GIlbert Arenas of the Washington Wzards has had all of his merchandise pulled by the league recently, in light of his illicit behavior. You can visit nbastore.com and find that of all the players available, Arenas is not one of them.

Ordering custom jerseys allows clever Arenas fans a variety of splendid loopholes to what the NBA believes to be a solution. While perusing the Wizards section on nbastore.com I found a couple of more potent options that would likely arrive to your mailbox, and make its way past NBA censoring.

You must order an authentic jersey, and select your own personalized custom jersey, non-returnable. You could just type in “Arenas” and for the number, input “0,” but what fun would that be?

Why not own a jersey you can wear and start conversations with long after Arenas’ career is finished?

The Desert Eagle Home Jersey

($185.98 shipping and handling included. www.nbastore.com)

This jersey is for the home fan who has Arenas’s back. The effervescent Arenas fan will share his love for the man whom no one speaks of in Washington (Has Arenas really become Lord Voldemort?). He will proudly sport his Desert Eagle jersey, proud to be an American,and fully supportive of the right to bear arms.This fan will also be too ignorant to realize how idiotic Arenas actions were, and likely has no true ability to identify right from wrong.

The “Felon” Away Jersey

($185.98 shipping and handling included. www.nbastore.com)

This jersey is for remaining 29 teams around the NBA, and will especially sell in bundles to the fans at Quicken Loans Arena. To a die hard Cavs fan this jersey represents a pyschological advantage to break the concentration and spirit of the Wizards when they are in town.

Fans can hold the jersey, pump it in the air, or simply turn their back and point to the name on it, chanting “Fe-Lon, Fe-Lon.” Odds are they will harras DeShawn Stevenson in particular. There is no doubt the power of this jersey will indeed crush morale, lessening whatever already bleak chances for a road victory the Wiz might have had.

This is all written in jest, and should only be taken as such. I do not take Arenas’ actions lightly, nor would I ever endorse them. I am simply highlighting that there glaring ways for someone to find a convenient (albeit expensive) workaround to completely undermine what the Wizards and David Stern believe is a solution to help clean up a messy situation.

Gilbert Arenas was  suspended today, without pay and effective immediately, by commissioner David Stern. The length is indefinite. Stern is quoted that the consequences could possibly be worse than a suspension. Is he hinting at a lifetime ban? Man he makes our NBA Lookalike Morphing more and more ironic!

All jokes aside, handguns are as serious as serious gets, and if you have every had instructions with firearms, you would be informed and taught there are serious rules and consequences for attempting to meddle with these rules.

Gilbert Arenas might be the dumbest player in the NBA.

It was only a joke….. (Credit: picapp.com)

Who would think they could bring firearms to a locker room, even as a joke, and not have someone take it the wrong way? Guns scare people. They take lives. Hello?

David Stern has every right to suspend him. If he gives him a lifetime ban, so be it. Loaded or not, there is no place whatsoever for weapons in a workplace, let alone professional sports. This act will result in a major example being made out of Arenas.

Stern has been combating the “thug” image in the NBA with his dress code and other half-ass rules, but on this one, he must come down with massive consequence, or just imagine what someone like J.R. Smith or Stephen Jackson might do next.

All jokes aside (no pun intended) it is truly tragic that Arenas acted like this. There is practical joking in sports and we have all seen footage of pranks and rookie hazing from the entire domain of sports, ranging from little league to the pros. This content has been presented to us in the forms of blooper and outtake reels for our entertainment.

However, there is a line not to be crossed in hazing or joking, and this  instance is wrong and needs harsh punishment. Players need to realize that they are accountable, and I support David Stern (though I rarely do) on this one, and hope he gives Arenas all that he deserves and more.

The reality is people cannot go through life blanketing their mistakes and misdeeds on the excuse that it is”only a joke.” Hopefully, Arenas can learn from his mistake, and realize that if he can continue his NBA career, he should act more mature, and be a responsible adult.

If he is truly concerned about his young kids, why would he joke around with firearms in the first place, and use them as the excuse to avoid punishment? What lesson will they grow up and learn from this?

The NBA is on the brink of expanding its ownership globally.

With Russian billionare Mikhail Prokhorov making his bid and charging his way into NBA Ownership, it raises many questions that excite me to the core as a basketball fan.

The Salary Cap Cold War is near. (Credit: picapp.com)

Is Andrei Kirlenko on his way to the Nets?

This is more minor a detail comparatively to our larger questions, but it is worth mentioning.

Who wouldn’t take advantage of the chance to play for a team owned by your native land?

I see many marketing opportunities exploding for Kirilenko as a member of the Russian-owned Nets resulting in his heightened desire to leave Utah.

Look for the Medvedev Nets Jersey soon! (Credit: picapp.com)

David Stern: is this a blessing or is this catastrophic to your vision of NBA globalization?

Sure David Stern has been ardent in expanding the league via NBA Europe and NBA China, but those ventures have been with his hands behind the controls. What happens when someone who does not care about Sterns rules decides to challenge the rules by flexing financial power?

What does this mean for the future of the NBA salary cap?

One thing is certain: As foreign ownership expands, the NBA salary cap is going either going to be dissolved or at the minimum dramatically restructured in the immediate future.

Based on the current example of world wide ownership in the world’s most popular sport, soccer, there are more players making Kobe money than you would imagine.

To make matters worse for the NBA, these franchises in world soccer also loan players, pay agent fees, and absorb all of the player’s income taxes.

