What was Gilbert Arenas Thinking?

A lot of people think that Gilbert Arenas was acting cocky about his situation by joking about David Stern being “mean”. They think that he didn’t realize the gravity of the situation.

I’m not so sure.

Honestly I think that the irrational behavior he was showing was just that, irrational. I don’t think he had any illusions of getting out of this situation with a slap on the wrist. I think he saw millions of dollars slowly drifting away from him. He saw his NBA career and freedom possibly ending.

He may have been in shock. If things went down they way rumors have it right now, that Jarvis Crittenton actually pulled a gun on him and loaded it, then Arenas had to know he was in trouble. At that moment he probably had a feeling that his whole life might be slipping away.

That might be why he came out ahead of time and told the world and the authorities about the guns. He wanted to get a jump on it. Then when the situation started spinning out of control, he started saying stupid things. Not necessarily trying to be funny, but out of nerves.

I still think that what he did was really stupid, but we have to remember he is just a person. He is a person who’s whole world is about to be turned upside down. Most of us wouldn’t put ourselves in that type of situation, but if we did we may have acted strangely ourselves.

Read J.A. Adande’s opinion.

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Arenas Suspended Indefinitely

In a step toward a possible rest of the season suspension, David Stern suspended Gilbert Arenas indefinitely today. Honestly the Wizards guard was asking for this as he has been unable to keep his mouth shut over the last week. His comments, taking the situation very lightly and with humor, seemed to be almost mocking the integrity of the NBA.

NBA commissioner David stern said in a statement today,  ”Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game, accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

In other words, Gilbert, if you would have been quiet you probably could have played another few games at over $200,000 dollars per game. I’m guessing the suspension was coming anyways, but had he been able to eek out five more games, he would have earned another cool million dollars.

What an idiot.

More on the Gilbert Arenas suspension

Here is an opinionated and powerful article on Arenas

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NBA Opinion: Gilbert Arenas will be suspended

Gilbert Arenas finally released a statement (read it here), and I have to say that I have to take back all the good things I have said about the Wizards star guard. I used to think that just because he had overcome almost every obstacle before him, that he had to be a good and smart guy.

Man I was wrong. The fact is, that he is nothing more than an immature “young” man who thinks that the millions of dollars he makes allows him to do whatever he wants.

He is about to be proven horribly wrong.

David Stern has a tough decision to make. I agree with Skip Bayless, from ESPN’s 1st and 10, who say’s that all the other sports commissioners are watching and waiting to see what the NBA’s commish will do. He is about to set a precedence that will reverberate throughout all professional sports.

Jalen Rose and Skip both think that Arenas will be suspended for the rest of the season and maybe even more. That means that he would lose over 9 million dollars. Think about that, 9 million for a stupid “prank” as he called it.

Even worse for Gilbert, the Wizards are sure to try to find a way to nullify his contract. Within pro athlete’s contracts there are clauses that allow the team to get out of paying them if they do something atrocious. I think this situation will qualify.

I really have enjoyed watching Arenas play in the NBA. He plays hard and despite his immaturity, I really like his playing style. He truly looks like he’s having fun on the court. Unfortunately he does not know when to switch from a kid to an adult mentality.

Hopefully when he returns to the NBA, he will have figured it out.

Note from George Patrick

Unfortunately Gilbert has always been the type of player who misrepresents the NBA. When you make millions of dollars, you are a businessman. You need to act like it. He is taking the fall for all other “thug” players in the league, hopefully they learn something from his idiotic actions.

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Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio update

Once again a well meant clause in a well meant collective bargaining agreement may show its flaws. With the Timberwolves unable to contribute more than 500,000 dollars to Ricky Rubio’s buy out, a European team could swoop in and take advantage of the situation.

The fact is that another Euroleague team could pay all of the 6.6 milliion dollar buyout. That is an option that Rubio has to find attractive. He could sign a two year deal with another team and keep all the money, or he could come to the NBA and basically lose his first two years salary to his buyout.

Hopefully something can be worked out. I really want to see Ricky play in the NBA next year. If his arrival is delayed by some silly rule then maybe David Stern and the rest of the executives in the league will learn a lesson… sometimes you over think things and get burned by the same ideas that seemed great when it was thrown around the office.

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