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Chuck Klosterman on Gilbert Arenas

By Mike Prada

NOTE: Scroll down for the Miami game thread.

There have been a multitude of profiles and pieces written on Gilbert Arenas this season, but it's safe to say that I haven't read a more thoughtful, nuianced, and accurate one than Chuck Klosterman's article today in the New York Times.  

Essentially, Klosterman argues that Arenas is not quirky, but rather, more normal than any other athlete.  Whereas other athletes tend to censor their own ambitions, Arenas leaves nothing hidden.  

The entire thing is an incredible read, but I'm going to pull this one Arenas quote that sums up everything about him.

"Sometimes you have to create your own legacy, and that is what I have done. There is no quirkiness about me. I just lash out at things, but it's lighthearted. The freak part of me is not that I'm going to take 60 pills to get attention. I'm not that kind of freak. I just like to watch the Gummi Bears on TV. I'm not Ron Artest. I'm a character. The things I do, the things I say -- these are things I sit in my house and think about. I know what I'm doing."

Seriously, to all those that believe that Arenas is a self-centered, egotistical jerk, go read the article.  That's an order.

Also, be sure to check out True Hoop, who posted a transcript of e-mail exchanges he had with Klosterman on the article itself.