Arenas Says He Got a Foul Call

Gilbert needs to stop thinking about it and get over it, you got cut, s**t happens. it shouldn't affect him, he's a vet and he knows he's good.

 

Coach K is truly a fool. Kobe Bryant gets invited but Arenas gets cut? Or how about Iverson's commitment. Mark my words, by the time the 2008 olympics roll around, they might not have a commitment due to this bull ****.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Heat4Life:</div><div class="quote_post">Playing in Team USA is a lot like playing on an All-Star team:

-if you want the ball, REBOUND IT! If it's a def. board, bring it up...play with a mentality that everything is a miss... you have to be agressive on the boards cuz there's no telling how many times you will touch the ball in a game, especially when minutes are shared with 12 players.

-if you want to see the ball in the half-court set, get open or try a back door play to get an easy layup/dunk. If you're in position to score, your teammate will find you and hit you with the pass.

Even though USA is loaded with Guards, Arenas has yet to grasp playing in a team where he's not a top 3 option.</div>
Problem is that only Wade truly grasped this out of Lebron, him and Carmelo. Yes Carmelo played good for the most part, but he still had problems with being a ball stopper. Lebron still had problems with not knowing how to ever play without the ball. These guys are young, thing is that Wade has played with another really good player that needs the ball, and that's helped him learn, the others have not.

Arenas frustration really comes out of the fact that he thought he was doing what they wanted, yet it seemed like they didn't care. He played better defense than Paul, though not as good as Kirk, but he was playing defense. Offensively I don't know if he truly understood his role, or if his role was truly explained to him, but he tried to do what he thought they wanted offensively also, and it didn't work.

In addition to that, Arenas does not feel that he's an inferior scorer to Wade, Lebron, or Carmelo, and let's be real here, HE'S NOT. Even in the playoffs he put up 34 PPG on some nice percentages, but this team was built mainly around those three being the main scorers and Paul being the main playmaker, and he was jealous of them getting that oppurtunity, while he was being demoted to a role player. Then when he did all he could as a role player, the coaches didn't accept his efforts. Looking at it another way though, he might have been angry at the fact that he didn't get to play his position. Lebron, Melo and Wade got to play on the wing as the usaully do, but he wasn't given a chance at PG. Right off the bat coach K ruled him out as being a PG, and he had said earlier that he wanted to run the team, distribute the ball, play defense and, when needed, score, but he was never given that chance, and Paul and Hinrich were ahead of him from the get go.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ha I knew Arenas getting cut wasn't because of the injury! Arenas is a big time player and for him to get cut in team USA can ruin his basketball career so what better way to cut a big time player but injury? defenitely it is an excuse. But well, Arenas' game doesn't fit with what the USA is trying to build which is a TEAM. Arenas has too much ego, too much hatred, too much vengeance that if his opponent knocks down a 3 on him, he will try to go back and nail a 3 back at him which is NOT what Coach K wanted as evidenced when they were playing Puerto Rico in an exhibition game.</div>
No, it would do nothing to his basketball career to get cut, it's not like he's missing out because he got beat by scrubs.


You can also see similar comment from Rashard Lewis
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Lewis said after the game that he has no interest trying out for the U.S. team when he feels there's little chance he would crack the 12-man squad that will play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lewis said he has no doubts about his talent, but believes USA Basketball has already tabbed certain players to make the team, regardless of this summer's workouts.

"I feel like I don't want to be a body out there being used to help those guys practice," he said. "I feel like I can go out there and outplay those guys but at the end of the day, politics play a lot into it."

Lewis said his lack of exposure compared with contemporaries such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant will extinguish his chances of making it to Beijing.

"If you look a lot of guys on that roster got big contracts, shoe deals, commercials and everything," he said. "And I feel like I've always been an underground player my whole career, and I think it will play a factor once it comes down to that final cut."

"The main thing is that I don't want to go out there and let politics beat me out," he said. "You've got Shawn Marion, Elton Brand, Carmelo Anthony and some of those guys, they've got that name. Even though my stats speak for themselves, at the end of the day, they've got to get TV time. And that's how the NBA makes their money."

"I'd love to go out there. It's a dream come true for me to go out there and play for my country," he said. "I'm going to leave the door open, but I don't want to be used as a body. You've got 22 guys in camp. All of those guys are not going to make the team.

"It's still an honor to send me an invitation. I'm still willing to go out there and compete but I don't want to go through no training camp and get cut. I think that will hurt my feelings a lot. If I don't play in the '08 Games, I guarantee I will be in the next one."</div>

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Super_Sixer_Fan:</div><div class="quote_post">Coach K is truly a fool. Kobe Bryant gets invited but Arenas gets cut?</div>

Your acting like Arenas is better than kobe, or even as good as kobe??

