So the NBA officially announced the punishment for the Washington Wizards players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the gun incident that shook the world in the middle of December and stole all of our Christmas spirit and wishful thinking that NBA don’t have guns. Both players will be suspended for the remainder of the season, while Arenas has to sit out for 50 games and Crittenton only misses 38. For both players this appears career threatening.
What’s bothering me about Crittenton’s punishment is he’s only charged with a misdemeanor, so he has not done anything essentially wrong. He won a card game and Arenas owed him $25,000 or something around that number. There was a heated exchange, and apparently, he feared for his life so he brought the gun into the locker room. I’m not a fan of guns for protection and anything other than killing animals for the purpose of eating them and to survive. I do not think they serve any good and should be locked aways afely and away from kids and certainly do not have any business in an NBA locker room.
But I’m of the opinion that Javaris Crittenton didn’t know any better just like a lot of NBA players, including Arenas, he grew up in a world where he was the king for so long and never had to see any restriction. I endorse a punishment, but 38 games? That’s far too much for a player like him and I would have welcomed a lesser punishment.
As for Gilbert Arenas. The level of the stupidity he’s shown throughout the process is astounding. Bringing four guns, although unloaded, to the locker room, showing them off, and threatening a team mate … A ten-year-old should know better than that. I could go and ask my ten-year-old cousin if he thought this wasa good decision to do that and I’d bet my money on him he’d say “No, Jake, it’s not!”. 50 games are a lot of games and a lot of money, in this case I’d say it’s the right penalty in my opinion. I just don’t like the proportion. Arenas was the iniatiator, he brought four guns into the locker room, he lost a bet, he provoked Crittenton, mocked the matter, and just accomplished to finally shut his mouth when NBA Commissioner David Stern had to suspend him indefinitely. Is what Crittenton did really four fifths as bad as what Arenas behavior has proven to be. It’s way too much for Crittenton, Fifteen to twenty games should be enough, and that’s it, I think Stern should look at Crittenton’s penalty again.
As for the Wizards likely upcoming attempt to void the contract. Don’t let them get out of the contract. Various experts warned them for various reasons about a max contract when they handed it out. Hell, Arenas thought the contract wasn’t right and left a few bucks (namely $15 Million) on the table, which was a popular gesture back then. He just came off knee surgery and a kind of surgery that usually limits the players production for a while. So there was a strong possibilty he would never return to form. So when he finally had an entire summer to recover and just produced like an above average guard who had to get accustomed to a new role in a new system with a new coach, a lot of people already regretted the decision about signing him to that contract. Don’t let the Wizards get out of this one unless Arenas prefers to get a fresh-start somewhere else. I strongly believe there is a market for him elsewhere, not for $20 million per season, but seven to eight should be a good deal still. He wouldn’t have to act as a superstar and maybe could play the two-guard towards the end of his career. A strong locker room could certainly make him fit in and he is way too gifted to be on the shelf for a long time. He might not be your 30ppg guy he used o be, but he can still score 15 points and dish out 10 assists efficiently and on a regular basis.
The Wizards signed him to the contract and he pretty much is what a lot of people expected, not the same. I would prefer for Gil to go somewhere else and find his old happiness and swagger. He now has time to rest his knees and sit out until next October. He can re-evaluate his life and decisions we will see what kind of player comes back.
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