Arenas Gets 30 Days in Halfway House / New Blog Look

Just to wrap up an ongoing story here on FTRS, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house, 2 years probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $5,000 donation to the "violent crimes fund" by a DC judge on Friday. While I think jail time would have been appropriate given the crime (DC has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation), ESPN and former LA Times columnist J.A. Adande makes the case for no jail time.

Also, Blogger has released some new templates that I'm trying out on the site, so check it out and send me some feedback.

Arenas Recommendation: 3 Months

Just a quick blurb for today, since I will be at an all day function. The Washington Wizards' Gilbert Arenas was given a recommended sentence of 3 months in jail by the prosecution Tuesday. This is down from the reported 6 month sentence the prosecution was allegedly seeking initially. For reaction from ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack, go here. For previous Arenas coverage here on FTRS, you can go here and here.

Arenas and Crittenton Out

Photo courtesy WPIX in New York.

Updating yesterday's post, the NBA announced last night beleaguered Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton have been suspended for the rest of the season. Arenas will lose $7.4 million of his salary and may even have the rest of his contract ($16.1 million annually) revoked. He's also looking at jail time anywhere from 6 months to 5 years, though prosecutors are reportedly pushing for the minimum.

Tale of Two Franchises

Photo courtesy of USAToday.com

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards last night 115-103 at the Verizon Center in DC. The game provided a glimpse of two teams traveling in opposite directions. First, the Lakers have one of the best records in the NBA (34-11) and are 6-4 in their last ten games. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each scored 26 in what looked like a show of dominance. The Lakers are having a season free of drama, unusual for the Lakers given the microscope they're under.

Then, there are the Wizards. The Wizards' leading scorer, Gilbert Arenas, plead guilty earlier this month to felony gun charges and awaits sentencing. Arenas was storing guns in the Wizards' locker room at the Verizon Center, which lies within the actual District of Columbia. DC gun laws are among the toughest in the nation, so as a result, the revelation that Arenas was storing guns in DC outraged many in the Washington metro area. The Wizards' haven't been able to cope with the loss of Arenas on the court and are currently 14-30 and are 2-8 in their last ten games. Assuming Arenas will be having a long-term suspension, the Wizards will take several years to recover from one player's terrible decision.