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting vcwannabe15:</div><div class="quote_post">Arenas should have been on the team. He is one of the most underatted players in the game. He is as good as Paul Pierce, maybe even better.</div>


Amen to that! And I just want to add that Melo sucks as$ @ D. When he learns about it, he'll be a awesome player.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kobe24girl:</div><div class="quote_post">Your acting like Arenas is better than kobe, or even as good as kobe??</div>


I would rather have Gilbert on my team than Kobe if I wanted to win. Kobe is the man, no doubt, but when you have teammates standing around not getting involved it's complete bs. The Kobe that DID involve his teammates was VERY IMPRESSIVE. That's what basketball is, a team sport.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting LRVBADASSBALLIN:</div><div class="quote_post">I would rather have Gilbert on my team than Kobe if I wanted to win. Kobe is the man, no doubt, but when you have teammates standing around not getting involved it's complete bs. The Kobe that DID involve his teammates was VERY IMPRESSIVE. That's what basketball is, a team sport.</div>

I think your the first person to ever say you would rather have gilbert over kobe. Man, just compare their resume and see how lop-sided they are. Plus, I agree that bball is a team sport, but c'mon arenas is not much better at sharing the ball than kobe. He's a shooting pg. Plus kobe's offensive is way better than gilbert's b/c he can score in a lot more ways. Now, don't get me wrong I'm a fan of gilbert but I would never pick him over kobe. Especially if I wanted to win. Now, if you want to put more emphasis on team ball I can see you going with cp3, nash, or even lebron, b/c the margin between team ball is much larger than gilbert is to kobe.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">
No, it would do nothing to his basketball career to get cut, it's not like he's missing out because he got beat by scrubs.
</div>
No, you don't think deep enough. Arenas thinks he's one of the top 5 players in the league or maybe the best in the league. For the coaching staffs to tell him that he's going to get cut in publicity because 1) he's not a team player, 2) Chris Paul or Kirk Hinrich is better than him, or 3) he's not a good fit for team USA. How can a player of his caliber getting cut because of those reasons? Why isn't Wade, Lebron, Melo get cut but him? It might not affect his basketball career, but mentally it does. Not only to himself but to all of his fans as well. What better way to keep Arenas' reputation while finding a good reason to keep him at home? that is injury, very smart move by team USA .

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I would rather have Gilbert on my team than Kobe if I wanted to win. Kobe is the man, no doubt, but when you have teammates standing around not getting involved it's complete bs. The Kobe that DID involve his teammates was VERY IMPRESSIVE. That's what basketball is, a team sport.</div>
name 1 thing Gilbert can do that Kobe can't do?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kobe24girl:</div><div class="quote_post">I think your the first person to ever say you would rather have gilbert over kobe. Man, just compare their resume and see how lop-sided they are. Plus, I agree that bball is a team sport, but c'mon arenas is not much better at sharing the ball than kobe. He's a shooting pg. Plus kobe's offensive is way better than gilbert's b/c he can score in a lot more ways. Now, don't get me wrong I'm a fan of gilbert but I would never pick him over kobe. Especially if I wanted to win. Now, if you want to put more emphasis on team ball I can see you going with cp3, nash, or even lebron, b/c the margin between team ball is much larger than gilbert is to kobe.</div>


Ahhh, how cute! Supporting your man.

but c'mon arenas is not much better at sharing the ball than kobe <---- this is too funny. Tks for the laugh.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Arenas thinks he's one of the top 5 players in the league or maybe the best in the league.</div>
No, and no, Arenas DEFINATELY does not think he's either Top 5 or the best player in the league. Now we've established that he likes to speak his mind, and isn't a guy who will hide how he feels. When he was asked about his rank in the league, I recall he said he was a Top 20 player, he said guys like Brand etc were better than him, and Arenas as we know is not one to hide the truth, so NO, and NO.


<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> For the coaching staffs to tell him that he's going to get cut in publicity because 1) he's not a team player, 2) Chris Paul or Kirk Hinrich is better than him, or 3) he's not a good fit for team USA. How can a player of his caliber getting cut because of those reasons? </div>
Why not? Arenas is a Top 10-15 player in the league, thing is that he's a primary role type guy. He got beat in the primary role ranking by Lebron, Wade and Carmelo, other Top players in the league. He got beat in the complimentary role spots by lower ranked but still very good players in Joe Johnson, Paul, Battier, so it's not a big deal like you're trying to make it.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Why isn't Wade, Lebron, Melo get cut but him?</div>
The reasons are obvious. Wade and Lebron came in already making the team and being painted as the face of the team. Let's be serious here, it wasn't even their spots to lose, they had it. Carmelo came in with a label on him, but was also considered to be possibly one of the main guys and given a chance to show it. He played extremely well and earned his role.

