Parody in a fool's paradise

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Gilbert Arenas is open, candid and prone to bouts of stream of consciousness, a reporter's delight who eschews the one-game-at-a-time boilerplate that is de rigueur in the NBA.

The otherworldly dimension of Arenas goes down with back-slapping amusement in good times. Yet his uncensored proclivity can be a mixed property in troubling times.

His mini-spat with coach Eddie Jordan following the team's 21-point loss to the Trail Blazers on Fun Street was undoubtedly fueled out of frustration, borne of his unmet responsibilities. It hardly was an indication of a deep rift between the two.

After all, it was Arenas who vigorously campaigned on Jordan's behalf last summer, when there was an air of uncertainty about the coach's status before he landed a three-year contract extension.

Arenas is no one's fool, although he sometimes plays one in the locker room.

Yet Arenas knows all too well that he has emerged as one of the leading players in the NBA because of the freedom he is allowed in Jordan's system.

Stick Arenas in a more restrictive system -- think Jeff Van Gundy -- and he might have turned out to be nothing more than Steve Francis, a former All-Star destined to end up less than he might have been.

The frustration of Arenas is predictable, understandable. The Wizards are playing rotten basketball in the absence of Antawn Jamison, with no one more guilty than Arenas.

Of course, Arenas and the Wizards are mad about it; sick about it.

They were so close to something special, riding a wave of good feelings, and now they see it all slipping away.