Agent Zero to Zero Playing Time

By Ryan Foray

RICHMOND, VA--Just days into the New Year, a new decade, and here we go again folks…another black eye for the NBA.
Another professional athlete that plays a children’s game for millions of dollars has caught himself in possible legal disputes. He has been given a punishment by his profession and will possibly face judicial consequences. This time, it’s Gilbert Arenas.
The Washington Wizards Point Guard has been suspended indefinitely by NBA Commissioner David Stern and possibly the entire season. Arenas had a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton that lead to Crittenton and Arenas apparently drawing guns at each other in the Wizards Locker Room.
Making matters worse, Arenas and teammates were pictured pointed their fingers at each other as if they were “hand guns” during pregame warm-ups against the Philadelphia 76ers. This seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back for Stern, making the decision to suspend Arenas.
My question to Arenas; you’re a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. You were expected to make $16.2 million dollars this season, the second year of your 6-year, $111 million contract you signed. You have watched various athletes be part of the lime light in a negative way; Vick, Burgess, Woods, Pac man-Jones.
Do people never learn?
Before this incident, Arenas was the quiet player during the preseason that looked more focused than ever before in his career. He finally seemed healthy after only playing a combined 15 games over the last two seasons to injuries. This was going to be the season where Arenas would turn around all the talk of being “injury prone”. He leads the Wizards in scoring (22.6 ppg) and assists (7.2 apg). Now he’s on the verge of facing many legal charges outside of the league; with the potential of his playing career done.
The Wizards are 11-22 and in last place in the Southeast Division. With the loss of their leader, this might crush any hope of the Wizards turning their season around. There is even talk that the Wizards will be voiding Arenas contract.
Arenas apologized to Stern, the NBA and the Wizards organization, saying that “I feel very badly that my actions have caused the NBA to suspend me, but I understand why the league took this action. I put the NBA in a negative light and let down my teammates and our fans. I am very sorry for doing that.” (Courtesy of ESPN)
While the question may be will we ever see Arenas back in a Wizards uniform again, we know that the NBA is still trying to make its image back to the family friendly entertainment it once was with the Days of Magic, Bird, and Jordan. The black eyes are still healing from The Palace Brawl in 2004 and the Tim Donaghy scandal. Now it looks like Arenas threw a right hook to the temple of the league.