A Non-Harry Potter Wizard Comes to Orlando*

The writing was on the wall for Gilbert Arenas in Washington. In permanent ink. In a bold, easy-to-read font. We hear Dan Gilbert did the stenciling. Although in this case, the writing was actually the wall -- John Wall. And the wall was the metaphorical barrier the formerly accessible Arenas put up between himself and those around him after the firearms incident. He exchanged silliness for seriousness, but it came off as sulky, Malfoy-ish. His new attitude, like a homemade Christmas sweater, was unflattering and ill-fitting. Washington might have put him in the vanishing cabinet, but Arenas locked the doors. A change of scenery was inevitable; it was a matter of waiting for a team to gamble on Gilbert. In the end, Washington was so desperate to unload Arenas, they were willing to take on Rashard Lewis' max contract, a deal so horrendous you'd think Isiah Thomas brokered it. Lewis has more gold than Gringotts.

There's a fine line between quirky and loony and Arenas leaped several feet across it last season without looking. It's one thing to shout about grills after knocking down shots and another to brandish guns, even though the wapons were kept to the confines of the locker room. He's slowly inched his way back to the saner side, but he's not been very apologetic about his actions, whereas an athlete like Michael Vick has. As a result, he's been a favorite (pistol) whipping boy of the media, us included.

With his trade to Orlando, Arenas shares another similarity to Vick: he is fortunate to be granted a second chance in a stellar situation where he won't be asked to contribute immediately. The Magic are one of the best teams in the east and possess a solid (when healthy) borderline-all-star point guard in Jameer Nelson. Orlando's other trade of re-acquiring Hedo Turkoglu and landing Jason Richardson takes the pressure off of Arenas, as does not having a starting role. He doesn't need to lead, but he will need to follow. Like a trainee at a drive-thru, we're not sure how well Arenas will take orders.

For Arenas to be sent from the squad with the worst record to one that was in the finals two years ago suggests he's back in Santa's good graces, even if he's not in Stern's. This unexpected upgrade should make Arenas jollier than old Saint Nick (not sure if they checked for rosy cheeks during his physical) because he went from eating fruitcake to a plate of milk and cookies, from crummy to crumby.

*but will he be a ball hog(warts)?