Gilbert Arenas got to be where he was and who he was not only because he was a tremendous basketball player, but also because he was a brilliant self-promoter who figured out long before social media overtook our lives that there was cultural currency in being bizarrely candid in a way that made him seem oddly normal.

There’s cheap irony in the realization that Arenas’ greatest strength also turned out to be his fatal flaw. It may have been the guns that got him into trouble, but it was his insistence on being Gilbert that ultimately got him suspended and opened up a series of issues with far-reaching consequences.

Based on what has been reported, Arenas clearly was wrong for bringing his guns into the Wizards locker room, which at the very least is against NBA policy and may also be against the law in the District of Columbia. That’s still under federal investigation and it seemed that NBA commissioner David Stern was willing to let the investigation play out before making a decision on the matter.

But then Arenas made it worse. He tried to have it both ways, and that was his downfall. He wanted to be the stand-up guy, but he wanted to do it on his own terms. While his official statements consisted of saying "I’m sorry" and making him appear contrite, he still was trying to be lovable old Gil — weird and goofy and maybe a little misguided, but still the same dude everyone came to really enjoy having around just a few years ago.

The latest, and best, reporting on the incident came from The Washington Post’s Mike Wise, who paints a picture of a player argument gone too far between Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, in which Crittenton wound up “loading the gun and chambering a round,” as Wise memorably put it.

Among the big revelations in the story was that it was Crittenton’s gun that was loaded and that Arenas told Crittenton he would take the media heat.

That’s admirable in a way, but Arenas badly misjudged his own abilities in the court of public opinion and the severity of the matter. So, while he not only issued his statement, he also took to Twitter, where he made ill-timed jokes, lashed out at media reports and contradicted his own statement that he clearly didn’t write or really believe, evidently.

As public relations tactics go, this was a little schizo if not outright disingenuous, but this is also why, before he got hurt, he was one of the most important players in the game in a way that went well beyond scoring a bunch of points and racking up assists. Arenas offered a real attachment to people who identified with his independent streak, his sense of humor and his quest as a player and as a person, the latter two of which both are compelling stories.

He almost pulled it off, too, pending the outcome of the investigation, but then came the Finger Guns incident in Philadelphia and that was that. Stern banned him indefinitely the next day.

If there’s a morality lesson here, other than don’t bring your guns to the locker room, obviously, it’s that, as Lang Whitaker from Slam put it: At some point you’ve got to grow up and conform to the rules of the profession. Even if you’re Gilbert Arenas and you’ve built your career on non-nonconformity.

Despite all the knee-jerk moralizing (Ban him for life!) the whole thing ultimately is regrettable. One can acknowledge that Arenas was wrong to have his guns in the locker room and still feel bad that it’s come to this.

But like Latrell Sprewell and Ron Artest before him, whatever does become of him will only wind up being part of this story. Arenas is about to become a name attached to host of different issues. A few of which he is only tangentially involved, such as the virulent racism that has been spewed in the comments section on any number of websites that wrote stories about him or the incident.

It’s more than a little disheartening that people still trot out the same tired nonsense about hip-hop culture and what they presume to be street life as if A) they have any idea about either and B) they assume that all black athletes essentially are the same person.

If there’s a new stricter rule about guns it probably will be called the “Arenas Rule,” which isn’t a fun legacy to have attached to your name. There’s the stuff about gambling, which started the whole mess and is a lot more widespread in the NBA then anyone talks about.

Then there’s the Players Association and the fact that the union’s executive director, Billy Hunter, didn’t exactly leap to Arenas’ defense.

It just so happens that the NBA and the players have a labor contract that probably will need to be negotiated after the 2011 season (the owners can opt out). It’s become clear in recent weeks that the last labor contract gave the league immense power. Add to all this the NBA’s decision to fine Knicks guard Nate Robinson after his agent demanded a trade in the press and it’s also clear that Stern isn’t afraid to use it.

By saying that Arenas was “not currently fit” to play in the NBA, Stern made the subjective decision to punish him before all the facts were in. Presumably, other players who have had gun incidents — Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair and Stephen Jackson to name three recent examples — meet Stern’s criteria for fitness. Of course, those three kept their heads down and stayed quiet.

Arenas, whether you root for him, are infuriated by him or simply are exasperated by him, just couldn’t do it. That was what made him, but it also may be what breaks him.