Carlos Arroyo, the Puerto Rican point guard in Orlando Magic, whose career has been a rollercoaster of contradictions, is going through his best season alter seven years in the NBA.
Arroyo is going through the final year of the 4 year, 16 million contract Orlando gave him before the start of season 2004-05, a moment in which it was thought he'd be the starting base of the franchise for years to come. Months later, when he no longer enjoyed Jerry Sloan's sympathy, he was traded to Detroit by midseason. Another example of the constant contradiction in his career.
Born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on July 30th 1979, Carlos had his debut in basketball in Baloncesto Superior Nacional as starting player for the "Cariduros" when he was only 16 years old, being the youngest player in the sport. Two years later he accepted a scholarship to study and play in the International University of Florida, where he became the best player of the institution; ending his four year career with a 16 point, 4.6 assist average. He also complemented his participation during the summer helping the Cangrejeros de Santurce win several championships in the Puerto Rican league.
Despite that performance, Arroyo wasn't elected in the NBA draft in 2001 and had to submit to a no-strings-attached test with the Toronto Raptors. His preseason and training game was outstanding and the Raptors decided to sign a contract with him, but he didn't get much chance to play and the team decided to let him go by midseason and having only played 17 games. Without team, he decided to accept a one month deal with Tau de Vitoria of ACB (Spain). After four games and with no further contract with Tau, he returned to the United States and the NBA, with the Denver Nuggets, with whom he ended that first campaign and for whom he played almost 14 minutes per game in 20 matches.
Orlando needed to change its image from a losing to a winning team and Arroyo became its most popular player.
Inexplicable, the Nuggets didn't offer him a contract for 2002 but, thanks to a great performance with Puerto Rico's national team in the World Championship disputed in Indianapolis during the summer, he was hired by Utah Jazz.
In Utah, Carlos had the chance to become the third base of the team, but he was able to learn from John Stockton and Mark Jackson. Following Stockton's retirement and Jackson's move to Houston, Arroyo would become the starting base for the team in 2003-04. He was able to take advantage of the situation and averaged 12.6 points and five assists in 28 minutes per game. Thanks to that performance, the Jazz felt it had found his future point guard and signed him to a four year deal. As if this wasn't enough, Arroyo had a stunning performance in international basket to guide his country to the sixth spot in the Olympic Games in Athens and an unprecedented win against team USA. Carlos ended that game with 24 points and 7 assists.
Far from his past performances and after that great demonstration against Puerto Rico's team put him on Sloan's team once again, during the season of 2004-05 he was taken from the starting position, had several encounters with the coach and was therefore later moved to Detroit.
With the Pistons he was able to enjoy the finals (in which they fell against San Antonio), but he had to play behind one of the best pilots in the NBA, Chauncey Billups; a reason why he didn't get enough playing time and ended being trades to Magic, together with Darko Milicic, with only 30 games left in the 2005-06 season.
Orlando needed to change its image from a losing to a winning team and Arroyo became its most popular player.
The result was good for everyone, management started to notice an increase in the ticket box office for the Amway Arena games and in the team merchandise sales. The player was reborn: More playing time and an increase in his scoring average (22 minutes and almost 11 points per game respectively). In Detroit he had averaged 12 minutes and a little over three points per game.
After that season was over, the Puerto Rican had a tremendous performance once again with his country's national team, becoming fourth in scoring with more than 21 points per game in the Japan World Championship, something that made everyone think he'd be able to replace talented but erratic Jameer Nelson in Orlando. This didn't happen because coach Brian Hill preferred Nelson and took minutes away from Arroyo. He played 18 minutes per game during the regular season, but only 13 per game in the short postseason in which they were swept by the Pistons.
That is what this season becomes a decisive moment in his career. With a new coach that gives his players more freedom and with better personnel that promises great things for the team, Arroyo has worked hard in trying to become a better player. He's also more comfortable with his role as Nelson's substitute.
Most of all, Carlos has concentrated more is passing than scoring the last 10 games and has managed to become the eighth player amongst leaders in assists in the NBA with 48 minutes. In that period he had a game in which he had 14 assists and seems to have mingled with the team. Unfortunately, the momentum he carried came to a halt when he had to abandon the team for two games to spend time with his sick daughter.
The truth is that in this year (his final year in the contract), Arroyo seems to have understood that his stay in Orlando will depend on playing the substitute role to perfection and being able to perform for his team. By what we've seen lately, he'll have no problem whatsoever doing so.