Ted's Been Fined $100,000 (It's official, too)

[montestewart]

Impolitic as that statement might sound, I won't jump too far to conclusions just on that. At first I considered the possibility that he was carelessly conflating the many dollars and the many years, both of which are likely more than he'd like to be saddled with.

On second examination, I wonder if the frustration he's expressing may be that if he's saddled with this large and long contract for what is still potentially his best player, why wouldn't he be doing everything he possibly could to maximize that by getting him what he thought was the best care available, either to have him return to form as a top star for the Wizards, or to build up his trade value? Maybe he took it personally, as if it was insinuating that he doesn't really care about the team (which few here think right now, as far as I can see) or that there's a major blind spot in his management style.

I'd probably bristle if I thought someone was saying such about me. I still hope he hears the message: thoroughly reassess the way team health is managed, and if still satisfied with that management of care, reassess the way team health-related issues are communicated to the public.

[Nivek]

Okay, maybe I misunderstood the initial support of Arenas then, not sure how much more clear I can be.

The quote from Ted saying Arenas is signed for a "million more years" sounds like somebody who doesn't like the contract he's on the hook to pay. That specific quote seems so out of line with the support he was giving Arenas this summer that it makes it now obvious to me that the team would take any deal for Arenas that is on the table. Which may have been the case all along, however I felt like there was some real support for re-integrating Arenas to the team coming from Ted this summer.

My guess is that Ted reads a couple hundred emails a day. He probably responds to dozens -- just from the team-related emails (not including his business and personal emails). Again just guessing, but he's probably not carefully choosing each word. He's probably not re-reading and editing and checking nuances and possible additional meanings. My guess is that he's going as fast as he possibly can because he has a trillion things to do every day, and answering fan email is only one of those things.

When I read that email, I do read some frustration, but it seems to me that it's more directed at Induveca, who Ted may have perceived as belaboring the point. (I'm not saying Induveca was -- I think he did a good job. I'm just trying to look at this from Ted's perspective. Especially if the team is sending Gil to a specialist and is taking actions they think are necessary to diagnose Arenas, get him treatment, and get him back on the court.) Ted's comment about Gil being under contract may have actually been intended as a statement of support for Gil. Note that the second part of the email says that they want Gil to play.

If this rapid-fire email seems out of line with Ted's previous statements about Arenas, it's probably because of the factors I mention above. I don't think he's suddenly turned on Arenas. That would be out of character for Ted, who has shown himself to be a smart, passionate and patient team owner.

[queridiculo]

Seems to me like you're making a mountain out of mole hill. Leonsis gave an honest answer to a question and at least to me, it seemed to be in line with what I would expect the team to say in that situation.

Leonsis was being as diplomatic with his answer as he could be given the situation. I wouldn't expect the Wizards or any other organization handling it any different to be honest.

[AceDegenerate]

Your probably right, I suppose I do make a habit of knee-jerk reacting emotionally to things like this and maybe I've misunderstood the intent.

I'm kind of at the point mostly everyone is now with Gilbert, in that I just want things to play themself out on the court for better or for worse and him being injured is only prolonging things and creating more frustration.