Gilbert Arenas Could Start Against New York Knicks

Gilbert Arenas may start for the Orlando Magic against the New York Knicks on Monday night. This could be the chance for Arenas to finally prove that he is an All-Star caliber player still, and it could also end up being the type of "push" the Magic really need as they head to the postseason. There is no guarantee that an experiment like this would work, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is staying pretty silent about what his approach to the game will be.

The Orlando Sentinel reported what Van Gundy had to say about the developing situation in Orlando. In his statement, he was speaking about how Jameer Nelson is injured and will most likely miss at least Monday's game against the Knicks due to a sprained left knee. When addressing questions, Van Gundy stated, "Part of it is balance. We've got our better offensive players all on the floor at the beginning. We've gotta have some balance off the bench, and Gil's probably the best off player we'd have off the bench. If we're going to start them all, we might not have as good of balance."

Arenas isn't the only person competing for this starting job, as Chris Duhon could also come off the bench to start for the Magic. The biggest problem with Nelson as a starter in this lineup is that he isn't providing enough offense to help the Magic and Duhon also doesn't seem like an answer to that question.

Both players are good distributors, but for a team that is struggling to find a static second option to Dwight Howard in the starting lineup, it is time for Van Gundy to try an experiment. Maybe starting Arenas could provide them with added energy in the starting rotation, and the possibility exists that he could find that scoring streak that made him one of the best guards in the league before his injuries and suspensions.

Since coming to Orlando in a mid-season trade with the Washington Wizards, Arenas has averaged just 21 minutes per game. He hasn't shot the ball very well, posting a 34 percent shooting percentage, dropping his scoring average to just 7.9 points per game. Those numbers have served up quite a bit of frustration for Magic fans and, of course, the coaching staff. Arenas was supposed to give them an instant in-flux of offense, but it just hasn't happened. Now Orlando is scoring less than 100 points per game, and though they have won seven of 10 games, there are questions about how the postseason roster can compete.

As a comparison, the 2009-10 Magic scored three more points per game than this season's group, and Orlando was also the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They will likely finish fourth in the East this year, and that should set up a first round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. Howard can only lead this team so far, and it cannot hurt to at least try out Arenas as a starter. The best case is that he regains confidence and excels as a starter; the worst-case scenario is that it doesn't work and they simply start Nelson again when he comes back.

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