Pooh
12-09-2003, 07:08 AM
Coach says he can't ignore that his star big man gets fouled excessively.
By Sekou Smith
[email protected]
December 9, 2003
Ron Artest sat quietly, earphones on his head, eyeballing a DVD of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on his laptop shortly before Sunday night's game against the Sacramento Kings.
From the perspective of the Indiana Pacers, what transpired on the floor at Arco Arena after tipoff wasn't much different from the clutching and grabbing that captivated Artest earlier.
How else could they explain Jermaine O'Neal taking 27 shots, with Sacramento defenders glued to his back the entire night, and shooting just two free throws?
O'Neal, one of only five players in the NBA averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, gets just 5.0 free throws per game. By contrast, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan average 9.3 and 8.2, respectively.
"For Jermaine O'Neal not to be averaging eight free throws a game is preposterous," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said from his office Monday afternoon. "The guy is getting absolutely mauled every night and I can't stand back and watch it anymore."
Carlisle and his staff prepared a video with 27 clips from three games of their recent Western Conference trip, detailing instances they feel show O'Neal absorbing too much contact.
The Pacers, who return to action tonight against Washington at Conseco Fieldhouse, have already contacted NBA officials by phone, with plans to send the video to illustrate their point.
"My biggest concern right now is that Jermaine O'Neal is playing exceedingly hard and playing with great restraint," Carlisle said. "He doesn't have a technical foul this season, yet he's not getting rewarded for the type of play and restraint he's shown while taking the physical abuse that he does. If he were getting the calls he deserves as a premier player in this league, he would average eight-plus free throws a game like Tim Duncan is.
"We're dealing with a serious issue here because it also involves the long-term physical well-being of one of the game's best young players. He's taking an inordinate amount of physical punishment and it has to stop. We're going to show the league that this is wrong and there's going to have to be a remedy."
O'Neal tried to plead his case after a 78-76 home loss to Boston on Nov. 11. He felt he was fouled on two offensive possessions late in the game, making that clear in his postgame comments. But that resulted in a $5,000 fine for criticizing the game officials.
"You guys watch the game," an exasperated O'Neal said after the loss to the Kings. "You can call it whatever you want to call it. I don't want to speak about it because you know what happens when you speak about it.
"I thought we were allowed to talk to officials in this league," O'Neal said, "but I guess we aren't."
That was clear during a rather peculiar exchange late in Sunday night's game.
O'Neal and Sacramento center Vlade Divac were maneuvering for position on an out-of-bounds play in front of Indiana's bench. Both players complained to officials about the other.
Referee Bob Delaney ordered both players to calm down. Divac, however, turned to another official, Ron Olesiak, to plead his case.
Olesiak glared at Indiana's bench, where Carlisle and two of his assistants were on their feet. Then the ref looked back at O'Neal and yelled at him to tuck his shirt in.
"You just had to say something to me didn't you?" O'Neal shouted back. "You just had to say something."
Carlisle said O'Neal was wronged, as was his team in an earlier incident.
After watching the game tape, Carlisle is convinced Artest's second-quarter ejection was unwarranted.
"Unfortunately there were signs in the game and calls made based upon reputation of things that may have happened in the past, and that's alarming to me that that could happen," Carlisle said.
"As a head coach, I've got to do the right thing and tell my guys they're going to have to play some questionable officiating at times. But when it gets to the point where I believe it becomes unfair, then I've got to stand up for my team."
By Sekou Smith
[email protected]
December 9, 2003
Ron Artest sat quietly, earphones on his head, eyeballing a DVD of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on his laptop shortly before Sunday night's game against the Sacramento Kings.
From the perspective of the Indiana Pacers, what transpired on the floor at Arco Arena after tipoff wasn't much different from the clutching and grabbing that captivated Artest earlier.
How else could they explain Jermaine O'Neal taking 27 shots, with Sacramento defenders glued to his back the entire night, and shooting just two free throws?
O'Neal, one of only five players in the NBA averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, gets just 5.0 free throws per game. By contrast, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan average 9.3 and 8.2, respectively.
"For Jermaine O'Neal not to be averaging eight free throws a game is preposterous," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said from his office Monday afternoon. "The guy is getting absolutely mauled every night and I can't stand back and watch it anymore."
Carlisle and his staff prepared a video with 27 clips from three games of their recent Western Conference trip, detailing instances they feel show O'Neal absorbing too much contact.
The Pacers, who return to action tonight against Washington at Conseco Fieldhouse, have already contacted NBA officials by phone, with plans to send the video to illustrate their point.
"My biggest concern right now is that Jermaine O'Neal is playing exceedingly hard and playing with great restraint," Carlisle said. "He doesn't have a technical foul this season, yet he's not getting rewarded for the type of play and restraint he's shown while taking the physical abuse that he does. If he were getting the calls he deserves as a premier player in this league, he would average eight-plus free throws a game like Tim Duncan is.
"We're dealing with a serious issue here because it also involves the long-term physical well-being of one of the game's best young players. He's taking an inordinate amount of physical punishment and it has to stop. We're going to show the league that this is wrong and there's going to have to be a remedy."
O'Neal tried to plead his case after a 78-76 home loss to Boston on Nov. 11. He felt he was fouled on two offensive possessions late in the game, making that clear in his postgame comments. But that resulted in a $5,000 fine for criticizing the game officials.
"You guys watch the game," an exasperated O'Neal said after the loss to the Kings. "You can call it whatever you want to call it. I don't want to speak about it because you know what happens when you speak about it.
"I thought we were allowed to talk to officials in this league," O'Neal said, "but I guess we aren't."
That was clear during a rather peculiar exchange late in Sunday night's game.
O'Neal and Sacramento center Vlade Divac were maneuvering for position on an out-of-bounds play in front of Indiana's bench. Both players complained to officials about the other.
Referee Bob Delaney ordered both players to calm down. Divac, however, turned to another official, Ron Olesiak, to plead his case.
Olesiak glared at Indiana's bench, where Carlisle and two of his assistants were on their feet. Then the ref looked back at O'Neal and yelled at him to tuck his shirt in.
"You just had to say something to me didn't you?" O'Neal shouted back. "You just had to say something."
Carlisle said O'Neal was wronged, as was his team in an earlier incident.
After watching the game tape, Carlisle is convinced Artest's second-quarter ejection was unwarranted.
"Unfortunately there were signs in the game and calls made based upon reputation of things that may have happened in the past, and that's alarming to me that that could happen," Carlisle said.
"As a head coach, I've got to do the right thing and tell my guys they're going to have to play some questionable officiating at times. But when it gets to the point where I believe it becomes unfair, then I've got to stand up for my team."