Gilbert Arenas is the NRA's newest spokesman

Original image © Keith Allison.

Arenas and the NRA have yet to make a formal announcement.

According to NBA insiders, the Wizards are considering changing the name of the team back to the “Bullets” and starting a new “Gun night” promotion.

Gun Night Promotion

Gun-toting fans who bring their favorite weapon to the game will receive a free box of “Washington Bullets” and 1/2 price on gun-themed concessions including pistol pretzels, howitzer hot dogs, and Nachos-47.

In a related note, Utah’s Andre Kirilenko is pissed.

So who will it be – which big will the Clippers trade for a swingman? The consensus choice is to move Kaman. Kaman and Randolph don’t really complement each other (at least on paper), whereas Camby and Randolph seem like they can balance each other fairly well. So where will Kaman go?

Here’s a list of potential trade partners:

• Charlotte seems like a perfect match. Gerald Wallace is a top-notch SF, Kaman is a top-notch PF/C. Neither is a superstar, but both could be in the right situation. This move likely makes both teams a little better. Still, you have to wonder why this deal hasn’t happened already. Perhaps Charlotte isn’t quite ready to part with Gerald Wallace…or perhaps there are some pieces involved that can’t be traded until the 15th of December.

• Chicago is intriguing. The Bulls need a scoring big (Tyrus Thomas is still very raw and Noah isn’t capable of becoming a scoring threat), and they have exactly what the Clippers need in Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon. Gordon has made no secret of his desire to leave Chicago, and Nocioni is a luxury Chicago likely can’t afford (not with Deng’s humongous contract). Still, the chances of this deal being made during the season are slim. Gordon loses his Bird rights if he’s traded, and considering just how much he thinks he’s worth, that’s not going to happen (Gordon can veto an in-season trade). If this deal did go down next year, both teams would be much better.

• What about the Wizards? The Wizards look like a team blowing apart. Losses are stacking up, Gilbert Arenas is talking about the positives of ending up in the lottery, and the Eastern Conference isn’t getting any softer. The Wizards haven’t been very competitive playing three perimeter all-stars in the playoffs, so maybe they should shake things up and swap Caron Butler for Kaman. Losing “tough juice” would be hard for the fans in Washington, but playing an inside-out game with Agent Zero and Kaman (with Tawn’ around to knock down open jumpers and create mismatches) would be much more traditional. It would be a bold move for the Wizards (Butler might just be the glue that holds the team together), but what they’ve been doing isn’t working. LA ends up with the best prize in this deal – a tough defender and able scorer that knows how to work with an egomaniac.

Of course, the Clippers could move Camby. His deal wouldn’t bring them as much in the way of superstar talent, but he would definitely help fill-in some of the team’s gaps. Perhaps the critics (me included) will see that Kaman and Randolph can play together. Perhaps that’s what the Clippers are hoping for too.

No matter what happens, Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby are leaving Clipperland within the next year – likely before the trade deadline.

1) Detroit Pistons – Expect Flip Saunders to improve Detroit’s offense, and look for their bench to rival many teams starting squads.

2) Chicago Bulls – Chicago was this close to making the conference finals last year, and with the expected emergence of Luol Deng, there’s no reason the Bulls can’t get over the hump this year.

3) Boston Celtics – They’ve got the big 3, but they’ll need a season or two to coalesce before they can become the best team in the East.

4) Washington Wizards – They can score as well as any team in the league, and Arenas will be playing for his next contract.

5) Cleveland Cavaliers – When you’re the defending champs, you’ve got a big target on your back. They’ll have to work much harder this year if they want to make it to the finals again.

6) Miami Heat – Any team with Dwayne Wade can make the playoffs, and Shaq’s got enough in the tank to be a force at least one more year.

7) New Jersey Nets – This team has too much talent not to make the playoffs, and could surprise a lot of people if everyone stays healthy.

8 ) New York Knicks – New York gets into the playoffs because of powerful offense, but they’ll get swept in the first round because they have no defense.

I’ve got Chicago winning it all in the East – they’ve got great defense, more than enough talent, depth, and emerging superstars in Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon. In my opinion, it’s Chicago’s conference to lose.