And Bullets And Wizards And Scooby Dooby Doo

Gilbert Arenas

For some of you who are too young to know, the Washington Wizards used to be called the Washington Bullets... and before they were even in Washington, they were the Baltimore Bullets. I suppose the originator of the team just meant that these guys were faster than a speeding bullet.

A while ago, someone thought that it might not be such a good idea to call the team, the Washington "Bullets"... not with all of the gunfire in D.C.'s streets beyond the White House. They felt that that name "Bullets" shined a bad light on an already maligned city. I don't know who, but somebody came up with the new name, "Wizards"... and thus, the bad taste and connotations of the name "Bullets" was gone. Of course, bullets are still flying in D.C.'s streets (as they are in my city and probably in yours) but, at least when this Basketball team comes to town, you don't have to be reminded of it.

Last week, Gilbert Arenas and another player engaged in an act of pure macho stupidity that reminded me, once again, what this team used to be called. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other during a Christmas Eve locker room argument over a gambling debt. Last week, the Wizards and Arenas acknowledged that Arenas had stored unloaded firearms in a container in his locker and the NBA said it was "looking into the situation."

It was during that investigation when the NBA was "looking" that a confrontation between Arenas and Crittenton was revealed, according to a Yahoo Sports report. The dispute stemmed from an "unspecified disagreement". Citing an anonymous source, it was reported on Friday's e, however, that the standoff was sparked when Crittenton became angry at Arenas for refusing to make good on a gambling debt. I know how he must've felt. I have friends who make "gentleman's'' wagers all the time and disappear when it's time to pay. I've been pissed too!

That prompted Arenas to draw his sidearm on Crittenton, who then grabbed his gun, league security sources told the newspapers. Asked by the newspapers about the confrontation, Arenas at first denied pulling a gun on Crittenton. First rule of bad P.R.-- Deny, Deny, Deny! Take notes,Tiger... wherever you are! Okay, that wasn't nice but, I digress...

The Washington Wizards (not to be confused with the Washington Bullets, mind you) on Friday afternoon released a statement regarding the alleged confrontation: "The Washington Wizards take this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously. We are continuing to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA and will have no further comment at this time."

Arenas responded with a flurry of messages on Twitter, at times making light of the news but also making one tweet that read somewhat like a denial: "I understand this is serious, but if you ever met me, you know I don't do serious things. I'm a goof ball this story today don't sound goofy to me." (Unlike his writing, but oh yeah... it is of course, Twitter.)

Arenas later tweeted that he couldn't talk about the report the way he wanted to. He did not respond to a text message left by The Associated Press. A message left for Crittenton's agent also was not returned. Naturally.

Arenas may not play Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs because of soreness in his left knee, Wizards head coach Flip Saunders told The Washington Post on Friday. Saunders would not comment on the reported dispute between Arenas and Crittenton. Again, naturally!

At practice Friday afternoon, Arenas declined to answer questions about the allegations the New York Post and Yahoo Sports reported. However, he did address the reports of the allegations, telling local TV station WJLA: "I like the story, it's intriguing." (Yeah, maybe he really is indeed a goof ball.)

Then, in response to questions whether anything had taken place between him and Crittenton, Arenas said: "I don't know." "This is unprecedented in the history of sports," Billy Hunter, executive director of the NBA players' association, told the New York Post. "I've never heard of players pulling guns on each other in a locker room." It certainly didn't happen when the team was named "The Bullets".

Pending the outcome of the investigation, Arenas and Crittenton both could face fines or suspensions from the NBA. Commissioner David Stern has taken a strong stance on guns, saying in 2006: "We think this is an alarming subject, that although you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe. And it's a real issue. "Yeah,
just ask Plaxico Burris.