DENVER: A lot of eyebrows might have been raised this past week when Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas received an indefinite suspension from the NBA for behavior related to the locker-room gun incident that's given the NBA a black eye.
After all, didn't Cavs guard Delonte West get arrested on weapons charges just prior to the opening of training camp?
An NBA team executive who spoke on condition of anonymity said the situations are vastly different.
Arenas allegedly had his guns in the Verizon Center, the Wizards' arena, something expressly forbidden by league rules.
And Arenas was disciplined more for his behavior in the aftermath than for the incident itself.
Instead of showing some contrition, Arenas openly joked about it during the pre-game portion of a recent game and on his Twitter feed, which recently disappeared.
For anyone that's been around a pro sports locker room, the idea that the players take part in games of chance — usually involving cards of some sort — isn't big news or a big deal.
For instance, some members of the Browns regularly play a game called Tonk after practices. The Cavs indulge in friendly games of cards on the team plane.
But in light of what's going on with Arenas in that he allegedly pulled a gun out on teammate Javaris Crittenton in an incident related to a gambling debt, NBA teams are looking hard at their policies.
Nevermind that Crittenton could have weapons issues of his own, according to a Washington Post report.
The New Jersey Nets banned gambling on team flights earlier this week. The Wizards had issued a similar ban on Dec. 21.
Yes, members of the Cavs occasionally play cards for cash, but a team official said the chances that things escalate to the level of what's happening in Washington is next to nil.
As for the Nets?
They're overreacting, the source said, by punishing their players for something with which they had nothing to do.
On a lighter note
Daniel Gibson was seen at the Cavaliers' shootaround Friday with an Alabama Crimson Tide hoodie lying right next to him, part of the payoff for losing a bet with teammate Mo Williams over who would win the BCS National Championship Game.
Williams' University of Alabama beat Gibson's University of Texas Longhorns.
Williams said that he was so confident of a Tide victory that he shopped for Gibson's gear before the team left Cleveland. That confidence waned more than a little as the Longhorns, behind the efforts of freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert, made a run at Alabama.
''I was disappointed in our offense in the second half and when [running back Mark] Ingram went down,'' Williams said.
''When he came back, I got a lot of confidence back.''
Buzzer beaters
The Cavs arrived at the Pepsi Center to play the Denver Nuggets only to discover that the Nuggets would be playing short-handed. Three key players, including superstar Carmelo Anthony, who is having the best season of his career, are injured and were game-time decisions.
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