Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 10:02 am  |  20 responses

Gilbert Arenas: same as ever

The man still ain’t playing, but he sure can talk

By Michael Tillery

I hit the Sixers-Wizards game the other night (Philly won, 101-96, behind former SLAM diary keeper Thaddeus Young’s career-high 17 points) and got a chance to catch up with fan favorite Gilbert Arenas after the game. Gilbert has been out since November with a sore knee but seems just like the cat we all thought he was. Dude seems to have a locker room presence teammates enjoy—but more importantly—respect. Just ask Nick Young, who had to endure a love tap pop in the grill from the injured superstar and took it with a smile. This whole thing went so well, in fact, that I plan to do these type of q+a’s with NBA players the rest of the season. Enjoy Gilbert and stay tuned for more…

Michael Tillery: Being out Gilbert, what have you focused on mentally seeing the game from the outside looking in?

Gilbert Arenas: Watching the game like a coach. It’s easy to watch it as a player. You see things and you try to figure out what coach is talking about. As you sit there, you begin to think like a coach instead of a player.

MT: Athlete blogs. There is a disconnect between the players and fans because the media middle man also has a job to do. How can the relationship be made more personal with athletes using their own voice?

Gil: With a player blogging, there’s a different tone. He’s not aggressive and is in a chill state of mind. When it comes out (in a blog), it’s perceived as kind hearted fun and entertaining. When you are talking to the media, you might run into someone who is being an asshole at the time and wants to write some negative stuff. You might come across as aggressive because you just lost to so and so. When it reads in the paper, it comes across as a bad vibe for everybody.

MT: How do you view Black History Month? Who was that person who most gave you pride and inspiration?

Gil: This is our history. This is our month. We gotta cherish it and we gotta have fun. It’s the only time we get to have fun as Black people.

Of course I’m gonna say Martin Luther King. He made Blacks believe…he made all Americans believe. He was the first to believe in anything. He made America believe that every culture can co-exist on the same level.

MT: Who did you root for in the Super Bowl and where did you watch the game?

Gil: I was rooting for Junior Seau and Randy Moss while also rooting for Steve Smith. So it was a 2 against 1 thing. It really didn’t matter because I know Steve Smith, but I just like what Randy and Junior have done for the game.
I was everywhere. I was in the gym. I was at Cheesecake Factory watching the end picking up food.

MT: As the trade deadline approaches, what goes through the head of players and does player attitude change as the years go by?

Gil: When you become a veteran, you can’t believe expletive until expletive happens. Everybody’s name is thrown in trade rumors, so you can’t take it personal. Some players take it personal. They don’t want to play or they play too aggressive to prove they don’t need to be traded. At the end of the day it’s a business. If your name is in trade rumors, it really doesn’t matter.

MT: If you could tell NBA fans anything, what would it be?

Gil: Keep supporting the sport. Keep supporting it through the good times and the bad times. When athletes do stuff that hurts the NBA’s image, fans distance themselves. As good as it’s been, there’s gonna be bad times. Of course you rather have more good than bad any day.

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  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Feb.7 at 10:05 am
    GIL! sup with the shoes?

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Feb.7 at 10:10 am
    so i can say asshole, but not expletive?

  • michelle Posted: Feb.7 at 10:13 am
    Nice q&a. Gilbert seems like a cool dude. I miss him on the court.

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Feb.7 at 10:15 am
    no, you CAN say expletive, you little expletive.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Feb.7 at 10:15 am
    I concur on his take of athlete blogs. They’re much different than the quotes and interviews players have to give. Arenas’ blog allows us to know him on another level.

  • Holly MacKenzie Posted: Feb.7 at 10:20 am
    Love this, Michael, thanks. I’m missing Gil from the day-to-day action in the NBA and using his blog as a way to get my fix.

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Feb.7 at 10:20 am
    I SALUTE CAPTAIN OBVIOUS, HYNIE

  • white hot eboy Posted: Feb.7 at 10:30 am
    Gil is missed for sure.

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Feb.7 at 10:38 am
    what happened to all the crazy nick young/dominic videos??? ish was wild.

  • Michael Tillery Posted: Feb.7 at 10:38 am
    Glad you liked Holly…
    I talked to him before the game before some shooting drills and I think this is a matter of him coming back as close to 100% as possible. It’s good he isn’t being rushed back. Yo, funny cat though…like Ricky Henderson funny. With the exception of Sheed, he’s as cool in the locker room as anyone I’ve personally came across.

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Feb.7 at 10:58 am
    does sheed still eat hot wings before games?

  • Michael Tillery Posted: Feb.7 at 11:15 am
    Not sure, but Detroit and Orlando both have a nice spread for their players after the game.

  • Gumdrop Posted: Feb.7 at 11:29 am
    “We gotta cherish it and we gotta have fun. It’s the only time we get to have fun as Black people.” Funny stuff.

  • Michael Tillery Posted: Feb.7 at 11:41 am
    I was wondering when someone would comment on that. I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing just enough where Gil gave me a crazy expression which had me rollin’ even more.

  • rob stewart Posted: Feb.7 at 11:49 am
    Please read blog article on Earl “the pearl” Monroe. Gilbert recently broke one of Earl’s scoring records. This article is found at this site http://www.acartervincent.com/id27.html

  • Delinda Posted: Feb.7 at 1:30 pm
    Finally, interesting questions that capture the spirit of athletes. Who else could have gotten Arenas to say “it’s the only time we get to have fun as black people” or admit that he was in Cheesecake Factory “picking up food” during part of the SB? Thanks Mizzo for giving us something other than the “score” to read about. Keep digging deep and serving us up some entertaining dish.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Gilbert Arenas: Where TOO MUCH Info Happens Posted: Feb.7 at 5:19 pm
    [...] Know what, Gil? Maybe a boring newspaper quote from time to time isn’t such a bad idea. Thanks for the nightmare fuel, hombre. var staf_confirmtext = ‘Mail sent’ #stafBlock { position: absolute !important; z-index: 100000; display: none; width: 200px; } #stafForm { background-color:#f60; border: 2px solid #000; padding: 5px; margin:0; } #stafForm h2 { margin:0 0 4px;color:#fff;font-size:12px !important;} #stafForm input,label, h2 {font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: #222222; } #stafForm .input_text { width: 90px;margin-bottom: 5px;padding:2px; } #stafForm label { float: left; display: block; width: 75px; line-height: 16px; } #stafForm .input_submit {color:#fff;padding:0 5px;} #stafClose { float: right; margin-right: 5px; } x [...]

  • Holly MacKenzie Posted: Feb.7 at 5:40 pm
    Michael, good stuff for sure. I told Russ last night if I could choose any guys to have sit downs with, Gil is at the top of that list for sure. Just to hear the guy talk….about ANYTHING, I would love it. His blog kills me, he kills me. So good to hear he’s cool like that in the locker room. I just remember the game against the Nets earlier this season where Kidd stopped him and talked with him after the game about the knee. Thank Goodness he is taking his time to get himself right, because another season without Gil would be an awful thought!

  • jerry smith Posted: Feb.7 at 6:23 pm
    nick young kick gill ass be a man about your gill you need to leave nick young alone

  • Claude Posted: Feb.8 at 5:36 am
    Nice thoughtful work Michael Tillery! Gilbert one of the most inspiring players out there right now, even sidelined. If you’re goin’ off court, then I’d like to know some of his and other players’ political views, both local and national.

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