Obama will make time for Kobe Bryant, but Kirk Hinrich's another matter all together. (Photo: Associated Press)

Just a few notes before I step outside to do some Christmas shopping:

-You might remember that Ted Leonsis blogged yesterday about hosting "dignitaries and VIPs" at tonight's game between the Wizards and the Miami Heat at the Verizon Center. Almost immediately the speculation began that President Barack Obama would be in the house tonight and for a while that appeared to be the case. However, this Tweet from AP sportswriter Joseph White just crossed my feed (Joseph's at the Verizon Center for this afternoon's Loyola-Georgetown game):

Secret Service just bolted from the Verizon Center. Looks like Obama's plans have changed. Not coming to #Heat-#Wizards.

Wonder if that has anything to do with this? For the record, Obama has attended just one Wizards game in his tenure: this February 27, 2009 game against his hometown Chicago Bulls.

Update 2:05 p.m. Leonsis blogs, "One of the main dignitaries scheduled to attend has been forced to cancel. He will reschedule." Definitely no Obama at tonight's Wizards game.

-Despite rumors that a Gilbert-Arenas-to-Orlando trade could be announced as early as today, it appears that Arenas will suit up for the Wizards tonight against the Heat. As you can see, the most common rumor has it that the Magic and Wizards will engage in a straight swap, with Gilbert Arenas going to Orlando and Rashard Lewis coming the other way. We'll see.

-Speaking of Ted Leonsis, he appeared on the popular "B.S. Report" podcast with Bill Simmons of ESPN.com. It hit the Internet Friday afternoon, and while I'll admit I wasn't expecting much, Leonsis and Simmons actually had a good discussion about the relationship between owners and fans and the right way to build a winner and market a team. Just a couple of the best quotes from Leonsis here:

"I believe that you rebuild your team off the back of generationally young talent that you draft and develop. And I have data that supports me on that. [The Wizards] played and got crushed by the Lakers [Tuesday night] and they have an unbelievable team. But their backcourt -- Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were drafted by the Lakers in the first round. There's been a cast of characters that have come in and out, but those guys have been bedrock."

Somebody should drive out to Ashburn, put whoever's in charge of personnel decisions in the Redskins Park equivalent of Room 101, and play this quote over and over again until they understand.

Just one more from Leonsis about the folly of giving away tickets for free to artificially boost attendance for a losing team:

"When you give tickets away, you suck the value out of the currency for all the ticket-holders. Two, when you give someone a ticket, you forget that it's their time and their money that a fan is giving you. So there's no vested interest. So, when you give a ticket away, less than 40 percent of the people who get a free ticket actually show. And because they were given the ticket for free, when they come to the game, they don't spend any money ... [You have to] suffer through it, build value, build a really good team, and then people will create the demand for you."

The entire podcast is here (Leonsis is on for the first 50 minutes or so), and is worth a listen of you've got nothing better happening today.