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Tag Archive - Gilbert Arenas

It’s A Numbers Thing

September 17, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of therapup.net

Artest told Yahoo! Sports he plans to wear No. 70 next season, but the NBA has rules that prevent players from switching their uniform number from year to year. The deadline for a player to change his number is in early March to have it go into effect for the next season and once a number is changed, it has to be worn for five seasons with that team before a player is allowed to change it (unless he is traded to a new team or leaves as a free agent).

Artest wore No. 37 after signing on as a free agent with the Lakers in 2009-10 and did switch to No. 15 last season. It’s not clear what he had to do to accomplish that.

The uniform rule does not come with any stipulations for a name change, however.

If there is a request or circumstance that calls for a number change within the five-year period is approved, it may come with a cost of some kind, according to a league source.

via Los Angeles Lakers’ Ron Artest’s name now officially Metta World Peace – ESPN Los Angeles.

Look, I can’t say I care too much that Ron Artest is changing his name to Metta World Peace. As amusing as it’ll be to see “World Peace” on the back of a dude’s jersey during actual NBA games, I probably won’t start calling him that. Unlike Chad Johnson, who introduced the “Ocho Cinco” nickname informally a couple of years before making it official, Artest is expecting the entire sports world to start calling him by a new, esoteric name over a decade into a career that hasn’t exactly been low-profile.

No, what interested me most from Dave McMenamin’s report on Artest’s name change was the explanation of the process for jersey-number changes, something I’ve always wondered about and been fascinated by. Why does the NBA make players wear the same number for five years? Is it just so they don’t have to print new jerseys to sell? Major League Baseball doesn’t seem to have any rules about this whatsoever. When the Giants acquired Carlos Beltran at this year’s trading deadline, manager Bruce Bochy switched his number from 15 to 16 so that his new power hitter could keep the number he had worn for six years with the Mets. They made the decision at Beltran’s introductory press conference, and both his and Bochy’s new uniforms were ready for the game that night. Considering the NBA’s willingness to bend this rule for its stars (more on LeBron James and Mario Chalmers in a minute), its very existence seems somewhat archaic and unnecessary.

This got me thinking about other noteworthy number changes in recent NBA history, and the reasoning behind them.
Continue Reading…

WELCOME TO DRAFTOCALYPSE: BULLS WIPE THE SLATE WHILE WASHINGTON… WE HAVE NO IDEA

June 24, 2010 in by with 1 Comment

The Chicago Bulls have a deal in place that would move Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick to the Washington Wizards, freeing up enough cap space to pursue two maximum-salary players on this summer’s free-agent market, sources with knowledge of the Bulls’ plans said Thursday.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Washington would send to Chicago in the trade.

via Sources: Chicago Bulls to send Kirk Hinrich, No. 17 to Washington Wizards – ESPN.

Okay, Chicago did what they wanted to. Deng or Hinrich had to go. And despite the fact that Zach Randolph, Tracy McGrady, and Jerome James have been moved inside the last two years, everyone thought they’d have a hard time selling one of the best perimeter defenders in the league who can actually run an offense and whatever Deng is. Deng’s a pain, but he’s not a terrible pain. So now they have almost, but not quite enough to go after two max free agents. If they can ditch Deng, they can fill out with whatever they want. Mission accomplished, for a team so often derided for their decisions.

But Washington? What is Washington doing? What in God’s name is Grundfeld up to?

Look, you’re not going to find a bigger Kirk Hinrich fan than me. I went to Missouri, and I still love the dude for crying out loud. Terrific defender, plays hard, knows how to manage an offense, and has some pretty solid turnover numbers.

That said…

YOU’RE DRAFTING JOHN WALL FOR GOD’S SAKE!

You have John Wall and Gilbert Arenas and you’re looking for a combo guard with pure point instincts who struggles from the arc? What? For $11 million? What? What is going on? Are you mad? Are you high?

Did Kahn take over your hive? Did he conquer it with the cunning use of flags? What’s the thought process here?

You’re going to think there’s more to this. I certainly do. How can there not be? They’re going to package the 17 and something else to get into the top 10, and take Ekpe Farouq Monroe Aldrich? Is this part of the Arenas equation?

