Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards Lose the Handle in Detroit

Under the very reasonable assumption that the talent-stocked Washington Wizards could easily overpower an undermanned Detroit Pistons squad on Sunday night, I didn't bother to watch the game.

I was painfully reminded of the old refrain about making assumptions when the Wizards-Pistons game" target="_blank">Wizards dropped the game 98-94 to the Pistons' bench.  Respected Wiz pundits are calling it the official low point of the Wizards' young season:

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I know Flip Saunders said that he was most disappointed after the Wizards lost to the Toronto Raptors on Friday, but what happened on Sunday in Auburn Hills, Mich., was borderline shameful. – Michael Lee

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There is NO reason this gar-BAGE Pistons team should be in the same game with the Wizards. – TruthAboutIt.Net (via Twitter )

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Paging Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert Arenas, please report to the fourth quarter of the #Wizards vs. #Pistons . Gilbert Arenas, to the Palace. – Bullets Forever ( via Twitter )

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To be honest, if the Wizards won't show up to play, I don't want to show up to watch.  I will, because it’s the Wizards, and there has to be some object of basketball desire in Charm City beyond the Morgan State Bears.

But I don’t foresee a workable scenario where Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler all get enough shots to stay engaged in a game and maintain defensive integrity for more than three straight possessions.  I just don’t see it happening.

When you know a car wreck is unfolding before your eyes, the moral part of you wants to look away and avoid the grotesque aftermath. You know what you’ll see will make you cry, will make you think, will make you fearful.  But carnage has an allure as well; it reminds us of how lucky we are to have avoided it, even just for that moment.

In the case of the Wizards, we look just because we’re used to it.

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