Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 12:48 pm  |  34 responses

Gilbert Arenas’ $111 Million Problem

Gil doesn’t want to be defined by the size of his paycheck. To which the world inevitably replies, “Tough!”: “Having already blown a layup against Toronto and clanking two free throws against Boston and Indiana, Arenas added another poor finish to his now un-clutch resume when Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans slapped away his crossover dribble and secured a 112-109 victory for the Kings. Arenas appeared despondent after the game and I asked him if he felt a lot of pressure to deliver for the organization. ‘It’s only pressure whenever somebody mentions my name, they mention one-eleven. They don’t just call me a basketball player, they put a number behind it, like that defines who I am,’ Arenas said. ‘There is no pressure playing the game of basketball. But every time you read an article and they mention me, it’s like, ‘Yeah, one-eleven guy.’ But I’m a basketball player.’ Arenas had to understand when he signed the deal that he would be viewed as the $111-million guy — if he was unable to produce. No one talks about Kobe Bryant’s salary or LeBron James’s salary or Dwight Howard’s salary because they are getting things done for their organizations.”

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: ,

  • http://4point0show.com/ Wes

    He gon be alright. He’s been progressing with each game- just not finishing. The finishes will come. He even shot well from the line in Sacramento. I’d imagaine my finishes and free throw concentration would be a lil off after that whole Shaq scandal thing too.

  • Prodigy

    Since it’s very unlikely that the Wizards can trade him, they should really consider playing him at the 2 spot. He will be more effective that way and their offensive should be more efficient.

  • LA Huey

    I’ll take that $111 Million problem off your wallet, Gil.

  • paychexx

    shaq diggin ya woman out can do that to ya mental state….i mean when i see him on the court, it like that all he think about” is shaq in my house right now, with my woman? ” did tiger bust her down? ” nah tiger doesnt like black chicks”….

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    He could always turn that over too…

  • Joe

    HOOK:”He’s got 111 problems/and his b!tch adds one”

  • http://slamonline.com/ niQ

    Well from what I remember, he already took less than what he was offered.. Still quite the handful though…

  • ab_40

    yeah he was offerde 120+ and he toned it down a bit so they could have more flexibility in their finances

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Yeah, I typically agree that athletes shouldn’t be defined by their paychecks, but Arenas sounds like a whiner. You signed the big deal. Let your millions comfort you. Besides, fans are fickle, they boo you today, then cheer you when you dominate. That’s the game.

  • Kyle

    Like someone else said, you trade him for a young up and coming player and someone else with an inflated contract. At least if he’s healthy, the dude can play. Sure, he kills chemistry and ball movement for the Wizards, but… never mind.

    The only teams that could use him are like the Knicks(who wouldn’t take on his insane contract to lose one or two big free agents)or the Bulls who have somehow missed the blackhole Ben Gordon. At least Arenas can pass, and will… while also getting to the basket unlike Ben Gordon. But they want Wade… no way would they risk getting him for Arenas.

    Agent Zero has become Agent 111, and he can’t run an offense.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    He held out his hand for a ‘dynasty building contract’ and he’s not producing – It’s a simple formulation of funds in exchange for goods & services rendered: He’s.Not.Worth.111mil.

  • Yesse

    Well his confidence is down and he had a few injuries.Also Shaq messing around with his girl might hurt.Shaq wasnt happy when his wife cheated on him and looks like he has family issues now too.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh

  • http://www.yourblackbrothers.com Daunte

    Its kinda hard to build a team around a jacker, especially one who runs point. Agent Zero gets buckets but he’s not a franchise player. Franchise players affect more than one aspect of the game. Gil doesnt do that

  • thegman8

    with great paycheck comes great responsibilities…

  • http://slamonline.com Dave

    *shrug* If the Wizards offered me $111 million dollars to be their point guard, I’d sign.

  • http://slamonline.com Big D

    he’ll be fine. just get the confidence back after all the injuries. He looks to be playing a bit timid to avoid re-injury.

  • http://sevendeu2u.wordpress.com/ Seven Duece

    I’m still trying to figure out why they gave him that much knowing he just missed the previous season. He’s like 3 years into it though now right?

  • rav

    said this on here a few times before – he’s the new steve francis (and i dont mean that as a good thing)

  • cballer

    The wizards invested 111 millions dollars on him.
    Off course they want to see something going.

