What Were You Thinking ?!?! #5 (NBA Administration)
OK.. I understand and actually agree with the suspension placed on Arenas and Crittenton. However, I DO NOT think the rest of the NBA players, nor sponsors, should be held in contempt for two individuals that did not utilize proper judgement.
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are featured in a new Nike Ad. In which they are describing their passion and dedication to winning and the game. Kobe's quote says,
“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber.”
OH NO... HE SAID "CHAMBER"... A Chamber relates to guns.. You do the math. So are we not allowed to say, he "shot" the ball anymore? The NBA is going at Nike now saying,
“We had no prior notice of this ad,” spokesman Tim Frank said. “We think it is inappropriate.”
Are you serious? You've already punished the people for the crime, now you're holding everyone else liable to enforce sensitivity to the situation?
If you really want to get down to it, why don't you just ban alcohol? That's normally a precursor or an aid in voilence isn't it? Since we're being "sensitive" to the situation. Allusions to guns throught marketing, as long as I've been alive, have never caused a violent crime, but someone getting too drunk definitely have.
From my understanding, teams can't even play card games on the airplane anymore. They're actually regulating what GROWN MEN can do during trips now? First the dress code, now no "go fish"? Come on..
Here's the original article for you to determine your own point of view..
Kobe-LeBron Nike ad features gun language
What Were You Thinking?!?! #4 (Gilbert Arenas)
Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert...
I don't get it.. You are alleged to have brought a gun(s) to the Washington Wizards locker rooom. You say that was for a "joke" on your teammates. At NO point did you stop to think that was a bad idea, or that it might be taken out of context? Did we not learn ANYTHING from Plaxico? I mean come on, Washington's NBA franchise changed their names from the Bullets because the owner didn't want to have that negative connotation with DC's murder rate being so high. So you wanna bring the "bullets" back to Washington?
Now you're suspended without pay indefinitely because you were in essence taunting the commissioner by calling him "mean" on twitter. Did you not know employers were looking at social sites to hire/not hire people now days? Guess it's been a while since you were on an interview. So I might be persuaded to let that one pass.
Gilbert Arenas indefinitely suspended
I'm wondering how the NBA Players Association is going to come to his rescue (they always do). Are they going to condone him bringing a gun into the locker room? There isn't (I don't believe) any specific rule that says he couldn't. I mean if they can get Latrell Spreewell off for choking his coach, I think Gilbert stands a chance.. He didn't physically touch anyone, nor did he even get caught, he was just a little too talkative after the fact. I mean Ron Artest only got suspended a year for actually PUNCHING a fan.
The only other thing he might have to worry about is the Wizards themselves actually revoking his contract. No one can help him if that's the decision that organization comes to.
Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert...