So THAT's what: Arenas suspended indefinitely without pay

This morning started with me asking, 'OK, so now what' as in, what's next in the Gilbert Arenas saga. David Stern answered that for us by suspending Arenas "indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

Stern made his move less than 24 hours after Arenas made light of his situation by pretending to shoot his teammates during a pregame huddle in Philadelphia last night. After the game, Arenas said that he expected to have to meet with Stern soon, and added "Stern is mean."

Stern showed how mean by pulling the plug on Arenas' comedy act, although the legal process has yet to fully play out. Each game Arenas misses will cost the guard $147,208. David Stern, in his statement said he had at first decided to hold off and wait until the D.C. authorities completed their investigation, but after seeing how Arenas didn't seem to take the situation seriously, the commissioner scrapped the waiting game.

Here's the statement from Stern in it's entirety.

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action. Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

The Wizards fully support the commissioner's decision, and quickly issued a statement of their own, which reads:

“We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas. Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert’s recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert’s behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin’s leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so.”

Ernie Grunfeld, President, Washington Wizards

Irene Pollin, Principal Owner, Washington Sports and Entertainment (WSE)

Robert Pollin, Chief Executive Officer, WSE

James Pollin, President, WSE

It's not the way to spend a birthday, is it? Instead of going to battle with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in one of his favorite arenas away from home, Arenas now won't even be on hand, and who knows when he'll be back on the court. It's sad because had Arenas been able to keep his mouth shut, he would still be playing. But, being his own agent, he didn't have someone to walk him through this. You would think the Wizards instructed him to keep quiet, but as is often the case, Arenas is his own worst enemy. Look at the contrasting side: Javaris Crittenton hasn't been heard from since this all began. His agent Mark Bartelstein issued a statement, and that's been it. Gilbert during the summer said that he wished that during his reoccurring comebacks that the Wizards had protected him from himself. Everyone came down on him, but maybe Gilbert was onto something. Maybe an agent in his ear could have kept him quiet. But then again, maybe not.

During a post-game interview last week before the New York Post' whole pistol-packing-point-guards story came out, the Post sent a reporter to talk to Arenas about his gun possessions. Members of the Wizards PR staff tried to keep Arenas from responding to questions, and tried to get the reporter to leave. But Arenas kept brushing the team's staff members to the side and kept answering questions. That's when he made his "I'm a bank robber, I like to rob banks," joke about why he owned guns.

Now Arenas has plenty of time on his hands. Most agree with Stern's ruling, but there are fans who are disappointed even now and believe Arenas should fight it. He doesn't have much of a leg to stand on, however. He has been a huge distraction, he has mocked the commissioner, he has continued to claim he did nothing wrong, although he obviously did by having guns on the team property. David Stern no doubt had pressure to move now with Arenas' comments airing repeatedly on ESPN. And so, he made his move. Maybe now Arenas understands how serious this situation is. Maybe he always did, but tried to act like he didn't to deal with the stress. Either way, he's in an even worse situation now. Stern said "suspension and perhaps worse." Worse obviously has to do with the possible jail time and the remainder of his $111 contract being voided. Now that is no laughing matter.