Gil vs. Javaris (Gun Incident)

[Dat2U]

Arenas hired a high priced defense lawyer who was formerly with the US Attorney's office in D.C. He's going to be just fine.

As a guy that's hired a former head of the US attorney's office to represent me, I can say this is a great move for Gil and gives him the best chance going forward. In my situation, I did something incredibly stupid 8 years ago and was looking at serious time in jail. It was only b/c i had a lawyer that was good friends with and knew everyone in the US attorney's office that I was able to avoid a potential 15 year sentence and enter the 1st offenders program and walk out without anything on my record. I spent about 5 years paying for my lawyer but man, was it worth it.

A wise and connected lawyer has the ability to make a huge difference in the outcome of the case.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I believe Gil wouldn't have been as forthright giving up all the information, admitting to stuff publicly, and turning over the guns voluntarily if he'd contacted a good lawyer first.

[closg00]

Anybody know if we have to pay Gilbert while he is suspended? I assume there will be huge fine that goes to the NBA coffers.

[dobrojim]

player forfeit their salaries while suspended. The league collects
fines but does not get the unpaid salaries is my understanding.
A suspended player gets a 2x hit, not paid while suspended
and whatever fine they pay the league.

[Zerocious]

As a guy that's hired a former head of the US attorney's office to represent me, I can say this is a great move for Gil and gives him the best chance going forward. In my situation, I did something incredibly stupid 8 years ago and was looking at serious time in jail. It was only b/c i had a lawyer that was good friends with and knew everyone in the US attorney's office that I was able to avoid a potential 15 year sentence and enter the 1st offenders program and walk out without anything on my record. I spent about 5 years paying for my lawyer but man, was it worth it.

A wise and connected lawyer has the ability to make a huge difference in the outcome of the case.

do i dare ask?

[greendale]

I thought that I read that the max fine would be $50K. That's pretty small if you're looking at losing $200K per game.

I assume that unpaid salaries do not count against the cap for luxury tax calculations. I could see the reasoning that an extended suspension would give the team owners enough of a reprieve on the luxury tax that they might be convinced to give the team one more try and not make a "step back" trade. I'm not suggesting that this is a wise move, just a plausible one.

[TheSecretWeapon]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

[Ruzious]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

Interesting. I wonder if this is why the Wiz apparently are in no hurry to take the initiative in suspending Gil.

[nate33]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

Arenas is owed $16M this year. If, for argument's sake, he is suspended for the rest of the season, then he would not be paid the prorated remaining portion of his salary, which is equal to $10.1M. That means we save $5M on salary cap and luxtax calculations. So ownership saves $10M for not paying him, and another $5M in luxtax penalties. Interestingly, we are only about $8M over the luxtax. If EG can find a way to shave another $3M off the luxtax number (there are creative ways of doing this involving trading James at the deadline to an under the cap team while throwing in cash to pay his salary), the team could miss the luxtax altogether and participate in the luxtax reimbursment (probably $4M or so).

Arenas' suspension could save management as much as $19M in cash. Not only that, but it would kick start the rebuild process because it makes no sense to keep Jamison around. And finally, we would tank and land a top 5 pick.

A big suspension might actually be a blessing in disguise, assuming Arenas doesn't go to jail. Arenas would be out $10M which sucks for him, but it beats having his contract voided.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

As a guy that's hired a former head of the US attorney's office to represent me, I can say this is a great move for Gil and gives him the best chance going forward. In my situation, I did something incredibly stupid 8 years ago and was looking at serious time in jail. It was only b/c i had a lawyer that was good friends with and knew everyone in the US attorney's office that I was able to avoid a potential 15 year sentence and enter the 1st offenders program and walk out without anything on my record. I spent about 5 years paying for my lawyer but man, was it worth it.

A wise and connected lawyer has the ability to make a huge difference in the outcome of the case.

do i dare ask?

There's a joke that goes: "I could tell you what I did (in the ___________ ) but if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

I have a strong suspicion nobody needs to know.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

Interesting. I wonder if this is why the Wiz apparently are in no hurry to take the initiative in suspending Gil.

If Gil is to make $16.2 M this season, and should get suspended for exactly half the season, then (only) $4.05M of the remaining 8.1 Mil to be paid to him would count against the cap. He'd only be paid 8.1M salary if suspended 41 games (probably not gonna happen, but easy math).

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding things but wouldn't that save the Wizards $16M? ($8.1M they don't pay Gil as well as $8.1M they don't pay in lux tax)

EDITED- nate just posted this ... sorry.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

Arenas is owed $16M this year. If, for argument's sake, he is suspended for the rest of the season, then he would not be paid the prorated remaining portion of his salary, which is equal to $10.1M. That means we save $5M on salary cap and luxtax calculations. So ownership saves $10M for not paying him, and another $5M in luxtax penalties. Interestingly, we are only about $8M over the luxtax. If EG can find a way to shave another $3M off the luxtax number (there are creative ways of doing this involving trading James at the deadline to an under the cap team while throwing in cash to pay his salary), the team could miss the luxtax altogether and participate in the luxtax reimbursment (probably $4M or so).

Arenas' suspension could save management as much as $19M in cash. Not only that, but it would kick start the rebuild process because it makes no sense to keep Jamison around. And finally, we would tank and land a top 5 pick.

