The Verizon Center as the new "wild west"?

First, please note the question mark at the end of this post's title.

Second, I'm not really sure where to begin. So, news outlets reported that Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards was in a spot of trouble for having guns in his locker at the Center. Apparently, he felt that with a new baby in the house, he did not feel comfortable having them there. That was bizarre to me. After all, Arenas already had three kids before this baby arrived home. Did he not care about their safety? Did one of those toddlers make a threat against the new baby? (Hey, it could happen - sibling rivalry is an intense thing. I speak from experience as the middle child of five.)

Third, today I read that Arenas pulled a gun on a fellow player (Crittenton) who was upset with Mr. A. about an unpaid gambling debt. This was reported to occur on Dec. 24, the same day that Arenas was cited for having the weapons in violation of league, team and Center policy (and, presumably, DC law). Arenas then tweeted glibly about the incident.

Of course, this is not the first time that firearms have been a challenge for Mr. Arenas. He had to sit out some games for not having his guns properly registered in California. But pulling a gun on a teammate in the locker room? Really? As the director of the player's union said (I am paraphrasing), "this is unprecendented."

So, what do the Wizards do now? How do you build a team with guys who pull guns on each other in the locker room? That seems to be rather excessive, even in the colorful world of the NBA.

Actually, this may help cement my decision to not give a darn about professional basketball. I've always loved college ball, but have found little redeeming in the play of superstars who win games by fouling hard in a sport that was not supposed to be a contact activity. Not that I don't admire their skill - I just admire it more when played at the level where finesse is emphasized over brute force. As for Mr. Arenas, I'm just not buying what you are selling anymore.