Gilbert Arenas trade

[KLEON]

OK by now everybody is aware that the Wizards will deal any of their big 3 so why not go after Arenas. I like J Rich but if he keeps stinking up the place its best we do a straight swap.What do you people think? BTW this trade can be done.

Nash, Arenas, Hill, Amare, Frye (My God !!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[MaryvalesFinest]

Sarver probably wouldn't want to take on more cash since Arenas has the larger salary but maybe something like Jay Rich and Barbosa for Arenas?

C-Frye
PF-Amare
SF-Hill
SG-Arenas
PG-Nash

Yeah that would be cool

[KopLegend]

If we give up J-Rich AND barbosa, we need to get Haywood or their 1st rounder back.

Wizards don't want anything to do with Arenas right now. He's got an awful contract and the gun incident is not helping one bit. They'd die over an offer of 2 quality shooting guards.

But Sarver will never agree to any deal involving Arenas, even if it meant offloading j-rich.

[Frank Lee]

But Sarver will never agree to any deal involving Arenas, even if it meant offloading j-rich.

thank gawd.... ya bunch of wildcat homers

[BVPN]

I think we should wait to see how long Arenas is suspended first...

[Qwigglez]

Lol. No way.

[BurningHeart]

There are a few players that would cause me to stop watching the Suns for the duration of their career here.

Gilbert Arenas is one of those players.

[rsavaj]

Ell to the Naw

[Miklo]

bang bang

[tigerblood]

I think we should wait to see how long Arenas is suspended first...

incarcerated is more appropriate

[lilfishi22]

His contract is quite possibly worse than JRich's. I'd only do a draft day trade if we get back a top 3 pick.

[WTFsunsFTW]

Amare for Jamison, McGee and their 1st rounder

No thanks for Arenas. Zero use for him and his silly silly silly contract.

[lilfishi22]

Amare for Jamison, McGee and their 1st rounder

No thanks for Arenas. Zero use for him and his silly silly silly contract.

Done.

[Miklo]

Amare for Jamison, McGee and their 1st rounder

Where do I sign?

If we can get that pick and go essentially 2 for 1 in our frontcourt let's do it. I can't really see the Wiz arguing against Arenas-Butler-Amar'e either...

[Miklo]

So for those talking about Arenas trades, or even just interested in the situation, I am living in the Washington DC area as many of you know. A friend of mine is in law school here and as a result has access to a database of DC laws. I had her do some research for me.

To many this is fairly obvious, but it looks like not only will Arenas be suspended by the team/league, but he is facing some potentially serious jail time.

In Washington DC, gun laws are particularly strict. This is the case with many laws as DC is a good testing ground for new laws. So to put it simply, there are 3 issues at play here. The first 2 issues are tied together.

Issue 1 & 2

Apparently, Arenas has brought firearms into DC that are considered illegal within the district. He has also concealed said firearms in a public facility - a "gun free zone".

For this alone, a conviction would pit Arenas against a fine of up to $5,000 AND/OR a term of imprisonment of up to 5 years.

Issue 3

This part is key. If it is determined that Arenas did in fact pull his gun on Crittenton or anyone else for that matter, he will then face an "additional penalty for committing a crime while armed".

Since this is his first offense of this nature in Washington DC, the sentencing would be as follows:

IN ADDITION TO the penalty for Issues 1 & 2 above, he would face a period of imprisonment of at least 5 years and up to 30 years.

Summary

Of course, much of this depends on what he is actually CONVICTED of. He did come forward immediately to the authorities which puts him in consideration for lighter sentencing. He also was the first to do so, which essentially puts his word against anyone else who witnessed the incident of him pulling his gun on a teammate. There is the potential for teammates or even Crittenton himself to essentially "cover for" Arenas by corroborating his story that this was done in a joking manner. So I would see it as follows:

The minimum would be if stories coincide in such a way that it is determined that his "only" offense was possession and/or concealment of (an) illegal weapon(s). So the minimum sentencing would be anywhere from $5,000 to $5,000 + 5 years in jail.

If he is convicted of committing a crime (anything involving pulling a gun or making threats involving a gun), then this would be combined with the fact that he possessed and/or concealed illegal firearm(s). In this case, he would look at NO LESS THAN a fine of $5,000 AND 5 years in jail. That is the MINIMUM, meaning he WOULD BE IN JAIL for 5 years. This could, of course, be up to $5,000 and 30 years in jail. Judging by the lack of severity, though, something closer to the 5-7 year range seems more realistic.

