In September of 2003, the Washington Wizards called a press conference to announce that they had just signed a 21-year-old guard from the Golden State Warriors named Gilbert Arenas. He was scheduled to make $65 million over six years, and he also was going to sweeten the bitter taste Michael Jordan’s abrupt departure left with the team.

During that press conference, Arenas was very cognizant of the challenges ahead, but he still found time to make a bold prediction.

“We’re going to make the playoffs. I’m going to work hard. My team is going to work hard. We’re going to do whatever it takes to make the playoffs….I don’t take days off. I don’t vacation. I don’t know what a vacation is. One player sees how hard you’re working and the rest of the team will follow. We might start off slow but we’re going to finish big.”

In July of 2008, five years after his introduction to the city of Washington, the Wizards called yet another press conference in Arenas’ honor, but the circumstances are drastically different. Arenas is now in his seventh year with the Wizards, and he is considered to be the leader of the team. The $65 million over six years has now ballooned to $111 million over another six year period. In true leadership form, he took a cut in pay, so that Antawn Jamison could be signed, and another player could possibly be added in the future. But one thing that has not changed at all is his bravado and the flair for the dramatic. With Wizards Owner Abe Pollin, Team President Ernie Grunfeld, and head coach Eddie Jordan in attendance, Arenas made yet another bold prediction.

“You guys are looking at me like I’m the hero up here, but these guys are the heroes,” he said of the trio. “We just have a great group of guys. I know everybody’s here to see me, but it’s about this team. They’ve done a great job, and we’re gonna put a banner up there, a championship banner, we’re gonna do it for Mr. Pollin.

In addition to his championship predictions, Arenas also explained his theory as to why his team had struggled to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers the past three years.

“Tell Cleveland to play without LeBron, I don’t think they won a game last year,” Arenas said, “Everybody says we can’t get past Cleveland. Cleveland beat us one year, that was three years ago. The other years they’ve just been beating up on some hurt dogs. We just want to get our fair shot when we’re healthy…When we’re healthy that’s the kind of team we are, we’re a top five team in the league.”

Coach Jordan also joined the Wizards in the summer of 2003, and things have changed quite a bit for him as well. When he joined the team, the Wizards had not sniffed the playoffs in six seasons. They missed the playoffs during his inaugural season, but since then his team has made clinched a berth for four consecutive seasons.

Despite the pressure that is on him to advance to the second round, Jordan still finds solace is not only Arenas’ return, but the continuity of the team overall.

“It takes a lot of work and a lot of thought process when you have a new group, or an ever-changing group, “ Jordan commented, “And now we don’t have that so, we have a solid group like we did last training camp and moving forward becomes a lot easier”

Aside from whether both he and Jamison would be coming back, one of the biggest issues surrounding Arenas is the status of his right knee. Arenas tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee towards the end of the 2006-2007 season, and then after pushing his knee to the limit during last year’s off-season, it was never quite right. This time he is taking the cautious approach.

“The knee is good, I’ve been working all summer, and right now I’m just taking it easy, and August 1^st is when I’ll start getting back on that floor.”

Arenas has vowed not to even shoot or touch a basketball until then.

The biggest sign of Arenas’ maturity and the newfound responsibility that comes with a large contract came towards the end of the press conference. In year’s past, his name has been synonymous with quirky and controversial behavior from flipping a coin to decide his free agency fate in 2003, to checking into a playoff game in 2008, without notifying Coach Jordan ahead of time. Arenas acknowledges that behavior definitely has to be amended going forward.

“I know all the little things I do out there is gonna come to a halt but I think I’m up for the task. I just need to cut out some of the foolishness I do… I create hype, I create excitement, I think I can still do that. But some of the other stuff I know I’ve got to calm down.”

Right after he uttered those words, both he and Coach Jordan broke into broad smiles without making any eye contact. It’s not even training camp, and already they are on the same page.

Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media