Gilbert Arenas has been fined an undisclosed amount for faking a knee injury and lying to Wizards coach Flip Saunders about it. Saunders called Arenas actions "unjustified" and the Washington Post reports that Arenas apologized to the team after practice today.
Arenas claimed that he faked the injury so that teammate Nick Young would get more playing time during the Wizards' preseason home opener against the Atlanta Hawks.
Here's video of his post game comments where mentions that he "sacrificed playing tonight so (Young) could get some time."
Arenas has probably learned the lessons of not waving guns as a joke and not tweeting quips about police investivations into his felonious activities. He probably doesn't even own any guns any more.
But Arenas hasn't found a way to close his mouth when it counts most. Why tell the media that he lied to his coach? In what scenario would that ever be a good idea?
When he was charged with wielding a gun in the Wizards' locker room last season, he didn't seem to understand that the law and the league were taking his jokes seriously until he was on his way to incarceration.
The Wizards were likely looking forward to last night's home opener as a way to show their fans that last year was buried in the past and that this new squad led by rookie John Wall would be more focused on the game of basketball and more serious about winning.
Arenas crushed those intentions by again choosing to follow his own misguided ideas instead of falling in line with the plans of Coach Saunders as well as G.M. Ernie Grunfeld.
To his credit, Nick Young took advantage of his increased minutes with 24 points on 10-14 shooting and the Wizards won 107-92.
Maybe Arenas' sacrifice is about trying to show the Wizards that they don't really need him and will be even more inspired to trade him. But what team wants to pay $70 million to a guy who disregards his coach on a whim? If Isiah Thomas was still with the Knicks, maybe. But beyond that, not even the Clippers will go that route.
Arenas came to this year's training camp with a new number, new beard and claims of a new serious attitude. Yet ain't nothing changed. The guy who publicly laughed at his coach, Eddie Jordan, for pleading for more defense is still blowing off his coaches. The guy who played online poker during halftime still isn't focused on winning championships. And the guy who embarrassed the Wizards last year is embarrassing them again and the season hasn't even started yet.
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