Bullets Forever suggest this could be part of the Bring Out Your Dead Strategy, which is actually rather brilliant. Unfortunately, as they point out, the BOYD strategy is dependent on expiring contracts.  What’s amazing is that Hinrich’s deal continuously gets more poisonous as time goes on. The development of the Free Agency Summer of Doom, the impending lockout, the drafting of Wall, the drafting of Rose, everything builds towards Hinrich becoming less and less valuable, despite the fact I would donate significant body parts to get him on the depth chart in front of Mike Conley.

This has got to be an Arenas-related move. It simply has to be. Either that or they’re flipping Hinrich like a Vaudeville theater.

Now I kind of hope they draft Aldrich. Just for giggles.

Profiles In NBA Draft Awesomeness: John Wall Is A Freaking Cyborg

June 22, 2010 in by with 2 Comments

Draft. Quickly.

DC Sports Bog had some videos today that kind of sort of blew my mind out my brain hole.

Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me? The kid’s top speed slows down by less than .5 seconds with the ball versus without. He’s faster than Paul or Williams. If you want practical application? Try and imagine two players chasing a loose ball, with nothing but open court after that. Wall’s able to execute in transition by the time even an average player is going to recognize what’s happening. But that’s just part of it.  Here’s his vision test.

And that, right there, is why from the first time I watched him, I thought he was going to be a prospect unlike anything we’ve seen since 2003. Wall’s vision is going to translate so much better to the NBA. In college, I saw him stifled without a pick and roll partner, and constantly saw teammates bobbling passes they weren’t expecting because, honestly, how could that pass get there? He can slip the ball in between defenders while driving, and his mastery of the elbow-to-baseline pass is going to lead to so many dunks, so many baseline j’s, so many fouls drawn.  The shot needs work, there’s no question. They’re going to Rondo the kid consistently until he hurts them with it. It has to be the one thing he personally works on more than any other, particularly from the arc. But at the same time? His consistency in vision and speed is going to create looks for him. It just is. Blatche better screen well. McGee better screen well. If they do, they’re going to get a ton of looks that are going to make those guys a lot of money. And Arenas? Just stay the hell out of the way and shoot when he gets it to you.

I’ve been sold on Wall from the start. And I can’t wait to see him show us the future.

NBA Lottery: I’m Just Sayin, Keep Your Options Open, Wiz

May 19, 2010 in by with 7 Comments

From a Karmic perspective, there was no better fanbase to root for winning the lottery than the Washington Wizards. Their fans watched as Arenas and Co. teased them with second-round contention, then fell into oblivion. Then they watched as the team came back and said “It’s cool, we’re back!” then once again jumped off the roof. And again. Then they dealt with this season. And really, there hasn’t been a more interesting development of emotion among a fanbase that I’ve seen as the one that evolved in Washington. Arenas was so hammered by the mainstream press that the fans actually rallied around him. Let’s say that again. This fanbase is so screwed up because of their history that they opted to back the dude that brought a gun into the locker room of the building where they all came to see the team play. The guy that commonly released cryptic statements to the press, failed to come back repeatedly from knee injuries, and then when he did, exhibited almost no leadership and had only mediocre play. That’s the guy who ended up with the support out of this trainwreck.

Antawn Jamison? Not a strong enough player and a passive aggressive weakling. Caron Butler? Selfish. Get those bums out of here. I want the 32.00 usage player with the federal gun charges!

I don’t blame them. You react oddly when you watch something you love get blown to smithereens. And Arenas has always been the guy. He’s the one fans attach themselves to. Tuff Juice? A fine sidekick, as long as he’s the sidekick and they’re winning. Jamison? Great teammate, a stellar support guy. But it had to be Zero.  He was the personality, the superstar, and fans are territorial about their superstars.

So you have to feel good for the Wizards fans.

The team? I kind of feel like they didn’t serve the time they deserved. Much like Arenas. It wasn’t their fault. The team construct seemed like a good plan, but it wasn’t. It happens. At the same time, though, when you opt for a course of action in the NBA and it’s a total disaster, there’s typically some period of darkness before you get it together and have another go at it. But instead, the Gods have bestowed the best prospect since Carmelo Anthony (Wade wasn’t considered that high of a prospect at the time, great, but not, you know, DWade). They get a do-over. An immediate second chance.

What’s bizarre is that this is immediately being seen as a second chance for the Gilbert Arenas Wizards.

Which is like bringing Jimmie Hendrix back from the dead and putting him on SmashMouth. Or the Fray.

