Category — Gilbert Arenas

The owners are closer to achieving their goal of canceling the NBA season. Michael Jordan and a small band of hardliners are intent on it.
Meanwhile, David Stern couldn’t wait to use ESPN today as his platform to tell anyone who would listen of how the players have wrecked negotiations. But if you’re negotiating with someone in good faith, you don’t issue ultimatums with each proposal. Stern has frequently done so throughout these so-called negotiations.
As much as I’d love to see some balling, I still applaud the players. They have little choice in the matter. They agreed to give back the $300 million the league supposedly lost last year only to have Stern and those greedy bastards he represents to demand more. And Stern has the gall to call the players’ decision to disband the union “tragic?” Please.

The public perception is the players are greedy. David Stern and the owners know this and will bank on it to negotiate a deal. They would prefer to put the players in their place and make them pay for the stupid mistakes owners frequently make by rewarding some undeserving players with lofty contracts when they should be earning the NBA minimum.
You the fan? Seriously, do you really think they give a shit about you? They know you’ll be pissed about missing some games, but they also know you’ll eventually come back. You can’t resist.
CBS Sports

Gilbert Arenas picked this outfit to pick up his wife Laura Govan at the airport Friday. Maybe he should tweak David Stern and show up at the NBA meetings dressed like this.
BustedCoverage.com

An email sent out by Players Union Prez Derek Fisher is generating much interest. The reason? NBA owners are not on the same page about settling the lockout. No shit Sherlock?
We’d wager the farm that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is 1 of the owners playing hardball.
SI.com

The idea of NBA players telling the owners to shove it and forming their own league has been discussed in a few corners of the sports world. However, we’re partial to the approach and concept drawn up by our good friend Michael Tillery.
The Starting Five

The entire season is in jeopardy.
This lockout looks like a long 1.
Players and owners are far, far apart.
Nope, not talking football here. Expect the NFL to kick off the regular season on schedule.
But the NBA is a whole different story.
I always believed football had too much to lose. The powers that be will eventually get it together in time to save the day, or at least the cash cow that is the regular season.
However, pro basketball is not in the same boat, not even in the same ocean for that matter.
The NBA is a mess. Teams are struggling all over the place. Salaries are out of control and fan interest in a regular season, especially when there is football, well it’s just not there.
Anybody remember a score from November, December, January or February last season? Not unless you have a reason to, but everybody knows the score of their favorite football team’s games. The NFL’s regular season matters.
That is the difference.
So if the owners don’t care, and the fans don’t care, and by the looks of some games early in the season, some of the players don’t care, why have a full season? That is the question facing NBA’s big boys.

Here are some facts.
The owners feel they need to take back control of the game and limit the salaries they are paying the players.
The players want more control. They have offered to give up some cash, but not enough to save the struggling teams.
This is a train wreck because the league does not share its revenue, like the NFL or even Major League Baseball. So there are rich NBA teams and there are poor NBA teams. The playing field is not even.
If nothing is done, some teams would fold. Most already can’t win.
Look next season and see how many clubs are really in a position to compete for a championship. Maybe 6 or 7 and that might be a stretch.
Now look again and see how many just flat out suck. Seven is a low number.
So the bouncing ball is now left in the players’ court. The problem? There are really, really rich players and then the not so rich. Unions were designed to protect the common worker, not the overpaid scrub.
Even more of a problem is the fact that some players don’t seem to be worried about their fellow teammates. Deron Williams proved that by claiming he is ready to go to Europe if the lockout delays the season. The New Jersey guard is talking turkey about playing in the Turkish League.
He claims that getting something is better than getting nothing.
Let’s follow that line of thought. Here is a rich guy willing to play for a reported $250,000. Why won’t he take that in the NBA?
Those are numbers the owners could live with.
Williams should be one of the guys standing up and fighting for the rights of all players. But nope, he’s taking his balls to Europe.
Kobe Bryant wants to do a barnstorming tour in China. No wonder Yao Ming retired, he wants to go home and play with the big boys.
It’s not likely Bryant would give up some of that money to the players whose names don’t command such opportunities.
Yep, this lockout has all the makings of a long 1, unless the players cave of course.
That seems likely. There isn’t much solidarity.
Remember, all this talk is talking place and it’s July. Nothing is lost in this league until March.
At least we will have football—I think.
Jim Gazzolo, a frequent contributor, is an editor and writer for American Media in Lake Charles, La.

More lockout blues: My man Jimmy G and I agree to disagree on this matter, but it’s just another reason we’re great friends and partners in crime. However, since I’m hesitant to bang out a counterpoint to his wonderful argument above because it will run into my beer and baseball happy hours today, I’ll link to a column by Bill Simmons that’s more in line with my thinking.
Cheers!
Grantland.com

The redesigned Magic tuned up tonight for Saturday’s undercard (Magic-C’s) by popping the Spurs’ 10-game streak in impressive fashion. Is that you Gilbert Arenas?
He and his new mates get a chance to bust the Celtics’ streak of 14 in a row on Christmas Day. Stan Van Gundy will be the only guy grumpier than Phil Jackson. But tonight Van Gundy loosened up and it paid dividends.
Orlando Sentinel

The Magic pulled the trigger on a huge trade today, dealing Vince Carter to the Suns for Hedo Turkoglu (how ironic is that?) and Jason Richardson. They apparently aren’t done yet either. Orlando is trying to obtain Gilbert Arenas from the Wizards for Rashard Lewis.
ESPN.com

With anticipation of all things Laker and Heat related and throw the Thunder and the C’s in that equation too, there are other good storylines playing this season. One that intrigues me is Gilbert Arenas and John Wall. Oh the potential.
Arenas tweaked a hammy tonight (or at least that’s his story so far), but I’m hoping he’s healthy physically and mentally because he and the young fella can do some damage. They could be lethal. One can slash and burn and hit the open man on the run and the other can hit the open shot and drive by people on the run. Hard to defense.
Come on Gilbert. Let it go.

Gilbert Arenas can breathe a sign of relief. The suspended Washington Wizards’ guard was sentenced today to 30 days in a halfway house, two years supervised probation and 400 hours of community service for his role in a gun incident in December. He also was ordered to pay $5,000 to a fund for victims of violent crime.
Washington Post