Analyzing

A lot of stuff have been going on in All-Star weekend. Rookies beat the Sophomores, Krypto-Nate wins his third Slam Dunk contest, Steve Nash performs well to win the Skills challenge, Durant holds his title in H.O.R.S.E., and Paul Pierce stole it away in the three-point shootout. Now the Eastern Conference All-Star will be facing the Western All-Stars. It looks to be good. But another thing happened too.

A trade was rumored and it was finally made. Caron Butler wasn't fitting well with the Wizards' play, or in other words: Flip Saunders' style. And Josh Howard wasn't fitting well with the Mavericks' play, or in other words: Rick Carlisle's style. Both were going to get shipped off, and they both knew. It's business. Just flat-out business, nothing else.

And the trade happened. The Mavericks shipped off Josh Howard and Drew Gooden along with reserves, Quinton Ross and James Singleton, to Washington for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson.

The Mavericks decided not to trade Erick Dampier, who is the only shot-blocking center left who can still contribute. That's where Brendan Haywood came into the mix. Josh Howard wasn't doing well lately with Dallas anyways, and he kept struggling. The Wizards were in large talks in other players like Andre Iguodala, Amare Stoudemire, and most notably: Tracy McGrady.

But this looks good for the Mavs. I believe they got the better end of the deal. With these guys, they can contend better in the West now, but not fully.

"It [the trade] makes us significantly better," Mark Cuban said.

Butler will most probably fall at shooting guard with Jason Terry backing him up. Shawn Marion will be at small forward. DeShawn Stevenson will be used as a pretty good backup player . Haywood will most probably start in front of Dampier at Center with Nowitzki at power forward.

"Caron is an established professional and an All-Star with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor," said Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations. "Brendan will solidify our center position with athleticism, shot-blocking and defense. DeShawn has also shown that he can be a talented asset to this team."

Washington also could've brought in Rodrigue Beaubois, but Cuban told the media that he is "untouchable."

"We're all disappointed in how our season has gone. We need some freshness and we're getting proven players who will help us, and it gives us some flexibility down the road," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "We want to remain competitive and maybe this group can provide a spark. The group had gotten stale, and we needed a change."

With this trade, Antwan Jamison will no longer be in trade talks, in my opinion. They have been heating down as the days have gone by, and now after this, it should be dead. With Gilbert Arenas gone, the Wizards need Jamison. With their additions, Josh Howard will start at SF with Ross backing him up. Singleton will be a backup power forward to Jamison while Gooden will be the starting center. Randy Foye and Mike Miller will stay at the starting guards.

Butler will be heavily missed by Washington. He says he will play with the same desire like he did with the Wizards.

"Different teams go through different situations. The Mavs went through it in the '90s, the Wizards are going through some issues right now," Cuban said. "Sometimes giving guys a fresh home I think re-energizes them, and will work the other way, too. I think Josh will find himself re-energized with the Wizards."

With All-Star break coming to an end, the Mavericks look to play real tough in the closing games of the 2009-10 NBA Season.

"We haven't been playing well, that's for sure. Sometimes people might think that moving someone or making a trade can help," Jason Kidd said before the trade was announced. "We have a big week coming out of the All-Star break ... 30 games left, it's a sprint now, not a marathon. I think we're going to be ready for that."

Kidd tells ESPN that he is excited about the trade.

"It gives us a chance to win," Kidd said. "When you're talking about Caron, Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson, you have three quality players. The West is strong. This hopefully gives us a chance to compete against [the Lakers] and Denver."

It's a good trade for both teams. I look forward to see what happens when All-Star break closes and it's back to NBA action.

Where is Mr. Stern? Gilbert Arenas' Stupidity Indicates Zero Tolerance

The last thing the District of Columbia needs is a gun duel in Barack’s backyard, in the nation’s capital where homicide rates are a disgrace, overwhelming and repulsive. Years ago, the local basketball team had enough sense to change its name from the Washington Bullets to the Wizards.

However, for years, the NBA has dealt with disturbing scenes because of firearms, and players have been comfortable with lugging around concealed weapons. Wasn’t it David Stern, the intolerant NBA commissioner, who cracked down on those who committed fraud and reckless crimes, and said players should leave their guns at home or they would levy massive suspensions or fines?