The wheels are already turning. As Mike Prada outlines in this piece on drafting John Wall, he’s passionate that Wall and Arenas are a perfect fit. Arenas can slide to the 2 just like he did with Larry Hughes in 05, he wants to play off-ball, and all will be well. Kyle’s already bringing the hatchet to my freakout when I discovered Arenas had the eighth highest usage last year.  The sentiment is: keep Arenas! Draft Wall! Wall plus Arenas = DOUBLE SUPER HAPPY WIN!

I’m not sold.

I’m not saying it can’t work. It can. But looking at Synergy for last season? 49.9% of Arenas’ offense came from Isolation and Pick and Roll Ball Handler. Okay, no biggie, he was the point guard. That’s going to happen. But it does tend to fit in with the profile. Arenas wants the ball in his hands, and he’s going to want to score with it. Let’s get past his 40.5% FG percentage on Spot-Up plays, his 18.2% FG percentage on Off-Screen plays, or the moderately disappointing 44.4% on Cut plays (he only had 12 of them after all).  Essentially we’re saying that a player with considerable ego is going to immediately revert to the same player he was five years ago, after two knee surgeries, to be a complimentary player to a rookie.

And let’s be clear, that’s what he is now.

Let’s say Wall fails all expectations. That he’s just not that good. He doesn’t get it, doesn’t make the jump, and doesn’t pan out.  If Arenas is still your primary guy, you’re looking at the same team you expected to have this season, which isn’t good. But Wall’s not going to fail. He’s going to be incredible. His game translates better to the pro game than an prospect I’ve seen since Wade and I had no idea Wade would be that good. He’s a franchise in and of himself. Sticking him on a squad with Arenas is a threat to his potential, could damage his rookie season, provide a bad influence on him, and generally stunt him. He’s your guy now. He’s your second chance.

Prada mentioned that he thinks it’s moot because Arenas simply won’t fetch anything on open market. To which I ask “When have all 30 NBA franchises been smart enough to avoid a bad decision?” And this year more than any other there’s reason to believe teams will take a chance. We have a high-demand, low-supply free agency class, which means someone’s going to get desperate. You have the Grizzlies with Z-Bo giving the impression it’s never too late to change.There’s going to be someone out there willing to give up assets for a “top flight” point guard. Hell, I’d be okay with the Grizzlies doing a sign-and-trade with Rudy Gay for him. I know that sounds insane but at least with Arenas I know he’s really good at one particular thing I can (sort-of) count on. And come on. Z-Bo And Zero? In Memphis? If you’re going to crash, crash spectacularly. But even if it’s not Memphis, it would be someone. And if the best you can get out of it is future picks, that’s fine too.  Build for the future. Be patient. You don’t have to surround Wall with All-Stars right now, in fact, unless it’s a Boston with Rondo situation, I’d argue you shouldn’t. Make an exception for LeBron or a top free agent. But otherwise you’re doing a disservice not only to your franchise’s development of Wall, but to what Wall can be regardless.

That said, it could work. If Gilbert Arenas decides to take a backseat and IF the Wizards can’t get a better offer for complimentary pieces and IF the locker room’s screwed up environment doesn’t completely poison him, then this could work out great. But they should at least keep their options open.

Apparently Grunfeld is keeping all options open, including not drafting Wall at all. And hey, Turner’s a great prospect, been impressed with him since early season, and the comeback-from-breaking-his-back-and-then-killing-everyone thing only boosted that. The risk is that Wall has such a high ceiling this could be one of those things that pains your franchise for years. “We could have had John Wall but we decided to build around Gilbert Arenas who played half a mediocre season after multiple knee surgeries before getting suspended for half a season due to federal gun charges involving bringing a weapon to a locker room and bringing them out in regards to a playful argument with a teammate.” Just say that out loud.

They’re not trading the pick, thank God, since anyone you’d have to get in return is a free agent this summer anyway.  I like keeping your options open, but only between two approaches. Trading Arenas and building around Wall (the surefire, easy, simple approach to franchise rebuilding) or trying to make it work with both of them in the backcourt (makes the fans happiest).

This is a monumental decision, and not an easy one. Two years ago I argued that the Bulls shouldn’t take Rose and should instead take Beasley because they were already set at guard with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. So it’s not like I haven’t said some remarkably stupid things about situations like this.  But the simplest option, just adding a fantastic player to your best collection of players, is still not always the best move, for your team or for the prospect.

