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GILBERT ARENAS Plans on opting out |
There is praise, with no trash-talking, about the Celtics from the outspoken Gilbert Arenas this time. There is no Jordanesque scorer for Boston to worry about tonight, rather an entire team that had the Celtics' number Saturday night. But even though tonight's rematch against the Wizards at the Garden will be a challenge for the Celtics, it won't be the same without the entertaining, three-time NBA All-Star guard in uniform.
"That's what I miss, playing for the crowd, playing for the fans, playing for my crowd," said Arenas, who has been limited to eight gams this season because of a left knee injury. "That's hard. I consider myself an entertainer. That's the part that I enjoy."
Before the Celtics' season-opener against Washington Nov. 2, Arenas predicted on his blog on NBA.com that the Wizards would win and he added that Celtics fans "might as well" cheer for him. Boston ended up winning easily, 103-83, and Arenas enthusiastically ate crow after the game.
Now, after the Celtics (30-5) have run off to the hottest start in the NBA, Arenas has changed his tune. In fact, he says the only team better right now is San Antonio, the reigning NBA champion.
"[The Celtics have] been doing a great job," Arenas said. "They went from being one of the worst teams in the league to the second-best team this year just from key trades. That's all players are looking for, someone like Paul Pierce is looking for. They went through the downs, and now they're up."
Arenas averaged 28.4 points per game last season and at least 25 points each of the three seasons before this one. The 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pounder suffered a partial tear of his left medial meniscus, however, and is out indefinitely after having surgery Nov. 21.
Arenas said he had been hampered with knee pain since the summer and said he could have continued to play with it, but doctors feared it could progress into a microfracture.
Arenas said yesterday he plans on opting out of his contract after this season. He said the Wizards are his top option but he is willing to go elsewhere.
"I want a new contract for the longevity of it and get another six years at the end of this deal," said Arenas, who is making $11.9 million this season. "I don't know what's going to happen. I could have signed an extension this year, but it wasn't going to make sense for me. If my own team doesn't take me, I'll go somewhere for a lot less to win a championship."
Arenas said his contract situation wouldn't deter him from returning this season, but he said he won't play until he's 100 percent.
Even with their superstar gone, the Wizards are 19-16 and are 15-11 without Arenas, including Saturday night's victory, which snapped Boston's 10-game road winning streak.
Forward Antawn Jamison is averaging 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds while forward Caron Butler is averaging career highs of 21.7 points and 4.4 assists. Jamison and Butler's play at both ends of the floor and their leadership likely will earn them serious All-Star consideration.
"[Arenas] is one of the top players in the NBA, and when he is not out there the makeup of the team definitely changes," Jamison said. "It took us a while to adjust, but we have some great veterans on this team who have stepped up. We also have some talented young guys on the bench who have contributed as well.
"We definitely miss him. But guys are doing a great job as far as not making excuses and turning a negative into a positive."
After Washington surprised Boston, 85-78, Saturday night, several Celtics said the Wizards seemed to play better without Arenas, with a much more team-oriented offense and better defense. Arenas scoffed when told of the comments yesterday.
"That's because [the Wizards] won," said Arenas. "It's kind of funny how people talk about how teams are better without certain players. At the end of the day when I was playing we were in the fourth or fifth spot [in the Eastern Conference]. You've got to play 82 games before you realize if they are better without me or with me."
Arenas claimed before Washington's win over the Celtics that his team hadn't beaten anyone of substance without him, other than Dallas. But after they beat Boston, Arenas gave his Wizards credit.
"They're playing great basketball right now," said Arenas, who didn't make the trip to Boston. "That was a great victory for us, especially for our confidence."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
