What do you get for $111 million?

What do you get for $111 million? That’s the question Bullets fans are asking themselves right now. Most likely, the Bullets management is also asking that question. Gilbert Arenas, when healthy, is a proven scorer who can hand 30+ points to anyone on any night. He can also be moody, indifferent to defense and prone to undermining his coach. At the official press conference to celebrate the signing of his $111 million contract, Agent Zero said he’s putting all that behind him.

“All of those little things I’ve done in the past are going to come to a halt,” he said. “I think I’m up to the task. I just need to cut out some of the foolishness I do.” Then, in the same breath, Arenas almost contradicted himself. “You know? But, I think it’s a good thing. I create hype, I create excitement but some of that other stuff (like undercutting his head coach) I know I have to calm down.”

But Gil is still Gil and apparently three straight playoff losses to Traveliers haven’t dulled his edge.

“Everybody says we can’t get past Cleveland. Cleveland beat us one year, that was three years ago. The other years they’ve just been beating up on some hurt dogs. We just want to get our fair shot when we’re healthy at the right time, because two years we showed what kind of team we are….We were rolling, we were top five in the league, and that’s what kind of team we are when we’re healthy. When we’re healthy that’s the kind of team we are, we’re a top five team in the league.”

Later, he explained what he had told his teammates after the season.

“You guys played the whole season without me and you guys made it to the playoffs,” he said. “Tell Cleveland to play without LeBron. I don’t think they won a game last year.”

You can see that the losses to Lebron really grate on Gil, as they should. The fact is, it’s not enough anymore for Gil and the Bullets to be entertaining and fun. They need to win or they’ll be written off as players and a team not to be taken seriously. Worse still, expensive players not to be taken seriously. From now on, fun is measured not by nicknames or last-second shots, but by winning in May and June.
THAT is what the Bullets better get for $111 million.