And that’s what a lot of this comes down to. From the first Kentucky game I watched, I was blown away by Wall. I saw him running that college offense with kids that can’t hit open 12 foot baseline jumpers and started freaking out. I started envisioning him with pick and roll (admittedly with Brook Lopez and not Epic Vale) capabilities, with transition systems and good players. His ceiling is so high you need the Hubble. So the idea of him being put in a poisonous situation with a guy I’ve admittedly turned on (but haven’t completely given up on) makes me queasy. I want what’s going to make Wall the best player, which will in turn make the Wizards the best they can. And just going with “add him, no change” seems like a dangerous scenario. It’s not like that roster is chock full of high character guys. You’ve got to put potential in the best situation to succeed. Getting the top pick was a great thing for the Wizards. I’m just concerned that the emotional, confusing situation might not make for the best situation for Wall.

THIS Is the Guy

January 19, 2010 in by with 0 Comments

I don’t want to be the guy who harps on a “these guys get paid millions” agenda. But professional athletes get paid so much because fans spend their hard-earned money to watch them play. The players are obligated to earn their salary by giving it their all in an attempt to display the best product possible.

The player who said the above quote clearly lacks the honor to fulfill his contractual commitment to the game of basketball.

After the Kings game, I asked Antawn Jamison about the quote and if it was a fair depiction of the Wizards locker room. The Captain sent a pretty strong message to that anonymous player.

via Truth About It » Captain Jamison Doesn’t Play That.

I recognize that they extended Jamison, too. I do, I get that. But this was always set up to be Arenas’ team. He was supposed to be Batman, and either Caron or Jamison were supposed to be Robin. I’ll let you make the Joker joke on your own.

I don’t want Wizards fans to suffer anymore, but I can’t help but want Jamison somewhere else. It would have been so easy to tank this season, to quit trying, to not make that speech to the fans, to not take responsibility as a leader for the absolute circus this thing has turned into. He hasn’t done that. He hasn’t shirked from responsibility or shut it down or stopped giving a crap. He’s still out there hustling, trying to win, trying to earn that paycheck and do things the right way. Watching Butler backslide has been enormously painful. And if this whole Wizards team is going to represent the failed potential and what occurs when guys are too wrapped up in their own heads and not thinking of anyone but themselves, I want one guy to make it out, to succeed.

Jamison as a Cavalier has to be nauseating to Wizards fans, a last resort, nuclear option, the worst possible result. But he doesn’t fit anywhere near their future. Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ expiring contract? That fits. And Jamison belongs on the Cavs, as the underrated but crucial component to a championship team, the difference maker. He doesn’t deserve to be the parent on a squad that finds it hard to find reasons to keep trying, even if they’re on a winning spurt. Maybe they’ll make a run (I am required to mention the Ewing Theory, and for that I am sorry), maybe they won’t, but what Jamison can accomplish elsewhere after his debacle, and what the Wizards could accomplish with a clean slate is too great to hold on to out of nostalgia or a sense of mourning.

The carousel ride is broken, it’s time to let the one that’s still working get shipped off to a nicer mall, tear down the remaining piece and start over.

(A Side Note: If you’re not a regular follower of TruthAboutIt.Net, you need to get on board. Kyle “WE DIE” has taken us closer to a team than any other blog this year. I feel like I’m actually in there, actually watching the dynamics. It’s fascinating, and Kyle needs to be hired to make a documentary and book about this whole thing. Read him. That is all. Thanks.)

I Don’t Know Whether To Rethink My Position Or Commend The Public

January 10, 2010 in by with 4 Comments

Washingtonians seemed more likely to think about Arenas’s actions in the context of his antics both on and off the court, incidents in which he has, for example, filled a teammate’s bathtub with coffee or sliced up his teammates’ suits. But if the strangeness of a player who boasts that he takes nothing seriously made some locals reluctant to see his latest behavior as a symbol of any deeper social ills in professional sports or the celebrity world, it has not blinded D.C. fans to the gravity of Arenas’s violation of team and league rules — as well as the law.

“Gilbert Arenas has another thing coming,” Ben Ross said outside Verizon Center on Thursday morning, shortly before the Wizards removed a giant Arenas banner from the building’s facade.

“He’s not above the law,” Earl Bell said.

“He thinks he is,” Ross said. “Gilbert thinks it’s a . . . joke.”

“He needs to be prosecuted,” Bell said. “See if he laughs then.”

“Yeah, and fire your damn fingers again like they’re guns, Gilbert,” Ross said.

“What an idiot,” Bell said. “I hope they kick Arenas out of the league.”