With like-minded international ownership already conducting business under this model, how long can the NBA hold out while Prokhorov shrugs off luxury tax, and pays players ridiculous money to assemble handpicked teams win rings?

Will this result in teams eventually experiencing relegation?

Speaking of relegation….

Wouldn’t it be a good thing if a team like the Milwaukee Bucks was owned by an ambitious owner paying damn near anything to make the team a contender?

Some might argue that these potential events are unfair, but this is America, and capitalism rules. Pure and simple.

The answer to these questions could lead to radical changes to the financial structure of the game.

As a basketball fan, I want all teams competing towards the top of the tier.

If bringing in money from overseas results in people wanting to play for Milwaukee, than I am all for it.

Stephen Jackson was fined $25,000 for speaking his mind. His thoughts were later deemed detrimental to his team, hence the fine.

Don Nelson backed up his player, stating he will remain team captain.

In reality Don Nelson is probably out getting drunk while laughing off the entire situation, knowing damn well why a player with as much heart as Jackson would want to leave a team hovering slightly above a rebuilding season.

Trade me to a contender- I don't want a pretender! (Credit: picapp.com)

I find that odd. How about you?

How many times will Stephen Jackson be the victim of the NBA’s administrative branch?

David Stern would deny the fact he has a short list of players under his “bad-boy” microscope, but it seems quite obvious that he does.

Atop this list: anyone involved in the infamous Nov 19, 2004 brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fans. Among those players involved: Stephen Jackson.

Go figure, huh?

This is just another failed example of what the NBA considers to be flexing their punitive “authority”. By fining Jackson a relatively minute  (by NBA salary standards) quantity of cash ($25,000), they believe they are making a statement.

What I want to know is: Why even bother?

When the NBA issues their discipline and fine, Jackson ultimately wins.

Media will regurgitate the tale of Jackson’s trade demands. They will re-explain the story causing these fines being levied. His statements demanding to be traded to a contender will now live on to see another day.

Again yet another seed of a potential trade is planted into the minds of everyone reading what the press publishes. The last time I checked, most General Managers are educated, and read newspapers.

Why do they always pick on me? (Credit: picapp.com)

Why not let it slide? Instead of focusing the attention on delegating to grown men on what they can and cannot say via twitter, amongst other various social networking outlets.

Better yet, why not just yield a iron fist, and censor everything and anything a player can say publicly?

Isn’t this America? Is this not the country in which we all possess the freedom of speech?

Is Jackson being honest, and sharing his opinion more detrimental to the team than perhaps, riding a moped?

Players make trade demands in all professional team sports, and in some instances these demands are met. The truth of the matter is he did not criticize or belittle anyone by name. He did not throw anyone under the bus. All he did is expressed a genuine wish to end his career on a wining franchise.

That is the truth being spoken by someone with championship experience. Oh yeah, he was a vital contributor to winning a title with the Spurs in 2003.

It usually ends to the detriment of the team by not granting a player’s trade demands. Discontent players usually make malcontent a part of their agenda rather than concern with the team aspect of the game.

It makes me wonder, in a world where Pat Riley and his staff are taking a self inflicted pay cut, what would happen if a player such as LeBron James were to make such comments?

The league’s future basically hinges upon LeBron’s will, so I ask you: do you believe he would be fined if he spoke the words of Stephen Jackson?

UPDATE 8/24/09: Stephon Marbury responded to our story via twitter, which we will now post above the story below, which was his response to our article, written below this picture:

Marbury has been keeping up with Protect the Paint

Following up to  Chris Matyszczk’s article, Stephon Marbury: Crazy like a fox? A rabid fox? we have more dumbfounding reports of ceaseless outbursts by Stephon Marbury. The man cannot leave twitter and ustream alone.

I am not playing basketball right now (Credit: hiphoprx.com)

His latest move was giving out his contact number yesterday on twitter while requesting that Ustream’s owner call him:

I am tempted to call just to see what happens. Would Starbury answer the phone himself?

What if his Ustream vision becomes reality? Will it cause a lawsuit?

Has Marbury gone beyond a Rodman-esque, ballistic state of insane?

Brendan Haywood seems to think so, indirectly calling him nothing less than homosexual.

He has opened a can of worms, scaring the likes of David Stern. Stern is already dealing with abandon-ship-minded high school athletes, a shrinking localized domestic economy while in the midst of aggressively seeking expansion into the Chinese market.

This is the last thing Stern needs

Starbury does not make sense during his rants on ustream.   Yet it  is disturbing and somehow captivating to watch someone famous act the way he does for everyone to witness. Maybe it is because he is too high…..

Marbury recently admitted that he gets high:

In his defense, Starbury has never been busted for marijuana use as Robert Parish and many other NBA players like Michael Beasley.

The NBA didn’t screen for marijuana in 1993, and Parish still got busted because he had weed sent to his mailbox.

Not smart.

Marbury never made the news for being caught failing any drug tests while under an NBA  contract.

To his defense he makes valid points explaining his logic.

Parish played 4 more seasons until 1997, when he retired. I am willing to bet decent money someone nicknamed “the Chief” continued smoking, considering the league did not start marijuana screening until 1999.

Josh Howard admitted to  it and he is still playing ball.

But seriously folks.

Think about how incredible the feats Stephon Marbury achieved really are. He already has millions of dollars. He smokes weed  and decides to  make a fool of himself, mocking the league live on the internet.

Amidst this all his wild behavior, would you bet against at least one team in the league considering giving him a contract?

Michael Vick is playing football again. I think that says it all.