Arenas is fined for keeping quiet

RICHMOND, Va. — Gilbert Arenas didn't want to take attention from Washington's healthy players when he declined to talk Friday at the Wizards' media day and drew a fine from the NBA.

On Saturday, the $111 million man tried to mask his frustration over the third surgery on his left knee in 1 1/2 years by working with the team's young players as they opened their training camp.

He also talked.

Arenas, who signed a six-year contract in the offseason, was fined $15,000 by the NBA for declining to make himself available on Friday.

"I felt that training camp, I wasn't going to be involved, playing and going out there practicing, so I shouldn't be grabbing all the spotlight," the All-Star point guard said after the team's two-hour morning workout.

NETS SIGN A FREE AGENT FROM UTAH FLASH, OTHERS: The New Jersey Nets have announced the signing of free agents Eddie Gill, Brian Hamilton, Julius Hodge and Awvee Storey.

Gill, a five-year NBA veteran, averaged 3.1 points and 1.1 assists in 181 career games with New Jersey, Memphis, Portland and Indiana.

Hamilton, undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2005, spent last season with the Utah Flash.

Hodge has appeared in 23 career games with Denver and Milwaukee, averaging 1.2 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game.

CARTER THINKS NETS CAN MAKE PLAYOFFS: Vince Carter's reason for attending most of the August and September voluntary workouts with the New Jersey Nets had nothing to do with him being a big believer in retooling.

Far from it. He showed up because he thinks the team can be better right now.

"I think this is a year to just get back to where we were," Carter said Friday at the team's annual media day. "Sitting out of the playoffs wasn't fun. I think we had the ability to (make the playoffs) last year regardless of what happened through the year."