“Gil needs to be serious,” said Tommie Williams, who was on his way to a pretrial drug test at D.C. Superior Court. (“Coke charge,” he shrugged.) “Guns — that’s a serious offense in D.C. He’s gonna find out.” “

via Public reaction in D.C. to Gilbert Arenas: Seriously stupid move – washingtonpost.com.

I’m not really comfortable in a world where the average dude off the street makes more sense than people that are supposed to be experts or well-thought columnists.

My new favorite Arenas slant?

“Delonte West wasn’t punished, therefore Gil should not have been! West’s was way worse!”

I agree. And West should have been punished, and likely will be when the legal stuff sorts itself out. But West didn’t do it on NBA property. And instead of making funny dances and pictures and then planning another one, or popping off on Twitter, West stayed in his house.  In the realm of things that are clearly within Stern’s jurisdiction, that is, his behavior in the context of representing the NBA? Arenas lands 100% inside that circle. What else?

“We’re making too much of this! Athletes have done much worse things! Sebastian Telfair! Damien Robinson! Leonard Little!”

Those are all cases that were mishandled in the past. So we should continue to mishandle them? We’ve learned to be more sensitive, more responsible, more discerning, and we should throw it away because we didn’t do a good job previously?

All these efforts do is confuse the issue. What’s the issue?

Gilbert Arenas brought four guns to a locker room where dozens of people move in and out of (players, coaches, staff, media) and then pulled them out in front of teammates. He then treated the situation as a joke, something to make fun of. He popped off on Twitter and was completely irreverent with how he treated it with the photo. You think people that are with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence thought that was just “silly ol’ Gil?”

Javaris Crittenton may have brought a gun out in the locker room and load it in front of teammates. We don’t know because the police haven’t taken action against Crittenton, can’t find a gun that we know of at this point (that could change), and the league hasn’t confirmed it.

If (once) they confirm those facts, Crittenton needs to be suspended, possibly for multiple seasons. He deserves a harsher punishment than what Birdman got. Arenas? There was evidence. They went and found the guns. They have photo evidence of the dance/skit/whatever. There’s no question. And they didn’t out and out suspend Arenas for the season. They suspended him indefinitely. Which sounds really bad, but also just means that they sent a message to Arenas, the rest of the Wizards, the league, and the world. “This is not acceptable and there will be consequences for not taking this seriously.”

But no.

People want to confuse it, to attack Stern. And hey, Stern screws up about once a season. He’s got a pretty big job, and in small jobs, people make mistakes. This doesn’t excuse what could be perceived as arrogance, or the other things that he’s criticized for but when we… wait!

GILBERT ARENAS BROUGHT GUNS TO THE LOCKER ROOM AND THEN LAUGHED ABOUT IT. WHY DO WE KEEP GETTING SIDETRACKED?!

I’m not saying there aren’t more complex issues. There are. Hundreds of moving parts here. And we’re still finding out things, but we know a LOT about Arenas. And questioning the reporting, the league’s response, and people’s reactions? Those things can come later.

Let’s seize this moment to make it clear that gun ownership is a right that comes with responsibilities, and being a public figure doesn’t mean you have to be a role model, but it does mean that your public behavior can affect your job. You know, like any other job in the world.

A Complicated World

January 8, 2010 in by with 1 Comment

I have never once thought about whether or not there were weapons in an NBA locker room that I’ve entered. I certainly have since January 1st, 2010.

And for that, I’m a little pissed at Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.

I’m also pissed at Arenas because I cannot defend his punishment. I cannot defend his actions in playing a joke that went horrifically wrong and I certainly cannot defend his decision to bring weapons into the workplace. I cannot look over my shoulder and pretend that a grown man who is making the choice to own licensed firearms does not also automatically bear the responsibility of checking on the status of those firearms when he crosses state lines.

I cannot make what Arenas did any less wrong and because of that, it’s going to be hard to try and tell you he should not be made an example of, difficult to try and make the spotlight pan out to the bigger picture and damn near impossible to change the way the majority of the public population will — unfairly –l now view him.

Despite this, Arenas is shouldering the weight of a punishment that isn’t solely based on his bad decisions.

via Court Surfing – The Score.

Holly McKenzie is not what I would describe as hardass. She loves the game, and so, loves the players, and being as passionate as it is, she’s got a soft spot. For all of them. Which is what makes this piece especially poignant.