Arenas also came in with a label on him, but he was never given the chance to show if he could be the PG, or be one of the main scorers, but was immediately put down to being a SG and in the role player role. He tried to do, to his knowledge the best he could, but Chris Paul, Hinrich, Joe Johnson, and Battier according to the coaches showed to be better role players than Arenas. Lebron, Wade, and Carmelo had the primary player roles taken, and Arenas is not a big man, so where else would he play?

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> It might not affect his basketball career, but mentally it does. Not only to himself but to all of his fans as well. What better way to keep Arenas' reputation while finding a good reason to keep him at home? that is injury, very smart move by team USA.</div>
You realize the reason Arenas let this come out is because he doesn't want people to think he actually left because of some tick tack, most likely playable through injury. He wants people to know that he was on the bubble anyways, and the minor injury just solidified it. That's the kind of guys he is. For him personally it's just motivation to him, him getting cut is not a big deal, this team had 22 players to start, players have to get cut, it's inevitable. When Billups, Redd and Kobe join, more guys will have to be let go that are there now, it's just how it is.


<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ahhh, how cute! Supporting your man.

but c'mon arenas is not much better at sharing the ball than kobe <---- this is too funny. Tks for the laugh.</div>
Arenas might be better at sharing the ball than Kobe, but as a huge Arenas fan, it's absurd to say he's better than him. Pierce is currently slightly better than Arenas because of the defensive edge he has on him, and Kobe's defensive edge is even bigger while he's also a better scorer (though Arenas is good in this area himself). Arenas sharing the ball more doesn't negate all those things, so stop.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N3l11WkNwrU

Look at that vid from the China game, it's not about Gil, yet you see a lot of him being involved with the team, telling guys what spots to get to etc. It's so terrible how people say Gil's not a team player, people just see PG that scores and it's an automatic assumption. I hope everyone realizes that the two other scores on Washington score 20 PPG and 17 PPG and get their shots. Gilbert takes some bad shots (no more than any other big scorer), but he's a pretty good flow scorer. Lebron is worse than him in this even, in that he holds the ball too much, yet no one calls him a hog. Wade holds the ball longer than Arenas does too, same thing. Arenas is better at playing off the ball than those guys. Arenas is far from being the ballhog or non team player that he get's labelled as just because he's a PG that can score very well.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">No, and no, Arenas DEFINATELY does not think he's either Top 5 or the best player in the league. Now we've established that he likes to speak his mind, and isn't a guy who will hide how he feels. When he was asked about his rank in the league, I recall he said he was a Top 20 player, he said guys like Brand etc were better than him, and Arenas as we know is not one to hide the truth, so NO, and NO.</div>
Well he probably fakes it. Many NBA players are humble when ask to rank themselves, Arenas is no exception! What he says and what he thinks deep inside are two difference stories.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Why not? Arenas is a Top 10-15 player in the league, thing is that he's a primary role type guy. He got beat in the primary role ranking by Lebron, Wade and Carmelo, other Top players in the league. He got beat in the complimentary role spots by lower ranked but still very good players in Joe Johnson, Paul, Battier, so it's not a big deal like you're trying to make it. </div>
If coack K tells him he got beat by Lebron, Wade, or Melo, it probably isn't a disappointment considering the fact that all three are actually better than him, but he got beat by Kirk Hinrich, CP3, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson? that is not right. In his mind, he doesn't think those players CB3, Kirk, Shane, Joe are better than him!

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You realize the reason Arenas let this come out is because he doesn't want people to think he actually left because of some tick tack, most likely playable through injury. He wants people to know that he was on the bubble anyways, and the minor injury just solidified it. That's the kind of guys he is. For him personally it's just motivation to him, him getting cut is not a big deal, this team had 22 players to start, players have to get cut, it's inevitable. When Billups, Redd and Kobe join, more guys will have to be let go that are there now, it's just how it is.</div>
you made a good point, but think about this. Wouldn't it be better to admit being cut rather than people finding out later? I mean Arenas did the right thing. If he doesn't want the truth to expose, he should admits it. Save his face later on

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">you made a good point, but think about this. Wouldn't it be better to admit being cut rather than people finding out later? I mean Arenas did the right thing. If he doesn't want the truth to expose, he should admits it. Save his face later on </div>
He's not the one that writes the reports on why he was cut from the team. He actually did leave because of the injury, but it was because Colangelo told him he was on the bubble anyways.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"The disappointing part was talking to Colangelo and he said, 'I heard you want to go home,' " Arenas said. "I told him that I was hurt but I didn't know how serious it was and that I didn't want to hold up a spot for somebody else. He told me, 'I've been talking to the coaches and you're on the bubble anyway, so you can go if you want.' I was like, all right."</div>
He had a groin injury, but it wasn't serious enough for him to get cut if he was being considered to make the team, but if he was on the bubble anyways, then why risk further injury to be the 12th man on the team? I'm pretty sure anyone who had a player on their team would not want them to possibly risk aggrevating a minor injury just to be the 12th man on the US roster.