If so, Gilbert Arenas warrants the same type of punishment. His recent actions define stupidity and ignorance, and it must be taken seriously.

By using poor judgment, arguably the most beloved and entertaining sports figure in Washington brought four unloaded guns to stash in his locker at the Verizon Center.

Arenas’ flimsy excuses are even more pathetic than his obnoxious shouts of “Hibachi” anytime he takes a shot.

On Monday in a statement, Arenas wrote an I-want-you-to-feel-sorry-for-me message. “I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in D.C. gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District."

Shut up, Mr. Know It All Arenas. Point of the matter is, you had weapons in your locker.

And fact is, you have to pay the consequences for pulling out a gun on your teammate, Jarvaris Crittenton.

When someone commits a foolish mistake, it’s funny that they usually soften the truth. Well now, Arenas tries to clear his name and put aside all the headaches of a potential indictment on gun charges, jail time and even a harsh suspension.

What he considers to be a prank isn’t a joke, and he could endanger his career. Before Christmas, Arenas disclosed he had guns, and revealed a horrendous side of his life, after pointing a gun at Crittenton in a conflict over a card-game gambling debt.

Isn’t that stupid?

For a player known as the vintage Agent Zero, he's earning damn near $111 million over six years. Two years ago he became the sixth player, since the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement was established in 1999, to sign a large deal. He gave his side of the story when he met with officials Monday.

Following the meeting, he wrote: “I took the loaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate. Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone. Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong. I should not have brought the guns to D.C. in the first place, and I now realize that there’s no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns—even if unloaded.”

Sorry, I don’t buy into Arenas' story. He doesn’t have the guts to man up and admit to his wrongdoings. And now, instead of referring to him as Agent Zero, he has become the man of Zero Tolerance. That said, Stern has the audacity to suspend the contemptible superstar, but has yet to hammer Arenas for his faulty judgment.

There’s enough evidence to issue a suspension, sending an influential statement to all players for a problem that has transpired in the NBA.

From my perspective, Arenas deserves to miss the remainder of the season and should be banned immediately.

Hell, if Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest was banned an entire season for charging into the stands in Detroit and igniting the Malice at the Palace brawl, then Arenas deserves a steep punishment as well.

Put it this way, he violated NBA rules by carrying a gun to a venue.

A player having possession of firearms is worse than a player jumping into the stands.

There was even the Tim Donaghy point-shaving scandal, a corrupted ordeal that forced Stern to dismiss Donaghy from officiating games. In a league trying to remove itself from a diabolical era, punishing disobedient athletes is a way to minimize the thuggish behavior.

Nonetheless, Stern can issue multiple suspensions and fines, as the league is still investigating Cleveland’s Delonte West, whose mental issues may have related to his arrest in Maryland last summer for possession of two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun while he was speeding on a motorcycle. There was Stephen Jackson, who acknowledged that he fired a gunshot into the air outside a strip club in Indianapolis for protection.

Sebastian Telfair carried a loaded handgun on Portland’s team plane years ago, too. There are, believe it or not, a number of NBA stars that own firearms. Even New Jersey point guard Devin Harris believes so, and told reporters he’s convinced 75 percent of the league’s players own guns. I wouldn’t be surprised, with the endless troubles it has advertised in recent years.

As the local citizens in the D.C. region describe Arenas as a franchise player, I’ll take matters into an opposite direction and refer to him as a worthless S.O.B.

By being objective, he has an arrogant personality every time he shoots a long-range jumper or aggressively drives to the paint. Sadly, Arenas is a perfect example of someone who illustrates ignorance of the law, and he must be held accountable for his gruesome misdeeds.

Our society must recognize the danger guns could bring in the workplace or the public in general. For an immature, careless Arenas, who has ignored Stern’s plea of leaving guns at home, tells us more about a league full of scoundrels, a league without guidelines to rid all the unnecessary madness.

If there are a myriad of players who own firearms, it poses a problem in the NBA. The league is ridiculed and many superstars are described as thugs for infamous brawls or shootings at birthday bashes.

To be straightforward, Stern must wear his stern face and announce a suspension. Or else the NBA could quickly turn into a CSI scene, and would remain the league known for its thugs.