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 WASHINGTON (AP) - When veteran guard Anthony Peeler signed with the Washington Wizards last summer, he figured his No. 1 job was to teach Gilbert Arenas how to grow up. "I thought I was going to have to come in here and bump chests with my young guy, from hearing all the stuff people say," Peeler said. "But he's a competitor, and he's the greatest teammate ever. It's unreal how he became professional like this all of a sudden."
Few players wear a heart on their sleeve like Arenas, whose outbursts — positive and negative — over the years left teammates and coaching wondering when, or if, he would gain the maturity to match his talents and become a true NBA star.
It appeared to happen this season. Arenas didn't miss any practices because he was playing pool, or miss a team plane because of traffic as he did last season. He's tempered his arguments with officials. He's been a leader — figuratively and literally — leading his team in scoring, assists, minutes and games played. He played in his first All-Star game and was the only Wizards starter not to miss a chunk of time because of an injury.
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