Gilbert Arenas must have something wrong within his mind. He arrived to the Wizards this season appearing to be more manic than anything, and now has faked an injury to allow other Nick Young to get more playing time, and declaring that although he said his time is soon done in Washington, that he is not seeking an early exit.

What’s next, youtube videos where he eats Vaseline and shirtless rub down for the “bro-ssage”? What other insane behavior might he possibly have left? Bringing guns into the locker room to play a prank on his teammate? Oh wait a minute, that’s right…..

I gotta get outta here.

Arenas is obviously unhappy about something. Either that or he is pulling off his greatest prank ever. For the sake of having a good time, lets go with the idea that he is depressed and unhappy in Washington. Here’s one reason why: John Wall.

John Wall has all the hype and all the love of Washington fans. This used to be Gilbert’s gig. That must hurt a  bit. All the popularity that was once Gilbert’s has been replaced with the love for Wall.

Instead of being a man, and realizing that he is still making ridiculous millions of dollars, and that he can now be a scorer rather than a distributor, Arenas is found sulking and doing all he can to distance himself from a team dynamic.

If Arenas is truly that unhappy, why not simply ask for a trade and try to seek a new start? Or better yet, why not try to win with what you have? Surely wall is a better talent than Arenas, so why not join forces and prosper together from Wall’s presence instead of dispensing a grumpy old man attitude?

Why not jsut try to win?

There exists a proven cultural standard in American sports fanaticism that if you comeback and win, people will conveniently forget everything bad you did. Ask Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, etc.

Ultimately, however, it’s really sad to watch the deterioration of one of the quirkier and colorful players of the NBA.

When discussing Shaun Livingston over the past 3 years following his debilitating February 26, 2007 injury the words “gruesome injury” followed by the inevitable “he was so talented” have become monikers leading to a laundry list of “what ifs” regarding how his career might have panned out.

Well, what if Shaun Livingston becomes the starting point guard for the Washington Wizards to finish up the 2009-10 season?

During a Saturday night game against a far superior Orlando Magic, and with Randy Foye continuing his self-imploding inability to play point guard, Wizards head coach Flip Saunders game Livingston his largest sum of minutes, 30:54, to strut his natural abilities running the Wizards. He finished with 18 points on 8-11 shooting with 8 assists.

Foye may as well prepare himself to ride some pine, especially after Saunders post game comments, undoubtedly inadvertently aimed towards Foye.

When asked if Shaun Livingston might replace Foye as the starting point guard:

• “I’ll take a look tomorrow and see, I don’t know.”
  
• “Randy’s in a tough spot. I’m tough on point guards, you know, I’ve had great ones. I expect a lot out of them. If the team doesn’t function well, it’s kind of like in football, they blame the quarterback. It’s the same way [with point guards].

• As point guard you have to have thick skin and it forces you to become a leader.
  
• “There’s a certain mentality to play that position. It’s very difficult to have someone who’s been a predominant scorer and now say, ‘we want you to think “we” instead of “me”.”

• “It’s like I’ve always said, point guards aren’t made, they’re delivered from heaven.”

It seems like the writing is on the wall. And why not? 18 points and 8 assists is exactly what you want from a PG.

Livingston is a natural at running a team. (Credit: picapp.com)

Speaking as a huge fan of Livingston’s, why not play him? He is on a 10-day contract, the Wizards have absolutely zero chance of going anywhere this year, so there’s nothing to lose. He represents the ultimate low-risk-high-benefit type of gamble that a rebuilding team should want to take a chance on.

Another reason to let him play: he is still only 24 years old.

It is not a question about his ability. Everyone in the basketball world knows the kid has skills, and an uncharted NBA IQ. He is coming back from an injury that will always have major asterisks attached to his name, but the guy is still a kid. With his smarts, and height (6’7″), he is a valuable asset for any team.

If Livingston can finish the season posting solid numbers and staying healthy while showing the natural born leadership (according to Flip Saunders) that no other point guard in Washington (inadvertently according to Saunders) seems to possess, then why not sign him to a multiple-year deal at the league veteran minimum?

Why not at least try pairing Livingston with Arenas, allowing Arenas play the 2. Arenas is more naturally suited for and unquestionably a prolific scorer, but a true point guard he is not.

The reality: Shaun Livingston is showing signs of life in Washington, and people around the league are taking notice. If he is not resigned by the Wizards, look for someone to take a chance on him and lock him up if he finishes the season logging starters minutes running the show in D.C.

Gilbert Arenas is the latest NBA player changing his jersey number next year. By ditching his now infamous “Agent Zero” namesake and jersey number 0, he will join LeBron James wearing jersey number 6 next year. Arenas is ardently attempting to shake his old reputation, and start anew in 2010-11.

Will a jersey change actually help Gilbert change? (Credit: picapp.com)

This move to number 6 is rather peculiar in that it is strongly reminiscent of how Kobe switched his number from 8 to 24 during his post rape case. Bryant had decided it was time to signify change, and has done so successfully since. Will Gilbert be able to follow suit, or will his “Merry Prankster” antics resurface yet again?

