# Gilbert Arenas deserves credit for being honest about lying **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162 "2010-10-14T19:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/1 "2010-10-14T19:15:46Z")
But the jackals of the press are taking advantage of him anyway. Arenas lied to his coach about having a knee injury, supposedly so that a Washington Wizards teammate would get a chance to play. Then he [admitted the deception](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/10/13/arenas.fined.ap/index.html?eref=sihp) after the game to reporters. _“If I wouldn’t (have) made any comments, you guys wouldn’t have known, right?” Arenas said. “Right. So, let’s just say I blew it again. You guys want somebody honest, but you don’t want somebody honest. I messed up again. I’ll never do it again.”_ Won’t somebody give this guy a break? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/2 "2010-10-14T19:23:25Z")
The whole thing is kind of amusing, isn’t it? It’s an unwritten rule that many starters are going to have “injuries” which prevent them from playing in exhibition or preseason games. I guess Agent Zero figures that as long as he’s playing out his contract he has little to lose by being honest about that little deception. He’s already said that he’s basically just playing to train John Wall on how to take over the team. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/3 "2010-10-14T19:32:38Z")
I figure he only admitted the lie to push the team to trade him or cut him. His comments about the press doing him wrong are nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/4 "2010-10-14T19:51:57Z")
This is much ado about nothing. Arenas simply is to dumb and immature to know when you should trot out a cliche and when you should be candid. He probably thought he was going to get points for “acting like a veteran leader” by sacrificing in order to get the kid some minutes and learn. Apparently no one has briefed him on how short a leash he as and that his best philosophy now is to shut the hell up in all cases. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/5 "2010-10-15T13:10:36Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > This is much ado about nothing. Except for all the people who dropped good money to go see the game. These people are entertainers, and are paid very very well to entertain their fans. Arenas, being one of the stars of the game, has an obligation to show up for work. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/6 "2010-10-15T15:25:04Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > > [@Omniscient](#): > > > > This is much ado about nothing. > > Except for all the people who dropped good money to go see the game. They’re suckers for paying good money to go to a preseason game. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/7 "2010-10-15T15:28:45Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > > [@Omniscient](#): > > > > This is much ado about nothing. > > Except for all the people who dropped good money to go see the game. These people are entertainers, and are paid very very well to entertain their fans. Arenas, being one of the stars of the game, has an obligation to show up for work. As a Wizards fan, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that on the whole we don’t mind if Gilbert doesn’t show up for work. ---
**Author:** ![pyromyte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@pyromyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pyromyte)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/8 "2010-10-15T15:30:17Z")
I would have paid just to see John Wall play. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-arenas-deserves-credit-for-being-honest-about-lying/557162/9 "2010-10-15T16:00:05Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > As a Wizards fan, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that on the whole we don’t mind if Gilbert doesn’t show up for work. Can’t argue with that.