Official Countdown Grunfeld Era-2nd SuperStar?

[DaRealHibachi]

Dude, the "pointguard/below the knee dribble" is crap...

Like your bowlegged/one feet vertical/lower leg strength theories, this one holds no water... Cuz I have nothing to do with my life atm, I checked out some highlights of the better PG's in the game...

Yeah, you might have guessed it...

Steve Nash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Sqq9ltBMQ

Rajon Rondo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekpxJfDd3j8

Chris Paul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYgSWGbEKsQ

Yeah, maybe it's just me, but I haven't really seen consistent lower than knee dribbling in any of those highlight reels, if any at all... Seems that it's not as important as you say it is, since none of the NBA's best PG's use it consistently...

And Wall, he loses the ball b/c he dribbles into defenders, tends to thread the needle with his passes or is simply too quick/fast for his own good...

But I know how this is gonna end, you'll be saying how blind I am for seeing the stuff you don't see, and will retort to the same "lower than knee dribble" argument you've been pushing these last few weeks...

[JonathanJoseph]

While I continue to believe EG has done a good job in DC in terms of acquiring talent, assembling rosters and managing the cap....this is why he has to go.

Grizzlies’ Allen, Mayo fight on plane: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-allengrizzlies010411

I'm not discounting a gun as nothing if not illegal, but in my book actually fighting someone is worse than joking about fighting someone. But basically the same general incident amongst the team and look at how the two situations were handled differently.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace didn’t respond to a text message from Yahoo! Sports Tuesday night, but the team later release a statement, acknowledging a “brief altercation” between the two players.

“The club considers the matter closed and will not comment further,” Wallace said in the statement.

Contrast this from news stations live broadcasting the removal of the Gilbert Arenas mural from the Verizon Center. Who knows what happens to Mayo from here but you can quickly see a difference.

[closg00]

While I continue to believe EG has done a good job in DC in terms of acquiring talent, assembling rosters and managing the cap....this is why he has to go.

Grizzlies’ Allen, Mayo fight on plane: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-allengrizzlies010411

I'm not discounting a gun as nothing if not illegal, but in my book actually fighting someone is worse than joking about fighting someone. But basically the same general incident amongst the team and look at how the two situations were handled differently.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace didn’t respond to a text message from Yahoo! Sports Tuesday night, but the team later release a statement, acknowledging a “brief altercation” between the two players.

“The club considers the matter closed and will not comment further,” Wallace said in the statement.

Contrast this from news stations live broadcasting the removal of the Gilbert Arenas mural from the Verizon Center. Who knows what happens to Mayo from here but you can quickly see a difference.

I know that you are addressing the handling of Gilbert, but the Blatche/McGee "altercation" as I've stated before was way overblown, the statement such the one above would have sufficed.

[montestewart]

Which of the following is the Mayo incident (sounds kinda gross)--which happened on a team chartered and essentially private flight--most like?

A) The Arenas incident, involving guns and possible threat of violence at a team facility, and resulting in a suspension.
B) The Blatche-McGee incident, an altercation between teammates in a public place, resulting in one-game suspensions.
C) Numerous reported altercations between Haywood and Thomas (and others, including Kwame Brown) that took place at team facilities, away from the public, and resulted in no suspensions at all.

[tontoz]

While I continue to believe EG has done a good job in DC in terms of acquiring talent, assembling rosters and managing the cap....this is why he has to go.

Grizzlies’ Allen, Mayo fight on plane: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-allengrizzlies010411

I'm not discounting a gun as nothing if not illegal, but in my book actually fighting someone is worse than joking about fighting someone. But basically the same general incident amongst the team and look at how the two situations were handled differently.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace didn’t respond to a text message from Yahoo! Sports Tuesday night, but the team later release a statement, acknowledging a “brief altercation” between the two players.

“The club considers the matter closed and will not comment further,” Wallace said in the statement.

Contrast this from news stations live broadcasting the removal of the Gilbert Arenas mural from the Verizon Center. Who knows what happens to Mayo from here but you can quickly see a difference.

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

[LyricalRico]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

It's no use. This has always been the crux of the divide on Gilbert Arenas and will continue to be. One side sees four felony counts while the other side sees harmless tomfoolery, and never the two shall meet.

[AceDegenerate]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

I get the strong feeling that you are going to be severely disappointed upon finding out the guy in your avatar is lifelong friends' with Gilbert Arenas, and Young might not be on this team if not for that fact.

Another factoid you might know about if you had been following the Wizards and not the Hawks.

[AceDegenerate]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

It's no use. This has always been the crux of the divide on Gilbert Arenas and will continue to be. One side sees four felony counts while the other side sees harmless tomfoolery, and never the two shall meet.

This is an internet forum not a local DC coffee shop right?

Not everyone lives in DC with the ridiculous gun laws. Some of us live in states that have far less crime, yet everybody open carries. Go figure.

What Gil actually did, will never be known. You specifically like to be mr. Know-it-all when it comes to Abe demanding EG to make certain moves, and give no credence to the possibility than Ernie ever acted on his own with Abe as owner. Therefore how can you simply take news reports as truth regarding what happened with Gil? There is no video evidence, and best I can tell only 2 people and a possible eye witness or 2 know what happened in that locker room exactly.

