Gilbert Arenas - Common Sense

I'm not usually one to criticize players or writers, but I did notice this today and felt compelled to put something down.

Now I've always been a fan of Gilbert Arenas, the player that is. He heats up quick and he plays with a fearlessness that I love.

A few years ago I came across Gil's blog and became a fan of Gilbert Arenas, the personality. He's quirky, pretty well spoken and entertaining. Plus, who can forget his sweet Adidas commercial about nobody believing in him, and proving doubters wrong. I love that he embodied that.

But, injuries mounted and production on the court slowed and Gilbert's act began running stale. Well that brings us to this year and a (hopefully) healthy Gilbert Arenas.

At the Wizards' media day, Michael Lee of the Washington Post uncovered this quote from Gil:

"The biggest thing he had to say was that he was done being an entertainer. No more Agent Zero. No more hibachi. No more antics. No more blogging. And he says he has no plans to get on Twitter. Arenas said he is focused only on playing basketball and being more a leader for the team."

Really Gil? It took four years for you to realize that. How about you are in the NBA and are get paid to produce on the court..not entertain fans off the court electronically. I'm just glad that he's finally realized it and I hope we see some of the player that he once was.

Michael Jordan Inducted Into the Hall of Fame

So what would the greatest basketball player of all time say when inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Well, he did what he does best..talked a lot of trash. But he did impart some wisdom at the end. Here was his closing quote:

The game of basketball has been everything to me. My refuge, my place I've always gone when I needed comfort and peace. It's been a source of intense pain and a source of most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction and one that no one can even imagine. It's been a relationship that has evolved over time and has given me the greatest respect and love for the game. It's provided me a platform to share my passion with millions, in way that I neither expected, nor could have imagined in my career. I hope that it's given the millions of people that I've touched the optimism and desire to achieve their goals through hard work, perseverance and positive attitude. Although I'm recognized with this tremendous honor of being in the basketball Hall of Fame. I don' look at this moment as the defining end of my relationship with basketball. It’s simply a continuation of something I started a long time ago. One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50..oh don't laugh. Never say never. Because limits like fears, are often an illusion.

Pretty intense stuff.

Today's Hall of Fame Class

All greats entering the Hall of Fame.

In terms of skill, athleticism, championships and all other ways you can measure player and coaches impacts on the court, this class is as good as you can find.

They also are all true professionals off the court and are role models for today's players and coaches in ways to behave in your profession.

For more thoughts about Jordan, Stockton and Robinson, view this link.

Steve Nash High School

I recently came across this highlight video of Steve Nash playing basketball in high school in Canada:



Now, while this video is indeed a highlight tape - I think its clear that you can see the certain qualities in Nash's game which has made him successful in his basketball career.

What I'm writing about today is for the amazing fact that all the major Division I basketball programs in the country overlooked him in high school and why that could be.

Now one thing is for certain - in every game Nash has played post high school, he probably never once was the tallest, strongest or fastest player on the court. Those attributes being the "staple" of today's basketball player and generally considered "must haves."

But Nash is a great example, maybe even the best example for the idea that more goes into athleticism than those few things. But before we get into that, I'd like to address a few things.

First of all, lets be clear here - in terms of the greater percentage of basketball players around the world, Nash was blessed with great physical gifts. While he may not be the fastest or strongest, Nash is fast and he is strong. I think this pre-conceived notion that since Nash can't dunk that he must be this slouch in movement athleticism is absurd.

But there clearly is more to Nash's game and athleticism in general. Things like coordination, balance, stamina and agility. These are areas that Nash is world class in. Nash is also a master of anticipation and creativity - things that playing soccer certainly enhanced. (Going to be exploring this further in an upcoming post, stay tuned.)

Nash needed not to prove his career anymore than simply making the NBA, that was justification enough. He went above and beyond, however. He's won two MVP's, he will be considered one of the 10 greatest point guards to ever play and if it wasn't for some bad luck, probably would have had a championship by now.

He is a great case study for college recruiters that you can't simply overlook somebody if they don't pass the "eye test." You need to take the whole of a player and consider everything they bring to the table before ruling someone out.

There is more than one way to succeed in the game of basketball and Steve Nash is living proof of that.