{mosimage} What a fascination we have with labels in today's society. We want to pigeon hole every aspect of life into neat little packages we can quickly label. Sadly, this fascination is ever present in the world of sports where we are quick to label someone the "next Michael Jordan," the next "Wayne Gretzky" or the next "Babe Ruth."

Perhaps one of the most overused labels in sports today is the one some people are unfairly trying to tag on Gilbert Arenas, which is "the most overrated player" in the NBA. Why? Is it because the colorful guard for the Wizards really merits the label, or is it because we fail to understand and appreciate Arenas for what he is, and are thus left trying to find a label to pin on him? Conventional wisdom tells me it's the latter.

First of all, love him or hate him, this self-promoting scorer who nicknamed himself the "Hibachi", made himself into the All-Star that he is. Coming out of college he wasn't a high profile first round draft choice with a ready made future. Taken instead in the second round of the draft by the Golden State Warriors (31st overall), Arenas had to scrap his way onto the team. A fierce competitor with the ability to score points with the best of them, Arenas was voted the league's most improved player in 2002-03.

During the free agent period that followed his award winning season, Arenas became a much sought after free agent. He ended up signing with the Washington Wizards, where his amazing ability to score made him an instant fan favorite. By 2004-05, Arenas had made his way onto the All-Star game, and he finished the season averaging over 25 points a game. The following year, though snubbed from the All-Star roster, Gilbert's average steadily climbing to 29 points a game, which placed him 4th in the league. Despite critics who accuse him of taking too may shots or not passing enough, Arenas also went on to average 6 assists and 2 steals per game. Which brings us to last season, last season Gilbert Arenas took another step towards being one of the elite player's in the league, starting in the All-Star game, and having nights were he scored as many as 50 and 60 points a contest.

So where does the unfitting label come from then? His performance? No, we have proved that this hard working guard can play with the best of them. The label comes from his often bizarre, and always colorful, behavior. It's a behavior that makes him the NBA's version of Terrell Owens. Thus it's Arena's often misunderstood antics that get in the way of his talented performances. For that you need to coin another phrase, one that fits him, so kindly save the overrated label for someone else, it doesn't belong on Gilbert Arenas.

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Bugeatersteve said:

	I would "label" him Misunderstood. He is one of the greatest offensive players in the NBA currently. In fact I would say that he could easily earn the nickname "Microwave" for how quickly he can heat up in a game. As some of you "older" members may remember "Microwave" was Vinnie Johnson's nickname when he was with the Bad Boy Pistons in the 80's. Man I can't wait for the NBA season to start.
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September 29, 2007
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Gotham Dark Knight said:

	I would label him that way too...but then again, I like TO, and Ocho Cinco, and anyone who makes the game a bit more fun...
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September 29, 2007
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wpeery said:

I love Gilbert Arenas... he is one of my favorite players ever and I think that anyone who calls Gilbert Arenas overrated is a highly misinformed person, because he's a cold-hearted asssassin on the basketball floor and a warm-hearted humanitarian off of it. He's used that chip on his shoulder to prove his doubters wrong in this world and we all have doubters in this world so it is a great thing to see. I love him.

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October 02, 2007
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