If you want to take media reports at face value as to what happens regarding our players, I'm pretty damn interested in how you think you can concoct your own theories as to how GM EG was being "ordered" on how to run this team by an old man in a wheel chair.

Arenas haters are the real joke on this forum.

[tontoz]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

It's no use. This has always been the crux of the divide on Gilbert Arenas and will continue to be. One side sees four felony counts while the other side sees harmless tomfoolery, and never the two shall meet.

While we don't know what actually happened ultimately it was Stern that suspended Arenas for the season, not the team. So why is everyone criticizing how the team handled the situation instead of criticizing Stern? If people think that the punishment doesn't fit the "crime" then I would think that Stern would be the target of their criticism.

And it isn't like Arenas helped himself with his little pregame gunslinging dance.

[pineappleheadindc]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

It's no use. This has always been the crux of the divide on Gilbert Arenas and will continue to be. One side sees four felony counts while the other side sees harmless tomfoolery, and never the two shall meet.

This is an internet forum not a local DC coffee shop right?

Not everyone lives in DC with the ridiculous gun laws. Some of us live in states that have far less crime, yet everybody open carries. Go figure.

What Gil actually did, will never be known. You specifically like to be mr. Know-it-all when it comes to Abe demanding EG to make certain moves, and give no credence to the possibility than Ernie ever acted on his own with Abe as owner. Therefore how can you simply take news reports as truth regarding what happened with Gil? There is no video evidence, and best I can tell only 2 people and a possible eye witness or 2 know what happened in that locker room exactly.

If you want to take media reports at face value as to what happens regarding our players, I'm pretty damn interested in how you think you can concoct your own theories as to how GM EG was being "ordered" on how to run this team by an old man in a wheel chair.

Arenas haters are the real joke on this forum.

Uh, I'm one of the biggest Gil backers on this forum. I authored his tribute thread.

But honestly, your post makes no sense. I am comfortable with Lyrical "assuming" what happened because Gil went through our nation's system of justice and his story is in the public record (not "media" public record, but penal record public record).

To remind you, Gilbert entered a guilty plea to a felony. We don't live in Iraq or Russia. You can't force someone to enter a guilty plea against their will.

To equate a felony weapons conviction with a card fight is to really lose sight of perspective.

[montestewart]

Not everyone lives in DC with the ridiculous gun laws. Some of us live in states that have far less crime, yet everybody open carries. Go figure.

Some people live in states where you can drive 80 mph, but DC has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country. DC should raise the speed limit.

Arenas haters are the real joke on this forum.

You're missing a lot of the jokes.

[montestewart]

So that is all Gil did, joke about fighting someone?

It's no use. This has always been the crux of the divide on Gilbert Arenas and will continue to be. One side sees four felony counts while the other side sees harmless tomfoolery, and never the two shall meet.

While we don't know what actually happened ultimately it was Stern that suspended Arenas for the season, not the team. So why is everyone criticizing how the team handled the situation instead of criticizing Stern? If people think that the punishment doesn't fit the "crime" then I would think that Stern would be the target of their criticism.

And it isn't like Arenas helped himself with his little pregame gunslinging dance.

There was a lot of criticism of Stern. The criticism of the team was the way it whitewashed him from the team, as if he'd never existed, and said nothing in support of their errant player in trouble, and also some felt that EG betrayed him (I have no particular position on that).

[Nivek]

While we don't know what actually happened ultimately it was Stern that suspended Arenas for the season, not the team. So why is everyone criticizing how the team handled the situation instead of criticizing Stern? If people think that the punishment doesn't fit the "crime" then I would think that Stern would be the target of their criticism.

And it isn't like Arenas helped himself with his little pregame gunslinging dance.

The team's actions could be construed as less than supportive of Arenas. Grunfeld apparently texted Arenas that they could void his contract shortly after the incident reached his attention. The team swiftly took down the Arenas banner and purged Verizon Center of Arenas pictures (at least around the locker room and press area). The team acted as if Arenas had become a pariah instead of saying that it was an immature prank that went too far, that Arenas needed to grow up, and that the team was getting him a counselor to help him. (Or something like that.) In other words, the team chose to distance itself from Arenas rather than supporting him as one of its stars who'd screwed up.

I'm NOT saying the team was wrong to take those actions. But, they could have handled the aftermath far differently.

For that matter, I think the team totally bungled their public management of the incident. Won't rehash it all here, but you can read what I wrote here.

[WizarDynasty]

when you think about it. Arenas could have brought toy guns to the locker room...not real guns.

The fact that he brought real guns..regardless as to if they were unloaded or not.

Arenas could have easily brought fake plastic guns that looked like real guns but he decided to bring the real thing.

[JonathanJoseph]

Uh, I'm one of the biggest Gil backers on this forum. I authored his tribute thread.

But honestly, your post makes no sense. I am comfortable with Lyrical "assuming" what happened because Gil went through our nation's system of justice and his story is in the public record (not "media" public record, but penal record public record).

