Gilbert Arenas has told the media that he is willing to sign for less with the Wizards in order to keep Antawn Jamison as his teammate, the Washington Post is reporting.
"I want to see Antawn taken care of first and then I'll take the pay cut to keep the team intact," said Arenas, who plans to opt out of the final season of his contract.
The Wizards hope, and plan, to keep both Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison past this season, according to the Washington Post.
Arenas maintains that he plans to opt out of his deal at the end of the season, and Jamison will be an unrestricted free agent.
"Going into next year, we don't think we are going to see a lot of wholesale changes," Eddie Jordan said Thursday during a conference call.
"We've said all along that our intention is to have those guys here over the long haul, and that hasn't changed at all," Ernie Grunfeld said. "Even with Gilbert injured this season, we've shown that we can beat some of the best teams in the league. We like the development we are seeing from our young players, and we feel that when we are healthy, we can compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference."
Trail Blazers' leader Brandon Roy was forced from Tuesday night's game against Washington at the end of the first quarter with a groin injury, the Associated Press is reporting.
Roy was attempting to block a long 3-pointer by Caron Butler and came down awkwardly.
Roy tried to return in the second quarter but lasted two minutes before leaving the game for good.
Gilbert Arenas was confident he would be in uniform when the Wizards took on the Pistons on Sunday, but then was unhappy to learn he was not cleared to play, the Associated Press is reporting.
So confident that he would be playing after participating in the team's morning shootaround that he did not bring the correct attire to sit on the bench.
As he exited the locker room about an hour before the game, Arenas told reporters: "Y'all don't have to write any more. I'm not coming back this year." But he reappeared during the first half of the game, wearing a tan sport coat as he took his seat on the bench.
Gilbert Arenas hasn't ruled himself out for the Wizards' game against the Pistons on Sunday night, but it seems more likely that he'll return during the team's pending West Coast trip, according to the Washington Post.
"I don't know," Arenas said. "Like I said, I'm 50-50 every day."
Teammate Antawn Jamison seems to think that Arenas is close to a comeback.
"I think it's sooner rather than later," Jamison said. "He's been really pushing it, going hard lately with no setbacks so I think somewhere on this trip, he'll make an appearance and start playing."
A Western Conference scout had some pretty high praise for Wizards' head coach Eddie Jordan on Friday night, according to the Washington Post.
"He's one of the best in the business at getting his guys to run and execute that system. I mean, they are very good. A lot of teams try to emulate what they do but they can't do it. I think he's doing a great job. They are one of the most organized teams in the league at both ends of the floor," the unnamed scout said.
A handful of teams jostled for playoff position on Wednesday night as the NBA schedule had a slate of twelve games. The Wizards and Cavaliers made huge statements in the East, while the Hornets and Suns improved their position in the West. Read about all the movement and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 19th?s games!
The Indiana Pacers used a huge third quarter to knock off the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Ronald Murray had 22 points and Troy Murphy added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who hit 49% of their shots and outrebounded Charlotte by two. Jason Richardson nearly had a triple-double for the Bobcats with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, while Gerald Wallace added 17 points and 6 boards of his own in the loss. Indiana was without Danny Granger, who was suffering from a wrist injury.
Game FIC Scores
Troy Murphy, IND ? 23.8
Jason Richardson, CHA ? 22.0
Flip Murray, IND ? 15.4
Emeka Okafor, CHA ? 2.3
The Washington Wizards held off the Orlando Magic in the final seconds last night to record a big conference victory. Antawn Jamison had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Brendan Haywood added 10 points and 11 boards for the Wizards, who held the Magic to just 33% shooting from the field and grabbed eight steals. Hedo Turkoglu led Orlando with 39 points and 6 rebounds and Keith Bogans added 14 points off the bench in defeat. Orlando?s magic number to clinch the division is still four games.
Game FIC Scores
Hedo Turkoglu, ORL ? 26.8
Antawn Jamison, WSH ? 26.0
Jameer Nelson, ORL ? 15.0
Brendan Haywood, WSH ? 12.0
Samuel Dalembert made a layup in the final minute to give the Philadelphia 76ers a close win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Andre Miller had 28 points and 12 assists and Dalembert added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who shot 60% on the night and outrebounded Denver by ten. Allen Iverson posted 32 points and 8 assists and Carmelo Anthony added 26 points for the Nuggets, who scored nineteen points off turnovers and are now two games behind the Warriors for eighth place in the uber-tight Western Conference.
Game FIC Scores
Allen Iverson, DEN ? 21.4
Andre Miller, PHI ? 20.4
Andre Iguodala, PHI ? 17.8
Kenyon Martin, DEN ? 17.3
The Toronto Raptors held the Miami Heat to just 54 points last night en route to a 42-point win. Jose Calderon notched 10 points and 10 assists and Chris Bosh added 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot 54% from the field and outrebounded Miami by fifteen. Ricky Davis had 12 points and 5 rebounds for the Heat, who hit just 25% of their shots and scored only nine points in the fourth quarter. Miami, without Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, set records for offensive futility across the board.
