Gilbert Arenas, arguably the most exciting and interesting basketball player to play in this city in over 30 years, has been traded to the Orlando Magic. It's a day that we all saw coming, and it's finally here. Arenas is gone, and he's no longer a part of this city.
But despite how everything ended here in D.C., it's impossible to deny that Arenas gave us so much as a player. He took us on such an incredible ride, and unfortunately a pretty massive fall too. But he still was thrilling, he still was exciting and he still was, at one point, the best player this city has had in decades. He also did it while involving us, the fan, and interacting with media in a way that no other player has and ever will.
So to commemorate Arenas' seven-year Wizards career, we're going to have a day-long tribute to Arenas on the site today. We have a scheduled Arenas-related post every hour, with contributions from all of Bullets Forever's front-page writers.
Here's the schedule:
- 9 a.m.: I'll kick things off with an essay on what Arenas has meant to the state of this blog.
- 10 a.m.: Jon will reminisce about five of Arenas' most memorable buzzer beaters.
- 11 a.m.: I'll dig up five cool numbers that show why Arenas was a more valuable player in his heyday than anyone ever thought
- Noon: Rook6980 will reflect on the downfall of Arenas' Wizards career and how it obscured the great things he once did.
- 1 p.m.: We can't talk about Arenas' career without talking Gilbertology, so Jake will fill in 10 of the most memorable Arenas quotes over the years.
- 2 p.m.: Speaking of Gilbertology, we have to mention some of Arenas' pranks. Sean will count down some of the great ones from over the years.
- 3 p.m.: Our newest front-page writer, Bullet Nation In Exile, will write about why Gilbert Arenas was so misunderstood.
- 4 p.m.: CJ relives Arenas' career and quirks through the words of others.
- 5 p.m.: A massive link dump and some thoughts from fans and writers who lived through the Arenas years.