All of this, of course, is on top of what promises to be a harsh probation from the NBA and/or the Wizards.

Yikes.

[Biff]

Professional athletes have access to some of the best attorneys in the country. Our country's legal system really only works for those who have the money to pay a good attorney. If you don't, you're getting whatever plea bargain they offer you.

That said, if Arenas spends any time in jail it will be measured in days not years.

[lilfishi22]

That said, if Arenas spends any time in jail it will be measured in days not years.

+1

[Miklo]

Professional athletes have access to some of the best attorneys in the country. Our country's legal system really only works for those who have the money to pay a good attorney. If you don't, you're getting whatever plea bargain they offer you.

That said, if Arenas spends any time in jail it will be measured in days not years.

There is definitely a celebrity effect there. But you have to have some faith in the justice system. Look at Michael Vick. If you would argue that a 5 year sentence will be reduced to 5 days, that change could ONLY happen with proof or a lack thereof - which is to say that perhaps the investigation does not conclusively find that he pulled a gun on someone with the intent to threaten or coerce. But just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you can pull a gun in someone's face and get 5 days in jail - so yes the attorneys have influence but his name will not outweigh the burden of proof.

[DaDragicShow]

No thanx to Arenas. We don't need another Paul Shirley and his blogs.

[rsavaj]

I liked Shirley and his blogs!

There comes a point in every semi-blowout basketball game that, if it has been held off long enough, the team sucking the proverbial rear mammary begins to fold. After Dallas managed to effortlessly keep the lead between twelve and fifteen points for much of the third quarter, my team unconsciously said to itself, “[Feces]. What the hell are we going to do? They just won’t miss.” Inner shoulders began to sag and theoretical faces started to fall.

Then, a magical thing happened. Steve Nash absolutely took over the basketball game.

Now, we did not win Game 4 against the Mavericks. In fact, we lost by about 10. I doubt that many people will remember what happened in the second half of that game. I know, though, that I will never forget it. Steve put on what was unquestionably the single-most impressive display of basketball skill that I have ever seen in person. He was absolutely unstoppable. There were times throughout the last fifth of the game that I literally had Goosebumps as I stood by the baseline watching him carry my team. He made big shot after big shot, at times when a miss would have been absolutely disastrous because Dallas was certainly not acquiescing to Steve’s plan of a stirring comeback and was making nearly everything they threw in the direction of the backboard. I think that is what made the experience so astounding—that each shot was under such pressure. It is never easy to find such a rhythm, but I have to think that it is a more facile task when the chips are falling in place, when the game is flowing and one’s team is actually making progress. Steve could have hung his head and resigned himself and his team to a losing fate at any time during his zoning-in, but he never did. As I mentioned, though, we never could close the gap. Our fearless point guard kept us within striking distance for almost the entire second half; his floor mates and he just could not come up with the defensive stands needed to surmount the Mavericks' lead.

The greatest part of Steve’s 48-point performance came late in the game. He had not really forced a shot all night and had taken what Dallas had given him throughout the game. (In fact, some will say that this was the Mavericks’ game plan. I doubt, though, that allowing anyone to score 48 was mentioned in the pre-game briefing.) I would love to say that I can recall the plays exactly, but as I noted earlier, I have been watching way too much basketball these days. Suffice it to say that on two consecutive possessions near the end of the game, he had what looked for an instant like an open shot, only to have the window of opportunity closed by a fast-charging member of the opposition. In both cases, he found an open teammate who, both times, made a shot. Those two passes drove home what Coach Floyd once said. Anyone watching the game could tell just what sort of person Steve Nash is. They could tell that after the game he would deflect any talk of his own performance and instead concentrate on the fact that his effort, as Herculean as it was, was not enough to win the game. They could see that he never gave up on his team as he huddled them after bad breaks. They watched him shrug off, as best he could, some [adjectives deleted for author’s protection] calls by the referees. In all, anyone who watched Game 4 of the Phoenix-Dallas series now knows exactly what kind of person Steve Nash is. And I don’t think that is a bad thing.

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/shirley_playoff_blog.html