My Silly Wizards/Zelda Analogy

Wisdom: That's Jamison. He's the "old warhorse;" the cranky old man who been there/seen that.

Power: That's Arenas. He's got the star power, the charisma, and the attention of the opposing team's defense.

Courage: That's Butler. He's not called "Tuff Juice" for nothing.

I think last night's game showed that all three are key to victory, particularly in regards to the postseason/upper echelon element. Last year with just Jamison and Butler we saw a squad that lacked the special treatment that a team's best player receives, both from the opposition and the referees. Early on this season we saw a sullen star and his tough-yet-inconsistent teammate trade quips via the media instead of keeping that talk in the locker room. And while we haven't seen much of a Arenas/Jamison duo here, I'm sure it would be just as incomplete a product.

I guess the bottom line here is this: to call Arenas, Butler and Jamison the Big Three is not really accurate because that implies that any one of these guys can take over a game and have a Franchise Player-type performance. Between injuries, age and a new coach/supporting cast that's just not the case now (if it ever was). In all honesty, the team has one really good Second Banana and two better-than-average Third Bananas who, by default and design, have been labeled as something that's just as good individually as combined.

Nope. They are more or less the Tri-Force; three unique, specific pieces that are most effective together. Which means that once one of these guys goes away permanently (either by trade, injury of retirement) an entirely new core will be needed. According to Comcast Sportsnet, Jamison is outta here in two seasons...so the clock's ticking.