Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty to a gun charge on Jan. 15. (Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press)

Prosecutors are portraying Gilbert Arenas as a thuggish intimidator who tried to pressure a teammate into a coverup, as they argue for a three-month jail sentence for the NBA star on a weapons charge.

Arenas's lawyer says his client is "a peaceful man" who played a misguided prank and has already been severely punished for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker-room. He says the more fitting punishment is probation and community service.

Both sides staked out their positions Tuesday in court filings, ahead of Friday's sentencing in D.C. Superior Court.

Arenas pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to one felony count of violating the District of Columbia's strict gun laws, a charge stemming from a locker-room confrontation that followed a card-game dispute between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton during a Dec. 19 flight to Washington.

Authorities say Arenas threatened to shoot Crittenton in the face and blow up his car. Two days later, Arenas brought four guns to the locker-room and put them in a chair by Crittenton's locker with a sign saying, "Pick 1."

Crittenton then retrieved his own gun and showed it to Arenas.

Prosecutors wrote that the locker-room incident "was not a spur-of-the-moment joke," but rather a calculated attempt by Arenas to defend his supremacy among his peers.

"In the confined quarters of an airplane, a younger, junior player disrespected the defendant in front of the entire team," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh wrote.

"On a team where the defendant is the highest-paid player, was the face of the franchise, and is known for particularly outrageous conduct, the defendant believed he had no choice but to respond."

Arenas lied repeatedly: prosecutors

In arguing for jail time, Kavanaugh noted that Arenas lied repeatedly about why the guns were in the locker-room. Arenas first claimed he brought them to work because he wanted to get them out of the house and away from his three young children.

Also, on the day after the confrontation, Arenas told a member of the Wizards' management that Crittenton wasn't even in the locker-room when the guns were displayed, according to prosecutors.

Minutes later, Arenas asked an unnamed teammate to forward a text message to Crittenton, Kavanaugh wrote. The message instructed Crittenton about what he should tell NBA officials.

"Ur new story. U were n the training rm when u got out there were 3 guns on ur chair with a note. That said pick one. Send that to javaris ill take all the Blame," Arenas wrote, according to prosecutors. "Ill come up with the story. But that all he needs to say. If we hav to talk to the nba office."

A spokeswoman for Arenas' lawyers declined to comment on the allegation. She said the defence would respond to the government's sentencing memorandum at Friday's hearing.

Prosecutors also cited Arenas's prior conviction for carrying a concealed weapon in California in 2003 and his joking antics in the wake of the incident. They said any claim by Arenas that he was ignorant of D.C. gun laws is false, citing a November 2009 team meeting on the subject.

No more than 6 months

As part of the plea deal with Arenas, the government said in January it would not seek more than six months in jail, although the judge can give Arenas anywhere from probation to the charge's maximum term of five years.

The sentencing guidelines for someone with Arenas's record call for a sentence of six to 24 months, although the guidelines also allow for probation.

In Tuesday's filing, prosecutors also proposed that Arenas serve three years' probation and perform 300 hours of community service in addition to the three-month jail term.

Arenas's lawyers held nothing back in making the case for their client, filing a memorandum that runs 122 pages and includes numerous character-reference letters, with Arenas' father, Alana Beard of the WNBA's Washington Mystics and ESPN's Dave McMenamin among those offering their support.

There are no letters from any of Arenas's current or former Wizards teammates or coaches, or from anyone else in the Wizards organization.