Off The Wall

After being selected out of Kentucky as the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, point-guard John Wall took some heavy criticism for playing only one year of college basketball. Similar to every short-lived college career, the skeptics weren't sure Wall was ready to transcend his game to the professional level. However, it wouldn't take long for the 20-year old rookie sensation to showcase his tremendous talent on the court away from the collegiate level, and turn those skeptics into believers. After averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals, Wall was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League.

Wall's biggest impression though, would come in the Wizards' home opener against the 76ers. Not only was his minute-long impersonation of the dougie impressive during player introduction, but so was the 29-point, 13-assist performance he put on in the overtime win over Philly. Wall came just one steal shy of a triple-double, and two turnovers short of a quadruple-double (joking). With only a handful of games into the 2010-2011 NBA season, Wall is already looking like the future All-Star Washington was hoping for when they drafted him.

Will the hot start allow Wizards head coach Flip Saunders to keep Wall in as the everyday starting point-guard, or will a return from the injured Gilbert Arenas damper his predecessors chances of stealing the spotlight? A trade involving the one formerly known as 'Agent-0' is also worth keeping an eye out for. But until then, I'll be riding the wave while doing the John Wall dance as seen here:

Agent-0 Suspended On Gun Charges

Over the past few seasons, Gilbert Arenas has been known throughout the NBA as one of the league's most premiere ballplayers. However his foul play off the court and in the locker room has caused quite a stir. Just before the new year approached, we received word that the Washington Wizards guard had admitted to storing unloaded firearms in his locker at the Verizon Center, where the Wizards play their home games. The reason however, is one that's been juggled around and changed numerous times. Such explanations have reached the surface as Arenas first told officials the guns were in his locker to try and keep them away from his children at home. But now it's been reported that he and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton had got into an argument over gambling debts on Christmas Eve. It's also been reported that Crittenton had an unloaded gun of his own in his locker.

As serious as the matter is, Arenas and fellow teammates have joked about the matter time and time again. When being asked about it in a post game interview, Arenas said he didn't think he was doing anything wrong since the guns were unloaded. Something else Arenas doesn't know, is that not only did he violate NBA rules against bringing firearms into an arena, but he also violated D.C. ordinances as well. The fact that Arenas broke the law is one thing, but given he did it in the nation's capital, his punishment could be that much more crucial when it's all said and done. NBA Commissioner David Stern had planned on letting the legal process play out before disciplining Arenas, but Stern was forced to react a lot sooner when Gilbert and fellow teammates made a joke about the whole thing during pregame introductions. As players began to surround Arenas, he then pretended to shoot them with guns made from his fingers.

After the incident, it was official that the NBA had suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay until its investigation is complete. The day Arenas was suspended also happened to be his 28th birthday. How disappointing it must be for both Arenas and team ownership, considering Gilbert missed all of last season and big things were expected from him and the team this season. Instead, the Wizards find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 12-24 record. Coincidentally, the Wizards were named the Bullets once upon a time, until league officials declared the name sounded a bit violent. Also, revolving his gun charges, Arenas has been better known throughout the league as Agent-0. A nickname he earned by wearing the #0 on his jersey. But has he taken his nickname a bit too seriously perhaps? There's no telling what was going through Arenas' head at the time, but it's almost certain that he regrets the incident ever happened.

As players now begin to get pummeled with questions by detectives, it'll be interesting to see what new information is found, if any. The latest aside from the gun fiasco, is that the Wizard teammates have been known for playing pranks on one another in the past. Pranks that go as far as shitting in other player's shoes, another joke in which Arenas is guilty for. But all joking aside, & with gambling most likely the cause, it's only a matter of time before the league as a whole begins to consider banning gambling. The New Jersey Nets have already made sure such problems don't plague their team as they've outlawed gambling. Will other teams begin to follow in the Nets' footsteps?