  • jdn41

    he jsut went off for 45 points and 13 assist…money well spent

  • JoeMaMa

    Niq and ab_40, he personally negotiated with Abe Pollin for the $111 million. It wasn’t a max contract, but he did it without an agent, so basically he’s getting max paid because he doesn’t have agent fees like the other max guys.
    He’ll be fine. He got injured; part of the game. He’ll get it back.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    HAHAHA 45 & 13!
    Good on you Gil!

  • ClydeSays

    Well, considering that Gil played a total of 15 games over the past 2 seasons, you can imagine why people focus on the money.

    I don’t blame Arenas for taking what was offered. It was Abe’s mistake to bid high when no one else would have given Arenas anything close to 100 mil.

    But Gil has to know that once you take the money, fans expect you to produce. After basically taking 2 seasons off due to injury, the expectation was that he would come back strong & put the Wiz in contention. That hasn’t happened. It might just be 2 years of rust, or maybe Arenas just isn’t the player he used to be.

  • Q

    Man, I cannot believe that there are so many haters out there just because a man makes more money than any of us combined in a lifetime. Injuries are part of the professional sport and this is just that simple. It was just bad luck and bad timing. Gil can easily hurt his knee without that huge contract. Will you guys still speak the same of him if he did injure his knee without his $111 million contract? Also, after taxes, he doesn’t take home the whole $111 mil. Do any of you guys think about what he does for the community with the money that he makes? Do you guys think about all the shopping sprees that he takes local kids to?
    @Thegman8 is right, “with great paychecks come great responsibilities” and that is what Gil does with the money and talent that God had given him. He is giving it all back to the community, to the unfortunates. Just because he is not putting up W’s with the Wiz, doesn’t mean he is not a good person.
    And guys, what does his personal life have anything to do with basketball? What ever rumors are out there, True or not, let the man deal with it on his own. It is pathetic for some people out there to knock the guy down some more when the guy is trying to pick himself up.

    @Gil, stay up homie, we are out here supporting you all the way in the Bay!!!

  • MikeC.

    Nobody should be sh!tting on Gil for his contract. The Wiz offered him that money knowing full well that he was going to need knee surgery. Knowing how hard Gil works out and trains, the Wiz didn’t want to take the chance that he’d be offended by a lower offer, sign elsewhere and torch them for the rest of his career. Also, Gil did take a smaller contract than the one he was offered in order to help the team re-sign Jamison(I think). Gil hasn’t played much in the last couple years. Give him time to shake off the rust and get back into the flow of playing in the NBA and he’ll be alright. That being said, c’mon dude, hit your free throws!!! Even with an alligator biting your knee, you should hit your freebies.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    MikeC – let me read your little post there back to you….
    ___
    Nobody should be sh!tting on Gil for his contract.That being said, c’mon dude, hit your free throws!!!
    ___
    Either hate or love – you can’t do both.

  • MikeC.

    Dacre – I say the same thing to regularass dudes at the Y who are playing the game for free. They’re called FREEthrows for a reason.
    Also, why do people hate on the players for their contracts? Why don’t people bash the management and owners who offer the contracts? An excellent point was made earlier and I agree, if any team offered me $111mil to play for them, I’d take it. Then, when I get routinely torched on both ends of the court, don’t boo me, boo the boneheads who offered me that money. Nobody boos Jerome James for accepting a huge offer, but they sure killed NY management for giving it to him. I’m not saying Gil is a new JJ, but it’s a double standard.

  • MikeC.

    Dacre – “Either hate or love – you can’t do both.” Move in with a woman and you’ll learn all about it.

  • Hoodsnake

    Elton brand and a point. Tough juice slips to the 2 and jamison to the 3. Everybody is happy

  • cool j

    Mike C-Teams just don’t give $100 mil contracts because they want to and they nothing better to do with their money.The players and their agents INSIST in getting a certain amount or feel “disrespected”
    does Sprewell ring a bell? “I won’t be able to feed my children” how much was it ? $10 mil /year

  • http://www.NBHHCM.org DunkadelicKobe24

    Gil, “You Got $111 Million Problems and Winning is the Main One.” Be like Pimp too and Brush Your Shoulder’s Off.

  • mac

    stop hatin on my man gil

  • http://none The Philosopher

    I wish I was famous for how much money I make. It really must be nice, man.

Advertisement