Gilbert Arenas relishing new lease of life with Memphis Grizzlies – NBA Update
The Memphis Grizzlies raised some eyebrows when they acquired troubled point guard Gilbert Arenas in March. The 30 year old had been waived off by the Orlando Magic and was available on the cheap, but he also came with a long history.
That history included an ugly gun incident at the Washington Wizards, after which Arenas’ graph only went down. The player was a misfit at best with the Magic, often not knowing what to do and looking sluggish at best. The fact that he came with a huge contract
didn’t help matters either.
The Grizzlies though seem to have a plan for Arenas, and the point guard looks like he approves of it as well. His first few games with the Grizzlies have been quite, but he hasn’t looked out of sorts as he had over the last year or so.
Instead, Arenas looks comfortable, and is even now looking like an asset. In Memphis’ recent win over the Eastern Conference topping Oklahoma City Thunder, Gilbert played an understated but important role, making some big plays in the final period. What
was even more striking was the fact that he didn’t slag off on defence, and actually turned up with important steals that helped Memphis turn the tide.
Arenas smooth transition to the Grizzlies system hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially with the player. He remarked recently that he now feels at home, which was not the case with the Magic.
“That’s a 360-degree turnaround since last year,” Arenas said. “I didn’t know what to expect (while in Orlando). It was hard for me because I didn’t know what to do. Basically, I was trying not to make mistakes. The only time I felt comfortable was when
a person got hurt and (Magic coach Stan Van Gundy) had no choice but to play me.”
At one point in his career, the point guard looked set for super stardom. Although various issues have ruled out that possibility, Gilbert is still someone with plenty of talent and has now stacked up a lot of experience as well.
That could help a gritty Grizzlies side that have been looking to make a step up, after bowing out against the Oklahoma City Thunder in last season’s playoffs. Memphis have a lot of good players and adding Arenas in the mix seems to have been a good move,
at least so far.
The man behind it, General Manager Chris Wallace, says he got Gilbert in to provide some nous and some productivity off the bench. He remarked after the Oklahoma City win that the point guard had done exactly that.
“I said when we signed him that all he’s mostly going to do is swing a game that’s tight and he did that for us tonight,” Wallace said. “He chipped in offensively, he played defence,”
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