Arenas fakes injury as ‘sacrifice’ for Young
The reconciliation between Gilbert Arenas and local Washington Wizards fans was put off for at least two more days after the star guard missed the team’s preseason home opener at Verizon Center on Tuesday with soreness in his left knee.
But Arenas said after the game that the injury was a stunt to benefit Nick Young, who replaced Arenas in the starting lineup and led the Wizards with a team-high 24 points in a comfortable 107-92 win over visiting Atlanta (0-3).
“I know he’s kind of frustrated he’s not getting a chance to crack the three position, especially since we’re going three guards,” Arenas said. “So I told him, ‘I’ll go and fake an injury or say something’s wrong with me so you can start.’”
John Wall’s home debut, meanwhile, required no such postponement, or shenanigans.
Wall finished with 19 points and seven assists. His night included two early fouls and five turnovers but also his first 3-pointer of the preseason, his usual unselfish play on offense, a dramatic scoop shot and foul on the fast break in the third quarter, and an easy steal and left-handed dunk in the fourth.
“He got a little bit carried away,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. “I told him he’s got to stay disciplined and not just rely on his ability to beat people with speed but beat people with execution. When he got us into our offense, we executed really well, did some nice things.”
Even though it doesn’t count in the standings, Arenas’ first game back since being suspended last January for bringing guns into the locker room was as much anticipated as the arena debut for Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
“We had two hard days of practice so I think that [Arenas is] sore, a little bit stiff today, at least that’s what he said to me at shootaround,” Saunders said before the game.
That turned out not to be the case.
Arenas said he sat out intentionally as a “sacrifice” for Young, who made the most of his first preseason start. Arenas also missed the open scrimmage finale of the Wizards’ weeklong training camp at George Mason with a sprained ankle. He averaged 13.7 points in Washington’s first three preseason games, all on the road.
Asked how his knee was, Arenas responded, “I’m fine,” and said he’d play Thursday against Milwaukee, which will be the Wizards’ final home appearance before their regular-season opener against Philadelphia on Nov. 2.
