Off-season ... time to go to work

I was on Dime this morning and they had a story including a video about Gilbert Arenas and the work he's been doing this off-season to get back in shape after being sidelined for much of the last two seasons.

After that I stumbled across a series of videos on YouTube from what was obviously a TV show last year called "NBA Fit". Its essentially a behind the scenes look at the work-outs that rookies and NBA players did to prepare for last season.

The first series follows the rookies: Derrick Rose, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Jason Thompson and Ryan Anderson. The second series follows Loul Deng, Gilbert Arenas, Jordan Farmar and Glen Davis. Each series consists of 3 episodes, I've just posted one from each series but you can find the others on YouTube. They're well worth checking out in full when you have time. If you're an up and coming player there are a lot of great lessons you can learn from them ... success leaves clues.

I've put up the second video from the second series because it starts with Gilbert Arenas working on his shooting. 100,000 made shots in 70 days ... it takes that sort of dedication to be the best.

Gilbert Arenas vs. DeShawn Stevenson Three-Point Contest

Thanks to the crew at Dime for pointing out this youtube video (below). Other than just being entertaining, from a basketball shooting point of view it shows you a few different things. Firstly, Gilbert's shot and form is so good that he can rattle off 73 out of 100 from deep with ONE hand. Secondly, with Gilbert doing everything he can to put him off, DeShawn stays focussed on the rim and his own rhythm which is crucial in game situations. Practice makes perfect kids.

Gilbert Arenas vs. DeShawn Stevenson Three-Point Contest | Dime: Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers
By Andrew Katz

Honestly, I miss these Wizards. This video, in which Gilbert and DeShawn go head-to-head for 100 three’s in February of ‘07, reminds me of the competitive spirit that Gil brings to the Wiz. That, and as Arenas hits something like 73 of his attempts with one hand, it’s a pretty good reminder of just how good he is.

Notice that DeShawn lets Gil shoot in peace for the most part, but as it gets close, Arenas is basically writhing on the ground like a cockroach to try to get DeShawn to miss.