The Top 50

#16 – Gilbert Arenas
Agent Zero talks a big one. He’s among the most visible of all athletes (and some would argue the most arrogant) already an award-winning blogger and YouTube regular in addition to his basketball superstardom. He gives himself hilarious nicknames, calls out other players and speaks his mind on (literally) any topic; all while carrying a swag that keeps everybody laughing and the Commish on edge. He’d be the league’s class clown if he weren’t also one of its deadliest players.

Sure, he hasn’t been healthy in a while, but Arenas is still young enough to bounce back to the Hibachi days, when it wasn’t a matter of if he would burn your team, but how severely. Just a year removed from 28/5/6 and 2 steals; impressive even without the slew of scoring outbursts in the wake of Olympic snub (60 on Kobe and the Lakers for good measure) and some of the sickest game-winners ever. He’s among the gutsiest players ever, never afraid to take big shots and place the onus on himself.

His style of commanding the ball may not be ideal on a team with two other guys doing 20/game, but if Arenas can handle having his ego on the backburner, it’ll open up more looks for Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison to build upon their excellent ’08 seasons. Gilbert’s also gonna have to work on putting faith in his younger teammates, as Washington’s supporting cast could easily blossom under his guidance or be crippled by his criticism. For better or worse, he might be the most vocal guy on any team, and channelling positive feedback to the Wizards’ bench mob will help them strengthen the team beyond its feared threesome.

Arenas’ return to the lineup this season will be the ultimate catalyst; the ignition sparking a fire that will blow the Wizards up one way or another. Having lost the Lebron Show in the opening round of the playoffs the last three years, patience is no doubt wearing thin. If the wizards can’t win more with Gilbert healthy this season then it might be time to remodel the roster. Either way, with him involved again, it’ll be worth tuning in for.