Dwyane Wade vs. Gilbert Arenas
Pookie vs. Agent Zero
Born just 11 days apart, a case can be made for each player.
Dwyane Wade carried the 2005-2006 Miami Heat to an NBA championship, but his frequent injuries and inefficient three point shot have held him back.
Gilbert Arenas, a prolific blogger and Halo player, also happens to put up great stats. He missed most of the 2007-2008 season with a knee injury, but has been durable for most of his other seasons.
Since half of Gilbert’s games played last season were basically a rehab assignment, we’ll use 2006-2007 stats to compare the two. In that season, Arenas was All-NBA 2nd team, Wade was All-NBA 3rd team. The previous year, the honors were reversed.
Wade: 27.4 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG
Arenas: 28.4 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG
These numbers are certainly comparable. If you add in an argument about Wade’s higher FG%, you can counter with Gilbert’s better 3PT%. Wade assisted on a higher percentage of his possessions, but also turned the ball over far more.
Many of Wade’s teammates on the US Olympic team say he’s healthy and better than ever. But could he break down again? Arenas had a summer to recover from his latest injury. Will the upcoming season be a showcase of each star’s return to prominence?
Which charismatic superstar would you rather have on your team?
August 10, 2008 at 4:52 pm#
If the Olympics are any indication, it has to be Wade
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August 11th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
It’s not accurate to use games with different rules and competition as a barometer of Wade’s ability.
In addition, who knows who will play more games next season, or if Wade can hit a three point shot yet?
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August 11, 2008 at 7:39 am#
well watching wade in the olympics have already got me excited for the heat season so i gotta say dwyane
gilberts great personality-wise n also very funny(blogs great) but i dont c him surpassing Flash in terms of talent n passion on the court
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August 11th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
The last time they were both healthy, their seasons were very similar. I think Wade’s new teammates will lift the Heat up to a huge turnaround.
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August 11, 2008 at 11:36 pm#
Gilbert arenas can kill d-flop
his stats are way better. and shaq is the reason they won a champ ring
arenas is clutch as hell and can put up 60
beat that wade
GO WIZARDS
i love you arenas
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August 12th, 2008 at 12:12 am
There’s a new nickname for Wade. I thought Flash and Pookie were all he got.
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August 17th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
can you please name the last time gilbert played defense? and if your about to mention his steals per game you should divide that by the amount of times he gets called for reaching in.
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August 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Arenas does commit half a foul more per game, so you have an argument there. However, Wade is not regarded as a great defender either.
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August 17th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
haha have u watched the olympics
i think u should because this Dwyane Wade DOESNT seem like wade of old
he seems more mature, more energetic, and definatley has more passion in his defensive presence
watch out NBA Flash has returned better thn ever
P.S. if hes not injured tht is lol
August 17th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Playing against slow international players can make anyone look good. We’ll see if he’s as mature and energetic when his team isn’t winning every game by 30. A full NBA season is also much more tiring than the Olympics.
I do think he will have a better season than last year if he stays healthy.
August 31, 2008 at 9:05 pm#
I am a Gilbert Arenas fan, but I also like the way wade plays. I always hated wade and now James. Thing is they all have their own way of playing. This season should tell all!
Go
Arenas and Wizards!
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November 18, 2008 at 1:58 pm#
This isn’t even a comparsion. D-Wade owns Arenas. When you hear the topic of “the three best players in the world” who do you hear? D-Wade or Arenas? D-WADE. The best three players in the world are Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. NOT GILBERT ARENAS! And don’t even say the Heat won the Championship because of Shaq, Shaq didn’t even play all that well that series. D-Wade had the best Finals performance in history (even better then MJ, and they even said it on espn) averaging 35 points per game. Point is… D-Wade owns Arenas.
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November 18th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I have to agree with almost everything you said. Dwyane Wade has recovered from his injuries and raised his game to a whole new level. If he keeps this up, this would be by far his most productive season, and his PER would be right near LeBron’s. The most surprising stat for Wade is blocks. His athleticism must be as good as ever.
There was no way to know in August if Wade would be better than ever, or if Arenas would still be out.
I disagree with your assertion that Kobe belongs in the top 3. I would put Chris Paul above him, and possibly Dwight Howard.
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November 18, 2008 at 2:39 pm#
Yeah I guess so, Chris Paul is the best Point Guard in the league right now and he is just 23. You can just put role players around him and he will make them look good and he will get 10+ assists each game. He is the best at finding open players around him. The comparison of Chris Paul and Deron Williams has died in the past year or so. Because now it is clear that Chris Paul is the best point Guard in the league hands down, followed By Deron Williams.
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November 18th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Chris Paul is definitely better than Deron Williams overall, but head to head, Paul just can’t match up.
In the 10 games they played against each other, the Hornets won 2, and Paul shot 35%. Meanwhile, Deron Williams shot 54%, but Paul’s D manifested itself as 2.5 steals a game. In a nutshell, Deron Williams is bigger, stronger, and can make Paul miss.
ESPN seems to still think they are evenly matched overall, since they were both on the cover as the best point guards.
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