Buck Harvey: Without Spurs, Arenas got to be himself
Web Posted: 01/14/2007 12:54 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.359eea6.html
San Antonio Express-News
Gilbert Arenas can remember which game it was during his rookie season (No. 42) and whom it was against (the Spurs). That was the first time he ever started in the NBA.
He also remembers something else that night. He went to a fellow rookie for advice. Tony Parker.
"We didn't even know each other," said Arenas, who spent his first two seasons with Golden State. "But since he was starting, and I'm looking at him like he's a starting point guard, I asked him, as a point guard, how do you determine when you score?"
Arenas likes the story. There are no signs as he tells it that he just went 6 of 20 with a sore shoulder and lost on the road.
"So Tony says, 'In the halfcourt I pass it to Tim Duncan and David Robinson. On a fast break I'm faster than them, so I hurry up and try to beat them down the court.'"
Parker would refine that strategy in the years to come, and Arenas would figure out a few things, too. Today he determines he will score often.
But so much of their lives — from a pending wedding to swag fame — is a result of that time. Had the Spurs opted for Arenas in the draft instead, for example, would either have been what they are today?
When it comes to his own career, Arenas isn't sure. He says he would have fit in nicely in San Antonio — without changing much.
"With my style of play," he said, "you couldn't double Tim. I'd open up a lot of things because of my range. I penetrate, I'm fast and stronger.
"To me, it looks like, 'Woo, if he came here, what would it be?'"
He also says the argument is empty because of what Parker has done. "If you win two championships," he said, "you can't complain."
The Spurs never have. They had the No. 28 pick in the 2001 draft, and, after considerable debate, Parker was their guy.
Arenas knows why. "They wanted a pure point guard," he said.
They also wanted someone they understood. They talked to Parker twice before the draft, once during a visit and workout. Arenas chose not to work out for the Spurs because he thought he would be drafted higher.
Maybe these are the reasons he fell to No. 31 to the Warriors, or maybe it was simply scouting. Teams are often afraid of 6-foot-2 shooters without a lot of point-guard instincts.
Either way, within a few months both were starting. Parker was trying to beat his 7-footers down the floor, and Arenas was showing the skills that would turn him into a 30-point scorer.
Parker has taken to this city and system, and Saturday night was another illustration. He traveled a couple of times in a kind of sleep walk, but he also got after Arenas on defense.
Parker's 13 points won't make any highlight films, but his 10 rebounds and half-dozen assists told of a complete game.
If Parker does this for another 10 years, both he and the Spurs will be delighted.
Arenas wouldn't have liked the life. He's a character, albeit a smart, friendly one. He's notorious for once showering in his uniform, and this month he showered himself with a $1million birthday party. When he's feeling good, he often blurts out "hibachi" after releasing a jumper.
Nothing he did Saturday night gave any indication he was heating up. Officiating didn't help him, but there was never a sense he was himself. His coach was far crazier than he was; Eddie Jordan stayed on the court longer than a couple of Spurs played.
Arenas' right shoulder has been bothering him, and then there was a game the night before in Oklahoma City. Give him some rest, and he'll be putting another 60 points on somebody, and talking about his swagger, which the Wizards call "swag."
"Tonight," he said, "there was no 'g' in the swag."
And had he been a Spur? He would have been out of place. Arenas has called this season "The Takeover," as if launching his own public-relations campaign, and that leads to another Parker story.
As young point guards do, Parker once asked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich when he should take over a game. Popovich emphatically told him never.
That's why a Spurs official, when wondering what would have happened if the 2001 draft had gone differently, said Saturday, "I'm not sure Hibachi and Pop would have gone together."
It wouldn't have been good for either. Some guys need a system. Some guys swag.
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The real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.
OH the what if game....
Arenas?
The guy plays for only one thing: his stats.
Which is horrible for a point guard. For a shooting guard, that's what you want them to do.Arenas?
