Arenas and Dangerous: A Review of A Public Response

Gilbert Arenas has had a quick fall from grace among the national media. Three years ago, he rose to prominence as a quirky star, in the mold of Pete Maravich, and grabbed a $111 million dollar contract. He spent two years battling injuries, and last month it was discovered that he brought multiple guns into his Washington Wizards' locker room.

As the story has been told, Arenas grew up in an unstructured home, after his mother abandoned him in a crack house. He played under Lute Olsen at Arizona, and then broke into the NBA. During the Wizards' deep run in the 2006-2007, he was a clutch performer that stole victories with last-minute shots.

His rise and fall have inspired a number of great columns. Unfortunately, a 2006 column written by Fred Barnes is called "The Assassin." It typifies the "Pete Maravich angle."

The reaction against Arenas is founded on the genuine stupidity and criminal stupidity of Arenas. But, typical of knee jerk reactions, there's something dishonest about some of the responses. The smartest and most humane criticism I've read is by Mike Wise, at the Washington Post. In his column, he examines how Arenas got to his current situation. Wise has also added a discussion of the fallout.