Gee, Wiz

Finally a true eccentric has joined the pantheon of NBA superstars! Ever since that Jordanian corporate-patty-cake stretch that included his Airness, Vince, Kobe, McGrady, Duncan, et al., it has seemed greatness has required a willingness to kowtow (even Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, bless ’em, have rated disturbingly high on this scale). Then along comes Gilbert Arenas, a borderline nutjob who on road trips confines himself to his hotel room to do push-ups, who has hit four game-winning shots this season, and whom the NBA just reprimanded for making side bets with fans at a game in Portland.

Former teammate Jason Richardson recently said of “Agent Zero”: “He’s almost like a — not quite yet — but like an Ali type, where you can say something off the wall and then he goes out there and does it.” Seeing Wade guard Arenas would have been a hoot, especially with the division at stake, but alas, you’ll have to just watch Arenas and his Washington Wizards run against an aging Eddie Jones and the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena tonight.
Wed., April 11, 7:30 p.m.