In his January 5th suspension of Gilbert Arenas, NBA commissioner David Stern cited “ongoing conduct” which led him to conclude the Washington Wizards player was “not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game.” Stern’s action was appropriate under the circumstances, even though it was painfully slow in the making.

But Stern failed to address the circumstances that lead to the suspension and unless he does so, they could lead to dire consequences, for both the participants and the league itself.

Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton apparently whiled away the time during a December 19th team flight from Phoenix to Washington D.C. by playing cards. Such activity has been de rigueur in the NBA for as long as anyone can remember. But two days later, when Crittenton refused to pay his gambling debt, the two engaged in a locker room confrontation involving handguns.

Arenas admitted having four handguns in his locker, although the reasons given varied from pulling a practical joke on teammates to removing the guns from his home because of his three children. Regardless of the motivation, having guns in the locker room violates the 2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, not to mention D.C. and federal anti-gun laws.

When Arenas mocked his actions on his Twitter account and on TV during a game on January 5th, Stern had had enough. His suspension statement suggested that the league is prepared to take harsher measures against Arenas, who may have jeopardized the $80 million remaining on the six-year, $111 million contract he signed in 2008. This isn’t Arenas’ first rodeo involving guns. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon in San Francisco in 2003.

During Stern’s more than 25 years as commissioner, the NBA has had its share of major public relations challenges. Gun-toting players - one player recently suggested that 75% of NBA players own firearms - are certainly among them. But as dangerous as guns are to those who wield them – and to those in their line of sight – it’s little more than a PR issue the league can address.

A bigger issue for the league is gambling, especially by the players, which was behind the standoff at the Wizards Corral. While card games with pots exceeding $100,000 – anonymous players and team personnel suggest that pots regularly approach that figure – may seem extravagant to the average fan, it’s understandable that players earning in excess of $5 million per year aren’t sufficiently energized by the bingo pots at the local church supper.

High-stakes losses with armed participants, along with a heaping helping of immaturity, sounds more like the Wild West, circa 1880, than a professional sports team. Some NBA teams apparently agree. The New Jersey Nets recently took the unusual step of banning gambling on the team plane. The Wizards joined them shortly after the Arenas incident.

The NBA has no one to blame for the players’ total disregard for the consequences of gambling, having turned a blind eye to such activity in the past. Perhaps the league’s biggest star, Michael Jordan, “retired” from the NBA to quell an inquiry into his gambling activity. If you’re one of the two people on earth who believed Jordan really wanted to pursue a baseball career in Minor League outposts rather than continuing to pursue NBA Championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls, his “un-retirement” a year later should have put that misconception to rest.

Recent actions taken by the league also downplay the association between the sport and gambling. The 2007 NBA All-Star game was held in the gambling capital of the U.S., Las Vegas, and the league has spoken favorably of putting a franchise in Sin City in the not-too-distant future. The Maloof family owns the Sacramento Kings, along with a casino in Las Vegas. Stern has even endorsed the concept of nationalized gambling on NBA games. The commissioner may have difficulty explaining those incongruities to the Players Association if he attempts to curb gambling among the players.

The NBA doesn’t need another gambling scandal while it’s still recovering from the nightmare created by former referee Tim Donaghy. It’s too late to protect Arenas from himself, but if Stern acts decisively to outlaw gambling of any kind by league employees, he may be able to save the NBA.

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Jordan Kobritz is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network. He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. He is a former attorney, CPA, and Minor League Baseball team owner. He is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Eastern New Mexico University and teaches the Business of Sports at the University of Wyoming.

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It’s been over 63 years since New York’s Ossie Schectman scored the first basket in NBA history on Nov. 1, 1946, at Maple Leaf Gardens, and tonight Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons scored the 10 millionth point in NBA regular season history.

It was Gordon’s successful jumpshot at The Palace of Auburn Hills with 3:51 remaining in the second quarter of the Pistons-76ers game that represented the 10,000,000th point in NBA history.

Following is a look at the NBA’s million-point milestones:

Point Date Game/Play

• 1,000,000 -  (12/22/1962) Occurred in Detroit-Chicago, New York-Boston or Syracuse-San Francisco game.
• 2,000,000 -  (01/09/1972) Occurred in Baltimore-Phoenix or Detroit-Buffalo game.
• 3,000,000 -  (02/17/1978) Occurred in Indiana-Washington, Buffalo-Kansas City, Detroit-New York, New Jersey-Cleveland, or Philadelphia-San Antonio game.
• 4,000,000 -  (02/18/1983) Scored by Philadelphia’s Moses Malone on a tip-in of own miss at 11:59 of the first quarter against Houston.
• 5,000,000 -  (01/25/1988) Scored by Utah’s Rickey Green on 24-foot three-pointer as buzzer sounded ending third quarter against Cleveland.
• 6,000,000 -  (03/23/1992) Scored by Atlanta’s Stacey Augmon on driving layup at 7:41 of second quarter against Golden State.
• 7,000,000 -  (12/01/1996) Scored by Seattle’s Hersey Hawkins on a running 12-foot jumper at 4:42 of the fourth quarter against Utah.
• 8,000,000 -  (04/15/2001) Scored by New Jersey’s Eddie Gill on a layup with 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter against Boston.
• 9,000,000 -  (12/28/2005) Scored by Portland’s Juan Dixon on a layup with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter against Philadelphia.
• 10,000,000 - (01/09/2010) Scored by Detroit’s Ben Gordon on a jumpshot with 3:51 remaining in the second quarter against Philadelphia.

