Is thewiz06 too harsh on that Wizards player?

I honestly don't want Arenas back and I can give a profanity laced tirade why, but I'll leave it at that.

However, it seems that most wizards fans have forgiven him in February and are excited for Howie 5, Agent006 and 7 Day Dray to take the NBA by storm next year. I am cleearly in the minority, and I am one of the few people Gilbert referred to as those who won't forgive him. I don't forgive him one bit for reasons already explained at length all over this forum.

I know I sound like the angry dad who disowned his son because the son did something very gravely wrong. Why? Because I've disowned him. And I'm fine with it. If he wants me to forgive him as a fan who was cheated, he better prove it off the court for a long time, and that includes after the probation is over.

I know Arenas is not a saint, I don't expect him to be, I'm not either, but he should have common sense about not being in compromising situations, and he doesn't get it, probably still doesn't get it and I don't know if he ever will. The Wizards post game radio show yesterday definitely said it best, and in the manner I talked about.

Let me know how harsh I am on him.

Not at all.

You have the right as a fan to be angry with Gilbert's actions (and what else happened as a result [e.g. depletion of your roster]). Therefore, I do not blame you for not being too fond of Gilbert. You are a dedicated fan to your franchise and purchased season tickets expecting a good season (50 wins I believe you were anticipating); only to have the Gilbert gun drama take place and ruin the season.

Your to harsh,period lol

360 wrote:

Your to harsh,period lol

I call myself brutally honest, hehe

If somebody on my franchise took a $120 million dollar contract, then was the leading reason that the team's season went down the drain, resulting in the trading of our other two nearly all-star caliber players, I don't think I'd have much ability to cheer him at all. I definitely get where you're coming from on Arenas.

Okay, I feel a bit better from the non-Wizards fans here.

Among some of my Wizard fans friends who want 006 back, one argument they have for it is that Kobe was accused and likely did a worse thing, and he got off of it and now he's relatively unscathed from that time, but it still took several years for him too. I find several differences to add to more of my vitriol...

1. ADMISSION OF GUILT
Kobe: He acknowledged that he banged a resort worker. He also said that he never raped her. Kobe did this act outside of the work place.
006: He acknowledged bringing guns in the Verizon Center, which is against NBA rules, and DC law as the guns were unregistered. Last time I checked, the Wizards work at the Verizon Center and own the building.

2. SUPPORT FROM THE TEAM
Kobe: He got full support from the Lakers, because he maintained that he never raped the girl. Any employer should and will give the benefit of the doubt to a guy without a criminal record charged of the offense. The Lakers were right to give him their support during this time, and should have left him to dry only after he was convicted or eluded away from authorities, like the Carolina Panthers WR Rae Carruth did.
006: He didn't get any support from the team, because he brought the guns in to intimidate Crittenton. The NBA and the team shouldn't give any support to anyone who does actions in spite of the team. It's pretty clear that this act was detrimental and done in spite of the team. So he shouldn't whine about having the team kick him while he's down. They were the victims here. So yes, the team didn't support him, but the team shouldn't, and would look quite dumb if they did.

3. THE OUTCOME AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE EVENT TO THEM PERSONALLY
Kobe: The charges were dropped because the girl wouldn't testify against him in trial. Second, this girl was found out to be a gold digger wannabe of sorts, as she bragged about the even a couple weeks after it happened.... Sure, she sued him after the charges were dropped. Yes, he did give her money to shut up, but sometimes in these compromising situations, that is the best course of action. Kobe shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place, and I haven't seen him be this stupid since then except maybe the time when he demanded to get traded to the Washington Wizards.
006: He knew he brought the guns in, admitted to the US that he did it, told the judge he did it, and was convicted. Now he's in a halfway house and will serve 2 years of probation and he should count his blessings. I probably wouldn't have been so lucky.

4. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TEAMS BECAUSE OF IT
Kobe: In 2003-2004, the Lakers made the Finals. Sure tense moments happened within that room, and yes, they lost the Finals, but they had another solid season. Yes, the team blew up after that Finals, but they rebuilt the team successfully through the draft and through solid trades over several years.
006: The locker room was already not too great because the team was losing before he brought the guns in. He already called out Caron in public when it could have been kept in house and Caron took the high road. Second, the incident forced the team's hand to blow up the team. If he didn't do it, the team could have still been blown up, prob still would have, but the Wizards could have gotten some better or more prospects from the other teams we did business with. The Wizards return to their place as a meddling team and perhaps for many years to come.