Bullets Forever's Wizards holiday gift ideas

by Mike Prada on Dec 20, 2006 12:04 AM EST in Silly Stuff

Editor's Note: I'm not one for humor pieces, but I was in a good mood today, so here goes. As a sidenote, this post is also partially inspired by this Give Me the Rock post.

For some of us, myself included, the holidays have already begun with Hanukah. For others, they'll occur this Sunday with Christmas. For even more of us, it'll occur at other points over the next week. However, as we're celebrating the holidays, we all must remember that even basketball players who make millions of dollars a year could use a few things for the holidays.

As such, if I were to get a gift for some members of the Washington Wizards, here's what I'd get them.

Gilbert Arenas: A portable hibachi. It works just as well on the road as it does in your home.

Antawn Jamison: Tom Emanski's Defensive Drills Video. It may not be basketball, but Jamison's defense is so bad that even a video like this will make him better.

Caron Butler: The banana slap game. Instead of using his hands and not moving his feet on defense, Caron can now feed his slapping addiction in a child's game.

Brendan Haywood: DVD of "Rebound," starring Martin Lawrence. Perhaps the title of the movie can encourage Haywood to grab more defensive boards.

Jarvis Hayes: A guide to accurate shooting. Wizards fans probably can understand why this is self-explanatory.

Antonio Daniels: DVD of "Around the World in 80 Days." The perfect gift for the perfect veteran journeyman.

Eddie Jordan: Super Mario Deluxe Edition for Nintendo DS. The game will give Eddie the chance to effectively manage a game, but more importantly, he'll be able to play against his evil twin.

Ernie Grunfeld: "Airborne Again: The Triumph and Struggle of Michael Jordan." For Ernie Grunfeld, having been preceeded as GM by MJ, the second part of that sentence is the operative phrase.

Any other ideas? Put 'em in the comments section!

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Bullets Forever's Wizards holiday gift ideas

Thanks for the shoutout. By the way, I love the Tom Emanski video gift idea...

"His skills have won back-to-back-to-back A.A.U. championships"

by Patrick on Dec 20, 2006 10:37 AM EST reply actions

Who's with me?

This "hibachi" thing is just completely rediculous. This is not just a game, this is a job. Would a lawyer scream "hibachi" before his opening statement? Would a doctor scream hibachi before performing brain surgery? No. This is because it is silly and unprofessional and has no place in the professional landscape. Should Arenas be above these common sense practices of decency and respect? Of course he shouldn't. Shame on him. When will this child ever grow up?

by Sick of Arenas on Dec 21, 2006 1:14 AM EST reply actions

Umm

I'm pretty sure you won't find anyone with you on this blog or pretty much anywhere else on the internet.

by Mike Prada on Dec 21, 2006 1:59 AM EST up reply actions

I Disagree

I first fell in love with the Bullets when they won the championship in 1978 when I was just four years old. As I grew up in nearby Georgetown, the Bullets were close to my home and my heart. What I always loved about them was their class--maybe they didn't have superstars like Jordan, Bird or Magic, but it was their elegance and refinement that characterized the team for years. I followed them for many years, but now I stand at a crossroads. A player like Arenas is neither the classy superstar nor the professional team player. He turns me off to the NBA in a way that Allen Iverson never could. Gilbert is predictably tedious in his escapades and offensive in his disrespect of the game. Superstars earn their legacies by their respect of the game, by how they make the game of basketball a part of them. Through his immature antics, Arenas is trying to make himself THE game. Myself and countless fans of my generation are disgusted with his treatment of the game and think he is a blemish on an otherwise storied franchise.

by Sick of Arenas on Dec 21, 2006 6:35 PM EST up reply actions

I didn't say everyone would disagree...

Fair enough. I'm going to disagree with you there, but you're entitled to that opinion. Most people around the blogosphere would most certainly disagree, but I'm sure many people feel as you do. Maybe it's a generational thing.

My take is that if you feel Arenas disrespects the game, then I don't know what you'd say about countless other stars today. Just because someone is unconventional doesn't mean they "disrespect the game." Hell, Pete Maravich was unconventional, and the game wouldn't have evolved if not for him.

The one point I disgree with you most is when you say that "superstars earn their legacies by their respect of the game." As much as that cliche seems to ring true, superstars are remembered by their innovation more than anything. Bill Russell is remembered for practically inventing the blocked shot, Red Auerbach for popularizing the fast break, Pete Maravich for popularizing showmanship, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson for their team play (and Magic for proving that big men can be point guards), Michael Jordan for his incredible tenacity, and Allen Iverson for his will to fight even as a little guy. Their legacy is in their innovation, and I scarcely hear anyone saying that guys like Russell and Bird and Magic don't respect the game.

Like Iverson, Arenas is misunderstood by many. It's easy to interpret his comments as egotistic, but I really don't see it. If anything, Arenas is more down to earth than any other star. Just compare his postgame comments with those of Kobe Bryant. Kobe comes across as the unsportsmanlike jerk, not Arenas.

The NBA, quite simply, is a players game. It has evolved because of it's unique superstars that challenge and reshape all the lines. Arenas is only the latest superstar to do that, and it doesn't mean he disrespects the game.

One blog I'd really encourage you to read regularly is Free Darko (freedarko.blogspot.com). It's a site that explores the legacy and style of some of our superstars, and have discussed Arenas at great length. They can articulate the nature of his psyche much better than I can.

by Mike Prada on Dec 21, 2006 9:02 PM EST up reply actions

Hibachi!

Comparing being a basketball player to a lawyer is comparing apples to orange. Are coaches disrespectful for complaining to the refs? Players for trash talking? It's all part of the game. Hibachi!

by gilbertology on Dec 26, 2006 2:41 AM EST up reply actions