Keys to the Palace: Who got what they wanted during the holidays?

by Jake Whitacre on Dec 28, 2009 11:16 AM EST in Keys To The Palace

In a week where the starters have to be benched against the woeful 76ers to squeak out a win at home and lose to the worst team in the Western Conference, no one deserves a gold key. Instead of evaluating each player's performance this week, we're going to take a look at everyone's wish list for this season and see who is got what they wanted.

Gilbert Arenas

What did he want? A return to All-Star form and everyone to get off his case about keeping guns in his locker.

Did he get it? Maybe next year.

Andray Blatche

What did he want? To become a regular in the rotation, even if he's overlooked sometimes, and be a lockdown defender.

Did he get it? One out of two ain't bad. Unfortunately, Ryan Hollins isn't Santa Claus.

Earl Boykins

What did he want? A job in the NBA.

Did he get it? Not only did he get it, but he's playing a key role off of the bench. Too bad he's not on a playoff contender.

Caron Butler

What did he want? To get back to All-Star form and make it back to the playoffs.

Did he get it? No, but when you're giving less (1.9 assists per game, down from his career average of 3.0 per game) you can't expect to get more.

Javaris Crittenton

What did he want? A healthy leg and a chance to prove himself in a contract year.

Did he get it? I don't see a Ph.D in Santa's office.

Randy Foye

What did he want? A starting role and a chance to prove himself against the team that traded him.

Did he get it? He helped the Wizards to a 2-1 record as a starter this week, but he failed miserably at proving his doubters wrong in Minnesota.

Brendan Haywood

What did he want? A controversy-free year and career highs in points and rebounds as he gets ready for his last chance at a big payday.

Did he get it? He's having a career year, nearly averaging a double-double. But if he was Elin Woods, we would be talking about this whole thing differently.

Mike James

What did he want? A chance to show that he still had something left in the tank.

Did he get it? No.

Antawn Jamison

What did he want? A championship before his window of opportunity closed.

Did he get it? Santa isn't a miracle worker.

JaVale McGee

What did he want? "At least get significant minutes."

Did he get it? No, but the quotes from Flip about JaVale in practice are encouraging. Maybe he'll get a late holiday gift.

Dominic McGuire

What did he want? A chance to prove he could be a solid role player before his rookie contract expired.

Did he get it? He's starting to get it, but with the roster headed towards a seemingly inevitable shakeup, it's unclear whether or not he'll continue to get this chance.

Mike Miller

What did he want? Health and the chance to help his team.

Did he get it? Good things come to those who wait.

Fabricio Oberto

What did he want? To help a championship-calibur roster, like he did in San Antonio.

Did he get it? No, but he got a $1.99 million contract out of it, so he has that going for him.

DeShawn Stevenson

What did he want? To prove the doubters wrong after an injury-plagued season filled with career-lows.

Did he get it? No and no.

Nick Young

What did he want? To play without the fear of getting yanked after a mistake

Did he get it? At first it looked like he wasn't going to find anything under the Christmas tree, but his playing time has gone up over the last month. It just goes to show that it's never too late to get off the naughty list.