To remind you, Gilbert entered a guilty plea to a felony. We don't live in Iraq or Russia. You can't force someone to enter a guilty plea against their will.

To equate a felony weapons conviction with a card fight is to really lose sight of perspective.

I really don't think so. If the same incident happened today, by a technicality there would be no such felony charge or conviction. And I think we know that neither locker room fights and pro athletes having firearms are unique or damning.

The same way that when a player gets "arrested" for a marijuana conviction, while it's technically illegal, does not carry much weight in terms of my view of the person because I'm aware that despite its legal status, there's really nothing objectionable about it and anyone who feigns outrage at that person is either clueless or out of line.

The point is that the Wizards had FAR, FAR more to lose than the Grizzlies (Mayo is nearing the end of his contract and Gilbert was the franchise player with a large contract) and yet they went out of their way to downplay the incident. Who cares about the technicalities that came with it, I'm referring to the impact the incident had on the basketball team and culture (in which the incidents were identical).

Will Memphis be able to finish the season without distraction? Of course. The Wizards, OTOH, created a situation that was so toxic that the Wizards were forced into taking on the worst contract in the NBA just to alleviate the tension that apparently was thick enough to prevent a semblence of a successful environment. THAT is the point here.

Who cares what anyone thinks of the incident itself. It's the reaction and handling.

[Nivek]

when you think about it. Arenas could have brought toy guns to the locker room...not real guns.

The fact that he brought real guns..regardless as to if they were unloaded or not.

Arenas could have easily brought fake plastic guns that looked like real guns but he decided to bring the real thing.

In Gilbert's mind, he DID bring toy guns. The guns he owned were not tools. They weren't even for self defense. They were toys.

[WizarDynasty]

yeah but to think real guns are toys is definitely a lil spaced out. You have to admit he was a little out of touch with reality.

[Ruzious]

While we don't know what actually happened ultimately it was Stern that suspended Arenas for the season, not the team. So why is everyone criticizing how the team handled the situation instead of criticizing Stern? If people think that the punishment doesn't fit the "crime" then I would think that Stern would be the target of their criticism.

And it isn't like Arenas helped himself with his little pregame gunslinging dance.

The team's actions could be construed as less than supportive of Arenas. Grunfeld apparently texted Arenas that they could void his contract shortly after the incident reached his attention. The team swiftly took down the Arenas banner and purged Verizon Center of Arenas pictures (at least around the locker room and press area). The team acted as if Arenas had become a pariah instead of saying that it was an immature prank that went too far, that Arenas needed to grow up, and that the team was getting him a counselor to help him. (Or something like that.) In other words, the team chose to distance itself from Arenas rather than supporting him as one of its stars who'd screwed up.

I'm NOT saying the team was wrong to take those actions. But, they could have handled the aftermath far differently.

For that matter, I think the team totally bungled their public management of the incident. Won't rehash it all here, but you can read what I wrote here.

Great blog, Kev. Very well articulated, as usual. The Wiz definitely did not handle the PR part of this well. In their defence, it was such an unusual circumstance, that it's almost understandable that they weren't prepared for it. And it would have been smart if the NBA had immediately sent their best PR folks down to DC to help them. I remember the initial letter the Pollin's and EG sent out and thinking (and saying here) - Wow, that's just too harsh.

[nate33]

Great blog, Kev. Very well articulated, as usual. The Wiz definitely did not handle the PR part of this well. In their defence, it was such an unusual circumstance, that it's almost understandable that they weren't prepared for it. And it would have been smart if the NBA had immediately sent their best PR folks down to DC to help them. I remember the initial letter the Pollin's and EG sent out and thinking (and saying here) - Wow, that's just too harsh.

I think the real problem was the transition in ownership. Abe was dead. Abe's kids were selling the franchise and had no concern for the long term. They had the most to gain by finding a way to void Arenas' $80M contract so that the immediate value of their franchise would skyrocket. They didn't have to worry about the repercussions of dealing with a disgruntled Arenas who might manage to survive the attempt to void his contract. Ernie was stuck in the middle. The Pollin kids were his boss, so he either had to do what they wanted, or quit.

If Ted (or Abe) was in charge at the time, I believe things would have been handled differently.

[DCZards]

I think the real problem was the transition in ownership. Abe was dead. Abe's kids were selling the franchise and had no concern for the long term. They had the most to gain by finding a way to void Arenas' $80M contract so that the immediate value of their franchise would skyrocket. They didn't have to worry about the repercussions of dealing with a disgruntled Arenas who might manage to survive the attempt to void his contract. Ernie was stuck in the middle. The Pollin kids were his boss, so he either had to do what they wanted, or quit.

If Ted (or Abe) was in charge at the time, I believe things would have been handled differently.

I'm guessing that one of the main reasons that the Zards backed off of their threat to void GA's pact is that they realized that it would have only added to the organization's PR problems. Despite what Gil did, he's remained extemely popular with the Wizards fan base (and many season ticketholders) and many of them would have seen the voiding of GA's contract as unjust and overly harsh.