Gilbert Arenas is one of the coldest NBA players of all time. The high-volume sniper’s mixtapes are full of amazing plays and game-winners from his time in the league. Compared to contemporary players, Arenas is seen as a bigger Damian Lillard with a John Wall-like speed. His clutch time prowess to hit, make contested shots, and take over games made him one of the most exciting players to watch. Despite his befitting talent, Gilbert’s NBA basketball career dropped due to injuries and other controversial gestures.

In a recent episode of No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, Agent Zero was accompanied by his former teammate Brendan Haywood. They were teammates for around nine years, from 2001 to 2010. During their time, they became the significant pillars of the Washington Wizards‘ success in the decade.

Haywood acted as the Wizards’ coach in an iconic series

While talking on the podcast, Gilbert pointed out to Brendan how most of their teammates work in the media. The duo then briefly talked about the similar mindsets all the players had. The conversation quickly pivoted to the iconic 2004-05 series against Chicago Bulls. Brendan explained, “We were getting flamed that their zone was giving us such a hard time.” Chicago was leading the series 2-0 at the point, and chances for the Wizard’s escape seemed grim. Haywood stepped in to steer Gilbert and the Wizards with his basketball IQ at that stage.

Haywood directed Arenas to deny a pass on the wing, which was eventually going to Luol Deng near the baseline. It was a set play for the Bulls that they ran throughout their initial two games in the series. As soon as Deng would get the ball, he would beat Antawn Jamison off the dribble. It would either disrupt the Wizard’s defense every time. “You showed us how to do that and I think us being successful in that made you smarter than coach,” Gilbert praised Haywood right away.

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Gilbert and Brendan made an indelible impact on the Washington Wizards franchise. With his scoring brilliance, Arenas electrified the team’s competitiveness, while Haywood’s defensive presence solidified their performance on the court. Their playing times still cheer the fans up with nostalgia.

What led to Brendan overtaking NBA coach’s role

As the duo discussed, disagreements during practice day after the game two loss made their relationships with the coaching staff sour. They reflected on Haywood’s coaching stint and Gilbert couldn’t help but admit, “That’s what really kind of put a damper with you and Eddie [head coach] right.” 

Gilbert recalled how the duo was arguing with the coaching staff on their strategies for the series, “and they left.”

It seemed like the frustration got the best of everyone, with Haywood sharing an amusing anecdote, “Tom got so pissed, Tom walked out.” He commented, “Tom is so old now.” Tom Young was the assistant coach for the Wizards.

The wizards went from trailing the series to winning four back-to-back games after the checkpoint.

While Arenas was a skilled scorer on the backcourt, Brendan Haywood was a consistent double-double threat. The two paired for several iconic games, including their series against LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.