It is likely due to coincidence that he is selecting the same number as LeBron. Either that, or maybe he just wants to follow in James’ footsteps, which is not a bad idea. James talks the talk and never walks the walk (think dunk contest, an NFL career). A far better practice for Arenas to follow than how he has faired thus far on his own.

Will Gilbert follow Kobe’s footsteps further and strike a shoe endorsement deal with Nike just like Kobe?  Adidas terminated his contract shortly after Arenas pleaded guilty to a felony gun possession charge and was suspended for the remainder of the 2009-10 season. Kobe had his contract terminated (along with other international deals) after the rape accusations surfaced in 2003.

After playing in only 15 games total in two years prior to this season, a healthy Arenas played in only 32 games this year, totaling 47 games over the past 3 seasons due to injury/stupidity. That is a lot of time to miss when you are signed to a monster max contract of  6 years and $111 million dollars.

Maybe the 6 year duration of the contract is what really spawned the jersey number 6. In Arenas’ demented mind, I wouldn’t rule it out.

Josh Howard’s season went from bad to worse after viciously tearing his ACL tonight against the Chicago Bulls, ending his season. Howard was playing his third game with Washington after recently being the centerpiece acquired by Washington in the blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Wizards finished the game victoriously over the Bulls, 101-95.

Howard was thriving and playing basketball with a new resurgence after changing scenes, upping his average or 12 points as a Maverick to 17 as a Wizard. He was emerging as the 6th man for the new-look youth movement Wizards.

Howard's knee sprain did not look nice. (Credit: NBA TV)

It’s unfortunate he tweaked his knee the way he did tonight. But after a season involving firearms, breaking up the core of large contracts for salary cap alleviation, nothing surprises me at this point. Just another “bad break” in Washington, no pun intended (well, of course there is a little pun intended).

For those who have not yet witnessed this, be warned, it is a sure-fired stomach turning type injury. Howard’s knee turns outward in a fashion that defies what the leg is anatomically designed to do.  Simply put, this had to hurt a lot.

Lets hope that if Howard’s season is over (very possible) he doesn’t resort to medical marijuana for his form of pain relief. Due to the freakish nature of the video, I deem this injury Shaun Livingston light:

Antawn Jamison has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster three way trade involving the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. Sebastian Telfair is also heading from the Clippers to Cleveland.

The Wizards receive Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Al Thornton while the Clippers receive Drew Gooden, who was acquired last week in the Dallas trade. According to Adrian Wojnarowski’s story, the Clippers plan to buyout Gooden.

LeBron James must be ecstatic right about now, as well as every Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

Jamison will help the Cavs past Boston come playoff time. (Credit: picapp.com)

If Ilgauskas is waived, as it is rumored he will be, he should return to Cleveland upon clearing waivers.

The biggest thumbs up goes to Danny Ferry, who orchestrated this deal to obtain Jamison without having to give away talented J.J. Hickson. It is borderline genius.

This trade swings the door wide open for the Miami Heat at landing Amar’e Stoudemire prior to the February 18th trade deadline at 3:00 PM EST tomorrow. It remains to be seen that Miami wil land Stoudemire, as negotiations are still far off from pleasing Phoenix.

Jamison is a gem in the locker room, a fierce competitor on the floor, and one of the founding fathers to the term “stretch 4″ due to his long range shooting, knack for rebounding, and inside scoring.

He brings career 19.9 scoring and 8.1 rebounding averages to the Cavs roster.

Jamison’s skills and veteran leadership makes the front line in Cleveland the best in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James and Antawn Jamsion? Come on, who could possibly be better than that?

Sebastian Telfair is a solid reserve but it’s unclear how he will be utilized, if at all, behind Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson and Delonte West.

My heart goes out to Al Thorton, who went from bad to worse by being sent from a “what went wrong” Clippers team to a “let’s blow this sucker up” Washington Wizards team. Hopefully he can get the minutes to find a way out of the season-long funk he has been in.

It is nice to see the Wizards do Jamison right by sending him to a team where he has the chance to contend for a title. There is no doubt in my mind that Cleveland gets to the finals now, and are poised to win it all.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are becoming the epicenter of NBA trade talk. While deals are starting to materialize, rumors surrounding Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison, and Corey Maggette are starting to get some legs under them.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is Clevleland’s largest trade chip, with his $11.6 million contract. The intention and hope is he will be waived and return to Cleveland in 30 days.

Realistically, does Cleveland need to make a deal? They have the best record in the NBA, after all. Why risk destroying the chemistry that obviously worked well enough to get them here?

Does everyone forget that they annihilated the Lakers back on Christmas day, 102-87? That is great chemistry we are talking about here.

Here is a brief breakdown on what each player potentially represents to the Cavs and their chemistry.