For hoops junkies, this Gilbert Thing isn’t as easy as it is for the rest of the world. The rest of the world can make sweeping generalizations about professional athletes. If they’re sports fans, they can make sweeping generalizations about NBA players. But hoops junkies have to deal with how complicated this issue is. Here’s a brief rundown of just where this thing starts.

  • Gun laws in DC
  • Precedence in voiding a player’s contract and the PA’s reaction to it.
  • Gun culture in the NBA
  • NBA arena safety
  • Peter Vescey’s reporting
  • Woj’s reporting
  • Whether we should be debating Vescey and Woj’s reporting
  • Whether we should be reporting unconfirmed reports prior to the legal process going through
  • Where’s Critt’s gun?
  • Why did he have ammo?
  • Why was Gilbert’s gold plated?
  • What really matters here?
  • Is this a safety issue or a propriety issue?
  • What does unfit mean?
  • Should he have been punished for flaunting it on top of the actions?
  • What role does Twitter play?
  • Is this a race issue?
  • What does Caron Butler (not in the photo) think?
  • Is Antawn Jamison going to be traded?
  • Is this going on all around the league?

And that’s just the basic stuff. It’s a complex, evolving issue. There’s a great many people that are really suffering with the fact that Peter Vescey may not have completely whiffed on this. He was attacked like a wounded gazelle (the smelly one no one likes or tries to protect in the herd) after the first reports. And while there are still things that definitely seem wrong (the date, for one, whether Gilbert pointed his weapon for another) that certainly point to shoddy reporting, the Critt revelation has made a lot of people pause. And they hate that. I say this as someone whose watched Vescey screw up his fair share. But he wasn’t way off target.

But then I stop. Why are we talking about Vescey? GILBERT ARENAS HAD FIREARMS IN THE LOCKER ROOM. JAVARIS CRITTENTON HAS LOADED FIREARMS IN THE LOCKER ROOM. But then I wonder, after talking to Mike Prada, if it’s our obligation to talk about these other things. To not just hammer Gil’s idiocy into the ground. If we should try and show every angle that we can.

Then I’m reminded that people were moving on to other things which allowed Gilbert to get on Twitter, to take that photo, to flaunt this situation. We as a society did not do a good enough job of getting to Gilbert and saying “You really screwed up, man. This is not a joke.” Man, did that guy need an agent.

I’m not saying that Gilbert’s actions aren’t his responsibility, quite the opposite. I’m saying it’s our responsibility to make sure that we don’t confuse the issue like Arenas tried to do. And he did. He tried to confuse the issue as a prank, something silly, same old wacky Gilbert. This is not same old Wacky Gilbert.

One more note.

There are people that are outraged without looking at who Arenas was. There are people that tend to try and defend him, if not openly, then quietly behind the “that’s who Gil is” argument. There are some like Woj who seek to blame that identity for what’s occurred, and the league for not shutting it down sooner.

My question: Do we really know who he is? No. Absolutely not. We don’t know anything about Gilbert Arenas. We know what he’s given us, and the word of people who are financially tied to his success have given commentary on that being who he is. But I’ve lost my ability to trust Gilbert Arenas. What he did wasn’t necessarily duplicitous, but that doesn’t change the fact that it removed trust. Gilbert Arenas put people in harm’s way. If you don’t believe that, then you don’t understand the fully destructive capabilities of a Desert Eagle. And by putting those people in harm’s way, he removed my ability to trust anything I know about him other than he takes too many jumpshots early in the possession. I believe in talk, and intent, and discussion. But there are times when a person’s actions have to take precedence over his words.

Arenas’ actions have warranted such a reconsideration of his character in the public eye.

Thanks For Screwing Up The Party, Zero

January 6, 2010 in by with 0 Comments

So when the NBA suspends Arenas into the Stone Age in the near future — and you can bet that’s what commissioner David Stern is going to do — it will be partly to deter similar idiocy, and partly to fight off any looming stain on the league’s image.

Now, a lot of NBA players own guns, as do many Americans. And some of them, like some Americans, are not so wise about it.

But this incident does not prove the NBA has a thug problem, or a gangster problem, or any of the other racially charged code words that get thrown around at times like this. What this incident proves that the Washington Wizards — and the NBA — have a Gilbert Arenas problem, because Gilbert Arenas is basically a loon. Check his Twitter account, if you don’t believe me.

via NBA’s problem is Arenas, not thuggery.

