I’ve always been a big Gilbert Arenas fan. It’s mostly due to the fact that he came up through the Warriors system, and was one of the many bright young stars that we let go. Warriors fans have always had to live through the many star players that have moved on, because we love our team, but we rarely win so you have to root for something. We rarely blame the players that left, as most our frustration is focused on the front office’s meager attempts to keep them. That’s a completely different topic though. Reading today about him has me eerily excited to see him on the court again, well hopefully he can stay out there. Although his $100 million contract seems pretty ridiculous at the moment, if he comes back to his former All-Star form the Wizards could actually be a contender.

New Wizards coach, Flip Saunders, went to check him out in Chicago last week and stated “He gets wherever he wants to on the court. His quickness is back.” Coming off three knee surgeries in 1 ½ years he has a lot to prove, and probably not a patient fan base after putting a big chunk of their apples in his basket (bank account). I just hope when this year is over he won’t be battling Elton Brand for the biggest waste of cap space for a second straight season. It also has been reported that Agent 0 is getting his shooting touch back. With Flip Saunders bringing tempo better than Timberlake can bring sexy back, the return of the hibachi will make the Wizards a fun team to watch whoever they play!

I’m not saying this team is going to win it all, but with Arenas, Butler, and Jamison leading the way they should be tough every night. It’s the same situation with Minnesota deciding on Rambis as their new coach, they will be fun to watch except the Wizards actually have some solid players. They also made some moves that have drastically improved their depth by adding Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Fabricio Oberto. Deshawn Stevenson was injured most of last year he also gives them a little extra depth. I’m not saying they are going to knock Boston, Orlando, or Cleveland off, but they will definitely be a force if Agent 0 is like his old self. In case you forgot just how good he was, here is NBATV’s top ten Arenas plays from the 2006-07 season.