I understand what Amar’e Stoudemire offers Cleveland: Another offensively skilled big man to combat against the Lakers length during a potential 7 grueling games against the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

However, Stoudemire is somewhat of defensive liability, due partially to never having to develop into a good defender because of Phoenix’s offense structure. I consider that a major asterisk.

It is also rumored that Miami is taking the lead in all Stoudemire trade discussions.

Corey Maggette is the worst option for Cleveland. He is the ultimate team chemistry killer. Just watch him play, and you should soon agree.

8 out of 10 times, he puts his head down, and forces his way to the rim to draw fouls. The other 2 out of 10 times, he gets an assist or a turnover. The numbers don’t lie, he averages exactly 2.5 turnovers and 2.5 assists on the season.

You might be thinking, “Gee, what’s wrong with that? Drawing fouls hurts the other team, and gives us free throws!” I concede this to be true, however, it murders overall team motivation when he does it consistently, and looks to pass once he has left himself no other option.But this causes teammates to incur a substantial dip in motivation.

Selfish players kill team chemistry. Just watch a Warriors game once and watch the body language of the other 4 Warriors once Maggette has the ball. A lot of standing and watching going on.

Do you think LeBron would want to stay in Cleveland knowing Maggette is under contract 3 additional years after this season, and after Maggette murdered the team’s chemistry?

Antawn Jamison looks like the best trade prospect for the Cavaliers. His reputation for being a leader and a great teammate precede him. He is the best fit that would not ruffle feathers and is conscious enough to know his role.

He would help Cleveland win 4 more games, according to John Hollinger’s calculations. Jamison is unselfish, a great rebounder, and deadly from downtown, all valuable assets come playoff time.

However, the Wizards will likely seek future draft picks, and some form of youth to dump Jamison and his contract. It is unlikely they will get that from Cleveland.

Which player do you think is the best fit? Take the poll!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Reports from the Washington Insider have the Miami Heat interested in acquiring Antawn Jamison from the rebuilding Washington Wizards.

Jamison is a hot commodity heading towards the pending trade deadline this Thursday, and currently buried in NBA purgatory; oops, I meant Washington. Miami could steal Jamison for expiring contracts of players like Quentin Richardson and Dorell Wright.

Seriously Pat Riley, what's taking so long? (Credit: picapp.com)

This is a potential great fit for Jamison and would help Dwyane Wade’s Heat significantly turn this season around. With reduced pressure on Wade, and an inspired Jamison who would now be playing for a chance to return to the playoffs, Miami could make a serious push. Miami, currently the 7th playoff seed, could potentially leapfrog Charlotte and Toronto in the standings with 30 games left in the regular season.

Washington benefits from this deal because it gets players providing immediate cap relief. The Wizards can continue tanking, let the season play out, and then focus on which draft picks and free agents to acquire during the summer.

The ideal trade for Miami to propose to Washington, which would have to be entertained, is a deal shipping out Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller in exchange for Udonis Haslem, Quentin Richardson, and Dorell Wright.

This trade yields the Wizards $18.7 million in expiring contracts and Miami would have Mike Miller on a “rental” basis for the rest of the year. Miller is a quality shooter and could help distribute the ball running the point with his above average passing skills.

If you are a Heat fan this trade is a far better outcome for the franchise, in my opinion, than pursuing Amar’e Stoudemire. Cross your fingers, hope Amare heads to Cleveland, and the Heat land Jamison and Miller.

If Stoudemire undermines the system while under performing in Cleveland, the Eastern Conference will become a more open race towards the post season.

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.

The Washington post reported that Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards was formally charged today for the felony of carrying a pistol without a license outside of a home or business. If convicted, Arenas faces up to 5 years in prison. All of this because of a game of cards?

Arenas' prank has more than backfired. (Credit:picapp.com)

Gilbert went from glorified prankster to having all the skeletons yanked out of his closet by investigating government and NBA agencies. What horrible stories emerged as a result are downright disgusting. The highlights include Arenas conspiring in grand theft auto, and defecating into a teammates shoe, all for the sake of his prankster nature.

Seriously though, who defecates in a shoe? That is absolutely disgusting.

Jamison did damage control to the Wizards fans. (Credit: picapp.com)

Arenas has already had all merchandise and visual propaganda involving his likeness eradicated from nbastore.com and the Verizon Center. Glorifying felons in stadium banners are naturally bad for business.

Look for Arenas’ contract to be torn to shreds and voided very soon. The Wizards organization has already had team captain Antawn Jamison address the fans about their concern over their image. His apology was heartfelt, sincere,and makes you wonder if he is happy Arenas is gone. Exiling Arenas will be the next step in proving this to their fans.

Expect Commissioner David Stern to follow suit in a possible lifetime ban from the NBA. Prank of not, a crime of this caliber leaves Stern no wiggle room. He must come down hard on Arenas, and set a precedent that will open eyes league-wide.

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?