As hard as NBA Commissioner David Stern tries, and I honestly believe he's doing something about it but could be doing a lot more, the recent Gilbert Arenas matter leads to only one inescapable conclusion.
The NBA, beyond the shadow of any doubt, employs some of the dumbest mammals to ever walk on two legs.
Let's be exceptionally clear here that I am not lumping every single player into the same vat of idiocy. And we are going to completely leave their obvious talent out of this discussion.
But intelligence? Common sense? Any regular firing of brain synapses designed to form cogent and reasonable thought?
The lost city of Atlantis, aliens at Area 51 and the entertainment value of Dane Cook will be uncovered long before there's an IQ above single digits for these masterminds.
Arenas didn't just bring one handgun into the Verizon Center locker room, but a pair of them. Then gave the hilarious excuse it was all about playing a practical joke on a teammate. After trying to weasel out of the issue now being investigated by D.C. police as an attempt to get them out his house to keep a new baby from having access to them.
Having a specially designed weapons locker with a key or combination lock could have been the logical choice. However, at around a $250 pop for his meager lifestyle, let's give him a break on that one.
Of course, we also can't discount the possibility the baby was magically born with the manual dexterity of an older child and was heading to the gun range for a few practice sessions.
Players themselves have surmised that over 75% of NBA players own guns "for their own protection." One anonymous league official was quoted four years ago as stating that figure was a lot closer to 100% than a tossed about number of 50%.
Indiana Pacers guard T.J. Ford must be leader of this brainiac parade, quoted "If you have a license, can't nobody dispute the reason you have a gun."
Good point there, T.J. And it doesn't take an Einstein to honestly know why these bulletheads carry such weapons.
It's to be cool. Be feared. Be a man. Play the tough guy. Have some "street cred."
They use the threat of being injured or attacked by a fan as little more than an excuse. And a bad one supported by not a single shred of evidence.
And close behind them in the gray matter department are NBA and team officials who know all about their players carrying weapons and do very little about it. Until, of course, one of their Mensa candidates gets publicly nailed for something as inanely stupid as this.
So let's tell the truth here. Let's stop the dangerous and ultimately foolish game of empowering and excusing this behavior. Of failing to quickly, decisively and publicly punishing these entitled adolescents who continue to believe they are somehow special and beyond reproach or scorn.
Just call them incredibly stupid.
My Granny once told me you should never call anyone stupid.
But in this case, I'm certain even she would make an exception.