Lue) and aquired an even younger or better one. Arenas is a 21 year old, he is by far the best PG under 25 in fact. Further, in his first full year playing at the toughest position to learn he posted 18-6-5 on solid shooting for a team with no go-to-guy. Is the salary high, sure. But the Wizards secured one of the leagues most promising PGs at 21 years age. One final thing, Childs has never reached 13PPG even in his best season--there is nothing much to compare him to Arenas. Steve Francis in his rookie year is a much more reasonable comparison.
Wizards roster: PG: Arenas/Hughes/Blake SG: Stackhouse/Dixon SF: Hayes/Jefferies PF: Brown/Laettner/Thomas C: Haywood/Jahidi I wish the Wizards would just get rid of Laettner. There's really no reason for him to be cutting into any of the young players' playing time. Hopefully Eddie Jordan will just play Kwame all season long and let him just play through his mistakes...ya know...like the Wizards should have been doing the past two seasons.
There was already a thread on this topic...http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=61780 I don't see what the Wizards need with him, though; he's an upgrade on Hughes, sure, but he's not the type of point guard that team needs.
Well, if you're basing it on the past then you're right. However, with Grunfeld now in charge and Unseld gone (finally) this may not be the same 'ole Wizards.
What type of point guard do the Wizards need? Let me guess...Andre Miller. The Wizards are so bad they shouldn't be taking anybody based on need...you can't even count all their needs on one hand. Their free agent strategy should be just the same as most teams draft strategy...try to get the best player available.
Someone who is more able to pass the ball than score it. After all...isn't that what their past trades (Stackhouse), signings (Hughes), and draft picks (Dixon) are for? And yes, Miller would be a better choice for them, but whatever. He's young, is one of the most talented passers in the league, and would've come cheaper than Arenas - that's for sure. Just collecting talent doesn't work in the NBA; it's gotta fit the team and the pieces there. Trades can be made, but for lesser talent.
oh come on, the Clippers will always be the Clippers.. the Wizards will always be the clippers of the east..
The thing is there's just not that many <b>talented</b> passing point guards in the league. Sure there are some point guards who pass before they shoot, but that doesn't mean they're any good. I don't even think there are five point guards currently in the league who fall under the same category as "John Stockton-like." Plus, what was it about the Clippers that prevented Andre Miller from helping them one iota?
That's a little too simplistic. If you completely change the team's management it's not going to operate the same way. Could be worse...could be better...but not the same. The problem with the Wizards is they've had the same management for over a decade (Unseld)...that's why they've been bad for so long. Same goes for the Clippers with Sterling and Baylor. Another factor is teams with meddling/cheap owners like the Bengals, Clippers, Orioles and some other perennial losers in professional sports. Wizards don't really have a meddling/cheap ower. These loser teams get in a bind because they suck and yet the organization continues to run in the exact same way. Wizards appear to have changed their direction by hiring on a new, experience, respected, accomplished GM.
oh i agree with you, and I love it when the long-time horrid teams do well, like TB winning SuperBowl last year.. but it is so hard for these teams (clips,wizards,bangels) to climb out of that rut of being just bad...they bring in new people every few years...but for whatever reason(s), they just dont have the luck, wisdom, resources to become respectable for the long-haul... Why would Arenas, an "up and comer" pick the Wizards? Does he really think that is where his best chance of becoming sucessful is?
Yes, that's true, but one was available in Andre Miller, who I believe fell into the trap that all Clippers fell into last year, playing for a contract instead of playing as a team. Look what he did in Cleveland; I think he could've had the same impact in Washington. Arenas is a good talent, don't get me wrong. I just don't think he fits well with that offense and definitely think he's overpaid at 6yr/$65m. That's a starting salary of over $8m/yr.
Not as overpaid as PJ Brown. I disagree, I think the Wizards are much better off with Arenas than Miller. The Wizards don't have much, but now they have a back-court very hard to handle and one that can keep them in a few games. The Wizards can ask their sucky frontcourt to play defense and crash the boards and they can probably get a 40% or so winning % in the East. Dre could not have delivered that on that team because there are not a whole lot of other players worthy of giving shots too. Besides it is not like Arenas is a bad passer. He got 6.5 APG last year on 3.5 TOs, slightly better on both accounts than Francis (6.2/3.7)--except a couple major differences, Francis is 5 years older and Arenas last year had his first full season as a PG.
