NBA Top 50: Gilbert Arenas (No. 36)

Gilbert Arenas, originally uploaded by saurav_singh.

OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Monday there are 36 days left.

If Caron Butler doesn't have any angles left to explore, team mate Gilbert Arenas hasn't left any new angles for sports writers to explore 'til he sees some real action this season. Hibachi has been on the virtual shelf for two seasons, playing 13 games on 07-08 and two last season. The few glimpses we've been afforded have indicated Arenas may have a few tricks up his sleeve, but all opinions are being held until he can stay on the floor for more than a handful of games. In two spins 'round the old hard wood last season, Arenas dished out 20 assists, a significant jump from his average output of 5.5 dimes per prior to all the knee troubles.

Stories coming from the Arenas camp have him much more solid physically this time around, as he's been training with the legendary Tim Grover. With Gil coming back, the Wiz could be a dark horse contender this season, or they could be just at the cusp one more time, or riddled with injuries one more time. No one's betting on this team right now, the masses aren't exactly brimming over with faith that Gil will be the dynamic force he has been in the past. At the same time, no one's exactly betting against him either. The point is, Agent Zero is one of the big question marks heading into this season.

Gilbert Arenas, originally uploaded by grtaylor2.

I had him ranked as the 20th most valuable player last offseason, when he was more of a relevant factor in most people's memories, and when I was less knowledgeable. He could end up being a much more important player than even that 20 ranking this season. He's ranked this low, however, because the ineffables have just been riding hard against him for so long. This list is meant to be a gauge of how a player comes to this season, not a predictor of how he'll play. In that sense, Gil comes to 09-10 from a series of low points in his career. Why, then, does he get the nod over Caron Butler? Because there has been no Ewing Theory in effect here. The Wiz have simply not been upper echelon material since he (and Brendan Haywood) went out. Here's hoping a healthy Wizard team can make some noise in the East. Not because the East needs it, just because Gil makes watching worth our while.

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