The guy plays for only one thing: his stats.
More second guessing of the front office.
Must be a horrible one.
Arenas wouldnt be shooting guard. The Nuggets had the money on the table for him to be SG and Dre to be the PG. Gil wouldn't do it coz he wanted to run the team.The real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.
Arenas wants to be the #1 man, thats easy to see
you can question his egoism all you want, but the boy has skills. watched him ever since his days in zona. he is truly a special talent who only gets better every year.
Not if he's jacking up 28-footers with 9 seconds on the shot clock.
Problem is, Agent Zero hits just enough of those that he'll never stop.
Sure he has skills and he wants to be the #1 option on any team he plays on. Thats fair enough coz someone with that talent shouldnt play 2nd fiddle at that point in his career.
I would rather have Kidd in the team than Arenas.The real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.
Kidd is a team player and Arenas is not.
I won't complain if Arenas come in townThe real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.assuming we find the way to keep his mouth close
as you guys said.... his stats are very important to him-and that is BAD! (it spreads out to his teammates sooner or later-bad karma)
wizards will end up like 76sers sooner or later
Arenas will maybe win an MVP some day and score loads of points but his team wont get a championship
as Artest once said.... KG screams but TD is the pimp and wins
p.s.
who gave me the le "Slovenian Sensation"?
is this a part of that december result predtiction game? (link?)
I will have review my position about Arenas if he keep saying smart thingsas you guys said.... his stats are very important to him-and that is BAD! (it spreads out to his teammates sooner or later-bad karma)
wizards will end up like 76sers sooner or later
Arenas will maybe win an MVP some day and score loads of points but his team wont get a championship
as Artest once said.... KG screams but TD is the pimp and wins
sighThe real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Kidd is still the best point guard in the game and so it wasn't as though they were evaluating which of two unproven players to go after.The real story to me is to imagine if the Spurs would have done what timvp, picnroll and a couple others said and gone after Arenas rather than Jason Kidd. Imagine a Parker and Arenas backcourt with Manu being the super sixth man
I'm not a big fan of Arenas the point guard ... but put him at shooting guard and move him off the ball and he'd be an amazing weapon on any team.
Instead the Spurs went after Kidd who had double the price tag. Nice one.
If you walk the cat back over the past ten years, there are a lot of good-to-great players that the Spurs might have taken if they only had those 20-20 hindsight glasses properly adjusted at the time. I doubt there is any team in the league that hasn't passed over some rookie draft choice that later became a good player.
The real story...er, fantasy... is to imagine our current Spur team with all those passed over players plugged in to the system and wouldn't that be loverly.
@ anyone calling themselves fast in comparision to Tony Parker. It also makes it sound like he's saying that Tony has problems finishing because he isn't strong enough. Newsflash, Gil: Tony's finish is one of the best in the league. Check the stats: he's shooting 10 percentage points better than you. With your style of play, teams wouldn't need to double Tim, because he'd never see the ing ball!
Kidd would be horrible on this team. His jumper isn't reliable enough to open up the inside for Tim. Best mistake the Spurs never got the privilege of making.
What's the story behind this whole "Hibachi" thing? He just pick some random word to let his teammates know that he was "in a zone" and weren't going to touch the ball the rest of the quarter?
So Tony says, 'In the halfcourt I pass it to Tim Duncan and David Robinson. On a fast break I'm faster than them, so I hurry up and try to beat them down the court.'Those quotes are hilarious!!!As young point guards do, Parker once asked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich when he should take over a game. Popovich emphatically told him never.
Does the Spurs FO go ahead and claim they were about to draft every near superstar they ended up not taking?
And AHF once again is moronic -- Jason Kidd on this team? We would have won more than 1 championship since 2003. Watch him play more.
The only thingh worse than knee-jerk criticism is knee-jerk defense.
I guess you figured in the $18 million Kidd would be making this year and the fact there would be no Parker or Ginobili on the team.
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