Wizards Turn Into Fight Club

Jordan countered by calling Arenas's correlation "stupid," and stated that his star player lacks leadership qualities found in other top point guards like Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.

If I'm Arenas, I'm concerned about my All-Star Game minutes on Sunday.

Look, they may not be in deep trouble. As one knowledgeable fan surmised afterward, no one got hurt, the game wasn't on television (which means either no one saw it or, if you work for ESPN, it never happened), and, through a contest shown on the video scoreboard, we found out Butler is a natty dresser. Oh, and Washington is still in first place in the Southeast Division this morning.

But the larger concern is the self-destruction mode in which the Wizards find themselves. In pro sports this is called being unable to handle prosperity, and it affects every good team at some point in their evolution as a contender.

That the Wizards can be this emotionally honest with each other instead of letting these feelings of resentment linger for the second half of the season is a blessing in disguise. Let it out. Let it all out now and rebuild those bonds. Or bow out in the first round again.

The best development at the Phone Booth yesterday was the fans. They booed early and often, letting the Wizards know how they played against Portland was unacceptable. One of my biggest pet peeves about pro basketball in Washington used to be the apathy. My friend Dave Ross over at Fox 5 thought the jeers seemed a little fair-weather, the idea being Portland was one of 82 games and it's been a very memorable season thus far.

But the more the paying customers let the players and the organization know how they feel, the more they demand change in either effort or personnel when things are going badly, the quicker management responds. The entertainment dollar is too precious in this town to have the masses lose interest in a hot product.

The East is not going to be sub-par forever. The Wizards have a window now and they need to jump through before it closes.

I made it clear last month this team deserved a chance to stay together to see what it could accomplish. That meant not shopping Jamison, keeping the core of Jamison, Butler and Arenas together until they graduate to the next level of the playoffs. If not, then you can consider changes.

But I'm backing off supporting the role players. This is a two-man team right now, full of holes on the bench, in the middle, everywhere.

Though I ultimately believe Hayes is going to be a very good player in this league, his confidence isn't there yet. Even when Jamison returns, the Wizards need one more player off the bench who can put the ball in the hole.

It doesn't have to be the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, from the old Bad Boys championship teams. At this moment, a toaster would do. Either way, Grunfeld has to consider a trade if something makes sense.

The forecast has changed since Jamison went down. Things are no longer calm and carefree in the corner of Wizards' locker room belonging to Gilbert Arenas.

This isn't merely about a blow-up between Arenas and Jordan, another melee between Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood or even another deflating loss at home.

This is about the Wizards fighting themselves. In practice. On the court. In the locker room. And if it doesn't stop now, this signature season will slip away.