On Feb. 1, 2008, Michael Heisley, the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Chris Wallace, the team’s general manager, were the two most vilified men in the NBA. They had just traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers in a move that was seen as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. They turned the Lakers into instant championship contenders, while getting pennies on the dollar in return. The package they got included Javaris Crittenton (now out of the League), Kwame Brown, a practically retired Aaron McKie, two late first-round picks, and the rights to Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol. Read More »

The transition from most-loved to most-hated isn’t a rare sight to see for today’s athletes. The old adage “First they hate you then they love you then they hate you again” has become somewhat of a defining statement for some players’ careers, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant to LeBron James.

Resilience and the ability to block everything out is what helps the great players succeed despite the criticism, and that’s what Gilbert Arenas has. So it’s only a matter of time before he bounces back as well. Read More »

Forget “Real Training Camp” on NBA TV. Can we get the Charlotte Bobcats a reality show on Showtime? Stephen Jackson is worth the airtime alone, but then throw in Michael Jordan getting used to everything that comes with being The Boss, Shaun Livingston‘s (latest) comeback story, Tyrus Thomas‘ mood swings, Sherron Collins‘ out-loud Chitown personality getting rookie hazed, Boris Diaw‘s battle to stay below 320 pounds, the Kwame Brown/MJ dynamic, and Larry Brown‘s manic obsessive nature, and you’ve got potential greatness. Read More »

Words. Rob Kadivar

Late last week, Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall declared his intention to try out for either the Denver Nuggets or the Miami Heat should an NFL lockout go down in 2011. He made it clear he wasn’t joking by saying, “Not pursuing — I’m going to be on an NBA team. Seriously.”

This raises an interesting question: Which NBA players can say with equal confidence that, should they choose to, they will compete in the NFL? Read More »

Personally, I’m against the possession of firearms, even if obtained legally. But daaamn, I’ve been rethinking this stance ever since seeing the photos released by Gilbert Arenas’ lawyers of the now-infamous guns he brought to the Wizards locker room.

Besides your garden variety of different-sized black guns, The Sixth Sense brought a Golden Gun that makes the piece James Bond carried (you all remember GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64) look comparably tame.

As if keeping guns in your locker in an NBA arena wasn’t careless enough, Gilbert might have wanted to carry something a little more discrete. Photos after the jump… Read More »

Back when Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty to a weapons possession charge in January, initial reports suggested he might end up spending multiple years in prison.

Arenas will be formally sentenced on Friday. Earlier today, the D.C. prosecutor in his case recommended to the judge that Arenas be given a three-month jail sentence, along with three years probation and 300 hours community service. From the Washington Post: Read More »

Before the season, I made a pretty bold declaration by writing that the Washington Wizards could win the championship this year. And on paper, I still stand behind that statement. But when your whole starting five from the beginning of the season is gone by the trade deadline – something that I bet has never happened before – all expectations are thrown out the window. Read More »

The time has come, and the Wizards are finally ready to blow up the squad – that at least on paper – looked like the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference before the season. After finding out that the League granted them some cap relief (almost $4 million) after losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton to suspension for the rest of the season, they’re going to try and move their $74 million payroll below the cap threshold of $69.9 million. This means that Caron Butler‘s days in D.C. could be limited. Read More »

In what apparently seems like a plea deal, Javaris Crittenton will be charged with two misdemeanor gun violations according to the USA Today. This news comes 10 days after Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to a felony gun charge. These charges stem from the infamous guns in the locker room incident that occurred on Dec. 21. Read More »

Gilbert Arenas’ locker may have been cleaned out and his gigantic billboard outside the Verizon Center may have been taken down, but Arenas is still the top focus in the world of the Washington Wizards. Not only does the team have to play without their best player for awhile, they’re going through hell having to deal with the media scrutiny and having to also answer to law enforcement officials regarding the locker room gun incident. Read More »