<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If coack K tells him he got beat by Lebron, Wade, or Melo, it probably isn't a disappointment considering the fact that all three are actually better than him, but he got beat by Kirk Hinrich, CP3, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson? that is not right. In his mind, he doesn't think those players CB3, Kirk, Shane, Joe are better than him!</div>
You're still not understanding. Those guys beating him has nothing to do with who's the better player. Shane Battier is not doubt a better defender and SF than Arenas, so he already has an advantage there. Kirk Hinrich is also a better defender than him. Arenas came in and was never given the chance to be the starting PG, he was immediately made a backup, because of the percieved notion about him. Those guys beat him as role players, they were trying out for positions as role players, Arenas to the coaches was not a better role player than them, there's no big deal in that. Obviously later on in the tournament after Paul wasn't doing so good anymore, questions then pop up as to whether Arenas would've been better for them.

Also I don't agree about Carmelo being a better player. He was better to pick because he could play the SF position and score in the post, but he's not a better player than Arenas by any means. Wade and Lebron are, Carmelo, no.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kobe24girl:</div><div class="quote_post">I think your the first person to ever say you would rather have gilbert over kobe. Man, just compare their resume and see how lop-sided they are. Plus, I agree that bball is a team sport, but c'mon arenas is not much better at sharing the ball than kobe. He's a shooting pg. Plus kobe's offensive is way better than gilbert's b/c he can score in a lot more ways. Now, don't get me wrong I'm a fan of gilbert but I would never pick him over kobe. Especially if I wanted to win. Now, if you want to put more emphasis on team ball I can see you going with cp3, nash, or even lebron, b/c the margin between team ball is much larger than gilbert is to kobe.</div>

I would pick Arenas over Kobe.

 

Haha 100 points ? While Raja Bell is defending him ? I don't think so, he wouldn't score 100 if even a bad defender was on him . If Kobe couldn't do that, then Gilbert will never do .

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Flow:</div><div class="quote_post">Haha 100 points ? While Raja Bell is defending him ? I don't think so, he wouldn't score 100 if even a bad defender was on him . If Kobe couldn't do that, then Gilbert will never do .</div>
He said 100 points in two games, but he's not actual serious, he just means he's going to play very hard against them. Either way, Arenas averaged 28.5 PPG on 46% FG and 40% 3PT against the Suns last season. He did bad in the second game, but in the first game he scored 41 points on 15-24 FG.

Still, it would be better for him to get 32 assists in the two games and win, but obviously you can't actually control your assists on a game to game basis, it depends on your teammates.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting vcwannabe15:</div><div class="quote_post">I would pick Arenas over Kobe.</div>

Well, I guess your the 2nd!!


stop the hate and be honest with yourself (as a true bball fan) kobe >>> arenas. Plus, I'm a fan of arenas but if I wanted to win and was starting a team he would not be my first pick over Kobe, or over lebron, or over kg....... He's NOT A TOP 5 PLAYER!!! So saying you would pick him over any of the top 5 players in the league is ridiculous!!!


But back to the subject of the USA Team. As great as kobe is and as good as arenas is, no one person could have made the difference between the bronze & the gold. They need to change the whole bench in my opinion. No offense to those guys & they all played well but I would add arenas, billups, kobe, amare and bowen!! Then keep wade on the bench b/c he showed he was a true team player by coming in and doing his job, and maybe even put lebron and/or carmelo. Just to start the game off with a more veteran team on the floor!! But of course, that is only IF all of those players can stay helalthy on the floor. I might seen crazy but if I bet we would win the gold easily!!

 

Arenas has to grow up. To be in the U.S. Team means sacrifice, and willing to play as a team. Arenas has to face the fact that he is not in the same level as Lebron or Wade. He said that he did everything for the team, that's what it's all about. What's with faking an injury? How immature is that? If he thinks he's the best out there, he'd better look around before he's head gets too big.

 

they really coulda used him...arenas is a flatout great shooter which they needed horrible while lebron was brickin' them the whole game..what a mistake