A big suspension might actually be a blessing in disguise, assuming Arenas doesn't go to jail. Arenas would be out $10M which sucks for him, but it beats having his contract voided.

+1

nate, I wouldnt' conclude no Arenas means the team's worse. I think they'd quite possibly win more games without him.

[dobrojim]

As a guy that's hired a former head of the US attorney's office to represent me, I can say this is a great move for Gil and gives him the best chance going forward. In my situation, I did something incredibly stupid 8 years ago and was looking at serious time in jail. It was only b/c i had a lawyer that was good friends with and knew everyone in the US attorney's office that I was able to avoid a potential 15 year sentence and enter the 1st offenders program and walk out without anything on my record. I spent about 5 years paying for my lawyer but man, was it worth it.

A wise and connected lawyer has the ability to make a huge difference in the outcome of the case.

do i dare ask?

wondering the same thing, but I have also confessed to things I'm not proud
of on this board, without getting more specific than that. And I would prefer
to keep it that way.

[nate33]

nate, I wouldnt' conclude no Arenas means the team's worse. I think they'd quite possibly win more games without him.

Not as they're currently constructed, and certainly not if Jamison and/or Haywood are traded.

Arenas has flaws, but he has played real well for us over the past 15 games or so. The offense completely falls apart when he is out of the game.

One can plausibly argue that the team might play harder and play defense "the right way" if Arenas is out of the game, but I see no way the team actually wins more games without Arenas. Now if we can trade for a starting-caliber PG, then that would be a different story. I wonder if the Nets would trade Devin Harris for Caron Butler?

[dobrojim]

nate, I wouldnt' conclude no Arenas means the team's worse. I think they'd quite possibly win more games without him.

I kinda doubt this. Consider. Who is going to get his minutes and then
tell me again they are going to win more without him.

[TheSecretWeapon]

nate, I wouldnt' conclude no Arenas means the team's worse. I think they'd quite possibly win more games without him.

I kinda doubt this. Consider. Who is going to get his minutes and then
tell me again they are going to win more without him.

That's my reaction too. If Arenas gets a lengthy suspension, they'll be down to Boykins, Foye and James as their PG options.

[eltacoman]

man we need to move on from Gilbert by any means .... this team will never grow up or change.. it will stay in never ever land with Gilby running the show

[Ruzious]

According to Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon's site:

Players are not paid while they are suspended. If a player is suspended by his team, then all of his salary counts as team salary. If the player is suspended by the league, then 50% of the salary lost due to the suspension counts as team salary.

Arenas is owed $16M this year. If, for argument's sake, he is suspended for the rest of the season, then he would not be paid the prorated remaining portion of his salary, which is equal to $10.1M. That means we save $5M on salary cap and luxtax calculations. So ownership saves $10M for not paying him, and another $5M in luxtax penalties. Interestingly, we are only about $8M over the luxtax. If EG can find a way to shave another $3M off the luxtax number (there are creative ways of doing this involving trading James at the deadline to an under the cap team while throwing in cash to pay his salary), the team could miss the luxtax altogether and participate in the luxtax reimbursment (probably $4M or so).

Arenas' suspension could save management as much as $19M in cash. Not only that, but it would kick start the rebuild process because it makes no sense to keep Jamison around. And finally, we would tank and land a top 5 pick.

A big suspension might actually be a blessing in disguise, assuming Arenas doesn't go to jail. Arenas would be out $10M which sucks for him, but it beats having his contract voided.

And a lot of folks believe he really will be suspended for the rest of the season (which really surprises me - even if I do think Gil was incredibly stupid). Both Mikes on Mike & Mike on ESPN predicted he'd get the entire season. Obviously, they're not authorities, but I figure they should be somewhat plugged in.

[DCZards]

And a lot of folks believe he really will be suspended for the rest of the season (which really surprises me - even if I do think Gil was incredibly stupid). Both Mikes on Mike & Mike on ESPN predicted he'd get the entire season. Obviously, they're not authorities, but I figure they should be somewhat plugged in.

I've been a little a worried that Stern might want to make a statement given all the negative press surrounding the gun incident and suspend GA for the rest of the season. But I'm thinking more and more it's going to be a suspension of somewhere between 10 and 20 games. We'll see.

BTW, put me on the list of those who don't want to GA traded or his contract voided. What I'm really hoping is that GA is "scared straight" as a result of this stupid act and the possible consequences....and that he begins to act and play with more consistency and maturity.

[Ruzious]

And a lot of folks believe he really will be suspended for the rest of the season (which really surprises me - even if I do think Gil was incredibly stupid). Both Mikes on Mike & Mike on ESPN predicted he'd get the entire season. Obviously, they're not authorities, but I figure they should be somewhat plugged in.

I've been a little a worried that Stern might want to make a statement given all the negative press surrounding the gun incident and suspend GA for the rest of the season. But I'm thinking more and more it's going to be a suspension of somewhere between 10 and 20 games. We'll see.

BTW, put me on the list of those who don't want to GA traded or his contract voided. What I'm really hoping is that GA is "scared straight" as a result of this stupid act and the possible consequences....and that he begins to act and play with more consistency and maturity.

I agree on both parts. Ya figure I guy is what he is at that age, but an incident that shakes up a person enough can change him.