Game FIC Scores
Jose Calderon, TOR ? 21.8
Jamario Moon, TOR ? 15.0
Rasho Nesterovic, TOR ? 14.5
Ricky Davis, MIA ? 7.3
The New Jersey Nets outscored the Atlanta Hawks by eighteen points in the second half on Wednesday night on their way to a big win. Vince Carter had 39 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists and Richard Jefferson added 33 points and 5 boards for the Nets, who hit 58% of their shots and took great care of the basketball. Al Horford posted 20 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for the Hawks, who shot 52% on the night and got 24 points from Joe Johnson in the loss. Devin Harris, who sprained his ankle against the Bulls on Tuesday, played through the pain and notched 26 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Game FIC Scores
Vince Carter, NJN ? 33.5
Al Horford, ATL ? 29.3
Richard Jefferson, NJN ? 20.8
Devin Harris, NJN ? 19.5
The Houston Rockets have now begun another streak, losing their second consecutive game last night against the New Orleans Hornets. David West had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who held Houston to just 34% shooting and scored 22 points off turnovers. Dikembe Mutombo posted 10 points and 13 rebounds and Luis Scola added 14 points and 9 boards for the Rockets in the loss. Houston outrebounded New Orleans by three, but the loss dropped them from first-place in the Western Conference.
Game FIC Scores
Chris Paul, NOH ? 21.9
Bonzi Wells, NOH ? 18.4
Dikembe Mutombo, HOU ? 15.3
David West, NOH ? 13.9
The Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Detroit Pistons by ten points in the fourth quarter en route to a big statement win on Wednesday night. LeBron James had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 20 points and 8 boards for the Cavs, who outrebounded Detroit by seven and hit 44% of their shots. Rasheed Wallace posted 16 points and 6 rebounds for the Pistons, who also got 11 points and 7 assists from Richard Hamilton. Cleveland is still more than ten games behind Detroit in the Central Division, but the win will mean wonders by the Cavs in the postseason.
Game FIC Scores
LeBron James, CLE ? 27.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE ? 16.4
Richard Hamilton, DET ? 12.3
Antonio McDyess, DET ? 12.3
The Minnesota Timberwolves used a huge fourth quarter to knock off the Memphis Grizzles last night. Al Jefferson posted 29 points and 13 rebounds and Randy Foye added 12 points and 10 boards for the Wolves, who hit 39% of their shots but turned the ball over just eight times. Rudy Gay notched 25 points and 7 rebounds and Mike Miller added 20 points and 10 boards for Memphis, who outrebounded Minnesota by five but recorded just nine assists on their thirty-four field goals.
Game FIC Scores
Al Jefferson, MIN ? 22.8
Hakim Warrick, MEM ? 17.5
Marko Jaric, MIN ? 14.9
Mike Miller, MEM ? 13.5
Three players scored more than twenty points for the Phoenix Suns in a win over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night. Steve Nash had 23 points and 11 assists and Amare Stoudemire added 26 points and 6 boards for the Suns, who hit 57% of their shots and outrebounded Seattle by eleven. Jeff Green led the Sonics with 19 points and Nick Collison added 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Phoenix turned the ball over twenty-six times, while Seattle committed eighteen miscues.
Game FIC Scores
Steve Nash, PHX ? 19.5
Grant Hill, PHX ? 17.0
Raja Bell, PHX ? 15.8
Jeff Green, SEA ? 14.5
The Golden State Warriors outscored the Los Angeles Clippers by eighteen points in the first half en route to a victory last night. Stephen Jackson had 29 points and Mickael Pietrus added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who hit 51% of their shots and scored twenty-four points off turnovers. Rookie Al Thornton posted 24 points and 14 boards for the Clippers, while Corey Maggette added 21 points in the loss. Golden State is less than two games behind Dallas for the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Game FIC Scores
Monta Ellis, GSW ? 19.9
Stephen Jackson, GSW ? 17.3
Al Thornton, LAC ? 16.3
Tim Thomas, LAC ? 14.0
? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season
Gilbert Arenas claims that he will return to the court for the Wizards before the playoffs, according to The Washington Post.
"I'll be back way before the playoffs," Arenas said. "Hopefully, within this week I'll be playing or maybe on the that West Coast road trip."
Gilbert Arenas confirmed on Tuesday evening that he will not return for the Wizards on Wednesday night against the Magic, according to The Washington Times.
"I'll just have to wait to see how it is in Orlando," said Arenas.
He said that he will probably wait another week before returning to the floor, and hinted that he wouldn't be so worried if Washington wasn't in the playoff hunt.
"If we weren't in the playoffs, it wouldn't even be a discussion. But we have a chance of being pretty good in the playoffs, so it's tough," Arenas added.
Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is increasing the intensity of his workouts in an attempt to return this season from knee surgery, as reported by ESPN.com.
Arenas had an MRI on his surgically repaired left knee Monday. He underwent surgery November 21.
"They said everything healed," Arenas said before the Wizards played Atlanta Monday night. "They want me to ramp it back up -- go full speed."
Arenas said he would work out Monday night, and see how it feels Tuesday. Arenas said one doctor recommended he work out strenuously for 12 days.
"If it feels the same as I feel now, I might just play," Arenas said.
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