NBA Should Severely Punish Arenas & Crittenton

The NBA is sinking faster and faster.

First, it was allowing the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980's to basically change the physicality of the game through an increased level of aggressiveness on court. Since then, the game has devolved from a game of skill and wits into a free-for-all shoving match I now refer to as basketBRAWL.

Then, Stern and buddies stood by while thug players such as Allen "the CANCER" Iverson brought the game down to a street-level mentality complete with posses, sleeve tattoos, 'it's all about ME' attitudes, drafted high school players demanding what team they would play for (and getting their way!), and injured players sitting on the bench dressed like they're in the hood--and acting like it, too!

After that the NBA began allowing once egregious fouls to slide by because it was "how the game has evolved." For instance Michael Jordan, the King of dirty, selfish play, tossing an offensive player around in order to steal the ball, and NOT getting a foul call.

There have been referee scandals, player scandals, and team ownership scandals. How the NBA could ever let a team leave the 13th largest market for the smallest is mind boggling. But then, David Stern and Clay Bennett are the best of buddies; and if Bennett wanted to destroy the Seattle Supersonics so he could move the team to tiny Oklahoma City, well, no one would take notice...no one except the fans of the Seattle Supersonics--a team that had been entrenched in the NBA for over forty years, and had an NBA Championship history.

Now, we see the NBA has digressed to yet another level. Washington Wizards players Gilbert Arena and Javaris Crittenton had a dispute in the team locker room and drew guns and pointed them at each other! What the #@&%!! Are these guys insane? This isn't the local hood hangout; It's the NBA!

The Commissioner's Office must jump all over this one! Why? Because if they don't the league will be sending a very dangerous message to every player and every fan that this kind of behavior is acceptable. If this situation is not addressed immediately and severely, then the sport will sink to a new all-time low.

These players should be suspended without pay for the remainder of the season and be required to undergo counseling and anger management (at their own expense).

Then, the Players Union must uphold the punishment metted out by the league. If they don't [do this], the Union will send the message that such behavior is not only acceptable, but that players won't be held accountable for such actions.

There is no gray area in this. What Arenas and Cittenton did was not only illegal, it was morally wrong and incredibly dangerous. They must be made to answer for their choices! If these players whine about the consequences they should be told to shut up and take the punishment. If they are that concerned about the loss of income, maybe they should have thought about that before they chose to point a weapon at each other.

Come on David Stern...Do the right thing for the league...for once!