Absolutely fantastic stuff from Bruce Arthur at the National Post. There’s been so much written I really appreciate this kind of straightforward approach. Concise, eloquent, self-mocking, direct.

He also tackles one of my biggest problems with Arenas’ excuse:

“Other have echoed that feeling. Arenas has said he removed four guns from his home after the birth of his third child — what, the first two kids weren’t cute enough to warrant a gun-free play area?”

I don’t buy what Arenas is selling. Call me sensationalistic. That’s fine. And believe me, I’m no more a fan of the original New York based reporter who “broke” this story than anyone else. But there’s a lot of really weird stuff that doesn’t scream “silly man,” but screams “cleverly disguised cover-up.” Damage control. I mean, you can say this weapon was for self-defense. IT WAS GOLD PLATED. What difference does that make? If you buy something for protection, don’t you want to avoid advertising it? Isn’t it unnecessary to have it be a fashion accessory? We’re off the point.

And that is the point. This whole thing confuses points. Arenas and the Post and Forbes Magazine confuse the point. Wizards bloggers are more outraged by shoddy reporting about exactly what went down and if Saunder sand Arenas had a tiff than Arenas’ behavior which was irresponsible and borderline dangerous. The whole world thinks the NBA has a thug problem, when as Arthur points out, we have an Arenas problem. For every ten thousand NBA Cares commercial and All-Star charity event, there’s one of these stupid events which overshadow all of that.

People say Gilbert’s a mystery. The only mystery I’m seeing right now is how he could manage to screw up this badly in such an obvious, avoidable way.

(Side note: Anyone else think Arenas was playing “Goldeneye” for the N64 when he came up with the golden gun desire?)

SCHMOKE AND A PANCAKE

January 5, 2010 in by with 2 Comments

We’re told there were four guns in Arenas’ locker that were turned over to police, including a gold-plated Desert Eagle — a gigantic handgun.

via Gilbert Arenas — Not Licensed to Pack Heat | TMZ.com.

HT: Sports By Brooks

Mike Jones Is Unemployed And Still Has More Info Than Anyone Else

January 2, 2010 in by with 2 Comments

From what I’ve gathered, Arenas, Crittenton and some teammates were indeed playing a card game on the flight back from Phoenix, and both Crittenton and Arenas were coming up on the losing end, but Arenas didn’t owe $25,000, and the amount wasn’t owed to Crittenton, but to JaVale McGee. Arenas bailed on the game unhappy with the rules, and Crittenton was left to pay the pot, much to his displeasure, so he was trying earnestly to get Arenas to pay his part. Tempers flared during this dispute and I’m told Crittenton wanted to fight Arenas for backing out of paying up. Arenas, meanwhile, said he would burn Crittenton’s car, and Crittenton said he would shoot Arenas in his bad left knee.

via Mike Jones Sports: Startling picture starting to become more clear.

First, stop what you’re doing and go bookmark/RSS subscribe to Jones’ blog while we wait the approximate two and a half weeks until he’s hired by someone.

Jones goes into detail on this disaster going on in Washington, and lays out what really happened, which essentially comes down to Gil wanting us to say the following:

“Oh, haha, silly ol’ Gil. He was just playing around! It was a joke! Just got a little out of hand. That Zero. Haha. I tell you. He’s a CAD!”

Um, Gil? You pulled out three guns. THREE GUNS. In a locker room. A place with emotion and energy and movement and oh, yeah, tons and tons of people in the area!

I get that players feel like there is a present threat due to their money and lifestyle. I get that. And I’m sympathetic to it. But keep it in your truck. Keep it with a friend, whose only job is to wait in the parking lot with your arsenal until the game is over. Keep it at home and transport it later. Don’t bring it into the damn locker room, and if you do, don’t pull it out when you’re in an argument! I don’t care if you didn’t point it at him!

This is not an athlete-media issue. I’ve got friends in that building to cover that game. That means there’s a possibility, no matter how remote, that one of them could have been injured. What if you dropped it? What if they got knocked over when DeShawn Stevenson tried to hand someone a basketball and inevitably missed by thirty feet? What if, what if, what if?

I’m starting to get a whole Plaxico Burress feel from this event. I thought Burress would get slapped on the wrist, no biggie, return to normal. Then it didn’t work out that way. And I get that it’s DC vs. NY, but you’re hearing more talk of him being in trouble, not less.

For a guy who defined fun-loving NBA identity for a lot of us, this story becomes more and more depressing by the moment.

In closing, Mike Jones is awesome.

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