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The Orlando Magic will not be following the lead of the New Jersey Nets, who banned all gambling games on team flights in the wake of the Washington Wizards/Gilbert Arenas/handgun upheaval, which was sparked originally by an argument over a high-stakes card game."There's no sense in having a knee-jerk reaction to everything,'' said Magic general manager Otis Smith, whose team is in Washington for a Friday night game against the Wizards. "You have to know your team, know the dynamics of it. It's not a problem here.''
In the wake of the furor surrounding the Wizards, the NBA reportedly is considering a push to restrict gambling by players as part of the next collective bargaining agreement, even though poker games on team flights are a time-honored tradition on long charter flights.
Nets general manager Rod Thorn told the New York Times this week that his team recently enacted a ban on gambling, although also saying it had not been a problem.
One reason the gambling and card playing is so common is that players receive their daily per diem of $113 at the start of most road trips in one lump sum. A typical eight-day trip means that all players are boarding the first flight with more than $900 cash from the team. Losses can be settled quickly.
Smith said his team does have a rule that discourages big wads of cash visible on the table.
"I don't see a problem with a friendly card game,'' he said. "If there was a lot of high-stakes gambling going on -- if it got out of hand -- then maybe I'd say something. You have to know your team.''
Smith, unlike many general managers, always has traveled with his team on road trips, along with the basketball staff. All NBA teams also travel with at least one security person, usually an off-duty police officer.
"I've always believed that you can do things in moderation,'' Smith said. "That's my view on a lot of things today.''
According to most reports, the Arenas handgun controversy -- that has led to an indefinite suspension by commissioner David Stern -- stemmed from hard feelings that started during an in-flight card game and a large sum of money.
And two days later, the argument spilled into the Wizards locker room, where Arenas admittedly displayed his unloaded guns.
"This whole thing has raised everyone's awareness,'' Smith said. "We're constantly trying to educate our players, not just about guns, but about everything that's out there. Have we done everything we can to avoid problems? Probably not. But with all this out there now, this is probably a good time to do it.''
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