Source: National Basketball Association

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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THIS IS BREAKING NEWS...

National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement today:

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us.  I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia.  For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action.  Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game.  Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

Source: National Basketball Association

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Yes, you can get fined in the NBA without playing. New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson was fined $25,000 by the NBA after his agent made a trade request. His agent Aaron Goodwin told reporters he’d asked the Knicks to trade Robinson. According to league rules, players may not publicly make trade demands.

As we approach a new year, it seems appropriate to look the 2009 year in NBA fines. As you look through, consider the moral here: be nice to the refs. The league totaled $690,000 in fines for the calendar year. Here are all the fines:

1-3-09: Joel Pryzbilla fined $7,500 for flagrant foul and role in altercation in a game against the Bulls

1-16: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fined $25,000 for “improper interactions” with Denver Nuggets J.R. Smith.

2-2: Boston Celtics Kendrick Perkins fined 10,000 for flagrant foul in game vs. Detroit Pistons

2-7: Fined Celtics coach Doc Rivers $15,000 for verbally abusing referees in game vs. Los Angeles Lakers

2-12: Cleveland Cavs coach Mike Brown fined $25,000 for comments about officiating

2-27: Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace fined $25,000 for throwing a towel into the stands after ejection

3-19: Doc Rivers fined $25,000 for criticizing referee during a game vs. the Bulls.

3-29: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fined $25,000 for criticizing referees on Twitter

4-28: Doc Rivers fined $25,000 (again) for criticizing officiating. Celtics franchise was also fined $25,000

4-28: Portland Trailblazers coach Nate McMillan fined $25,000 for criticizing officials

4-28: Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman fined $25,000 for criticizing officials

5-4: Fined Kenyon Martin $25,000 for flagrant foul

5-26: NBA fined Lakers coach Phil Jackson $25,000 and Lakers organization $25,000 for Jackson criticizing referees

6-4: Fined Cavs LeBron James $25,000 for skipping postgame press conference

9-15: Fined Stephen Jackson $25,000 for publically asking to be traded

10-13: Fined Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas $25,000 and Wizards additional $25,000 for failing to make himself available for media interviews

10-14: Fined Memphis Grizzlies $25,000 for publically criticizing referees

10-14: Fined Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry brown $35,000 for verbally abusing referees and refusing to leave the court. The league fined him an additional $25,000 for publically criticizing the refs after the game and fined Charlotte Bobcats $60,000 for Brown’s actions.

10-16: Fined Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy $35,000 for publically criticizing referees and fined the Magic $35,000 for his actions

11-1: Fined Knicks forward Al Harrington $25,000 for criticizing referees

11-10: Fined Magic center Dwight Howard $15,000 for criticizing referees in his blog

11-28: Fined Magic forward Matt Barnes $20,000 for throwing ball into the stands after a game against the Miami Heat

11-29: Fined Bobcats center Tyson Chandler $7,500 for comments made on Twitter

11-29: Fined Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire $7,500 for comments made on Twitter

11-29: Fined Rasheed Wallace $30,000 for publically criticizing the referees

12-7: Fined Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah $15,000 for throwing ball into stands and hitting a photographer

12-18: Fined Brandon Jennings $7,500 for posting to his Twitter account before post-game interview

12-28: Fined Knicks guard Nate Robinson $25,000 for comments made by his agent demanding a trade for Robinson

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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March 29, 2009, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $25,000 for comments posted on Twitter about NBA referees.  This week, Cuban decided to play nice and file a formal protest with the league.   Cuban argues that the officials mistakenly ejected Dallas center Erick Dampier in overtime, calling it a “misapplication of the rules.”

Officials ruled that Dampier threw an elbow at Houston guard Aaron Brooks, who received a technical foul for a flagrant foul on Dampier.  The officials, Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and John Goble reviewed and upheld their ruling.

Cuban must have done some math before he logged on and let loose.  Filing the protest costs $10,000, which is $15,000 less than what he was fined for his nasty Twitter comments.  Cuban said after the game, “There’s no question that wasn’t an elbow with intention to harm, there wasn’t even an elbow thrown.”

Cuban wants the game to be replayed in Houston restarting with 1:01 left with Houston leading 110-104.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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If you understood that, you’re probably on Twitter. The number of professional athletes on Twitter is growing daily, as is the amount of headaches for professional sports leagues and teams. After beating the Portland Trailblazers in double overtime, Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings tweeted “Back to 500. Yes!!! “500” means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys.” You’d think the only problem with tweeting a friendly message like that would be the appalling grammar, but Jennings was fined for $7,500 (would have been more if David Stern was an English teacher). Jennings actual offense was breaking the rule that players are not allowed to tweet until all game activities are completed, including post game interviews.

The NBA guidelines concerning Twitter are soft compared to the NFL’s strict policy. The NFL restricts players from tweeting 90 minutes before or after games. The NFL’s code of conduct insists players not do things which are detrimental to the league, so, another Twitter nut Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell may be looking at a fine. Mitchell tweeted something so explicit George Carlin would have been shocked after the Bills signed offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Paraphrased, Mitchell called his own new teammate a dirty player and threw in some eighth grade style name calling.

I’d be shocked if Mitchell didn’t face a fine. I’d also be shocked if players ever stop getting in trouble for things said on Twitter. Some colleges such as Texas Tech have banned players from using Twitter, but, for the NFL it’s a double edged sword. Twitter acts as a one-to-one connection between fans and players. In short, a great tool for PR. But, it opens itself up to an enormous can of ambiguity concerning what can be said and what is “detrimental to the league.”

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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