How to punish the Pacers and Pistons

[exstatic]

...the organizations, that is. Take both of their #1 picks in addition to any other actions. That way, even if the suspensions cause Indy to miss the playoffs, there is no silver lining.
:spin

[ShoogarBear]

I actually like the idea of losing picks.

It will certain hurt a team a lot more in the long run than any cash fine. Maybe motivate the front offices and coaching staffs a little more in terms of considering the ramifications.

[Kori Ellis]

This should happen especially if Jack, JO and Artest get long extensions and the Pacers tank. The league can't let them end up being rewarded for this incident.

[ShoogarBear]

Ahh, I bet the league probably doesn't think that far in advance.

Make sure you bring up this question about the Pacers or Pistons potentially getting some long-term benefit from the suspensions whenever you can, Kori.

[2pac]

Quentin Richardson of the Suns - "I havent seen a game end in a brawl like that since high school."

[ShoogarBear]

Q also apparently said while watching the game (paraphrasing) "There's going to be lawsuits. People are going to go after that NBA money."

[ducks]

I think the first round pick for 2 years are in order for pacers

[adidas11]

Uh, why aren't we talking about the appopriate punishments for the Pistons and their fans. They were WAY more responsible for this situation than the individual Pacers players.

[dcole50]

Uh, why aren't we talking about the appopriate punishments for the Pistons and their fans. They were WAY more responsible for this situation than the individual Pacers players.The Piston players forced Artest to charge into the stands and assault a fan? Nope. He did that on his own. If he can't control himself, he shouldn't be on the court (or in this case, laying on the scorer's table).

[Marcus Bryant]

Get real. No matter what, a player doesn't leave the court. A real professional also doesn't lie on the scorer's table like a fool.

[adidas11]

See what happened to AS Roma when a fan threw an object that connected with the referee in the Champions League earlier this season in European soccer. UEFA punished AS Roma by forcing them into closed-stadium games for the rest of the entire round. That will result in a huge dollar loss for AS Roma.

Fans can't be throwing shit at the players, plain and simple. What if it wasn't just a beer, but something else that was thrown? What if one of the players were seriously injured. Without a doubt, the Pistons fans are most responsible for this situation. I'm not excusing what Artest did, but the Pistons fans have to be punished accordingly as well. They played an equal, if not more important part in this problem.

[Medvedenko]

Yes, take away picks and fine both teams heavily.

[Marcus Bryant]

I don't care about your soccer example. It was a fucking drink not a battery. A mature player will not run into the seats because of that. If Artest was really concerened about his safety why the fuck run to the guy in the first place?

Normally, most pros are able to compose themselves and not do such a foolish thing. Normally, the fan in question is located and ejected. There is no reason why the Pistons should be forced to pay for the stupidity of Artest.

[Marcus Bryant]

Sixer fans have thrown shit on the court before. Fans throughout the NBA have poured drinks and shit on players at various arenas. Artest clearly overreacted and unfortunately that led to some rather piss poor decisions made by Jack and O'Neal.

[dcole50]

What if it wasn't just a beer, but something else that was thrown? What if one of the players were seriously injured. Without a doubt, the Pistons fans are most responsible for this situation.
Huh? There is no room for "what if's" in this scenario. They didn't throw anything else. They didn't throw anything that could harm anyone. One person through a cup full of beer at Artest.

If he's too mentally unstable to handle that, then he shouldn't be on the court. The person who threw the cup is to blame, but more blame should go on Artest for elevating the chaos by storming the stands and attacking an innocent fan.

I've never seen a player be seriously injured by getting hit in the jaw with a plastic cup and getting wet. He should have been more mature in how he handled the situation.

[adidas11]

Ok, so it's now open season on the players, and the fans aren't held to any level of responsibility whatsoever.

I expected a response like that from you SpursFan. Pathetic.

Too bad that most of the general public blames the Pistons fans, along with everyone that I have talked to as well. LOL

Dcole, it doesn't matter. Fans shouldn't be throwing ANYTHING at the players. They should be punished accordingly.

[Marcus Bryant]

So I see you are prepared to hold pro athletes unaccountable for their behavior. Your logic is pathetic and I don't give a damn what your mom and dad told you when you left the basement for dinner.

Fans that throw shit are usually ejected. They are held responsible. Not by players, but by security personnel. Players that go into the stands and attack fans are not immune from responsibility, regardless of the provocation. If you want to defend Ron Artest's stupidity, go right ahead. That says enough about you.

[E20]

What if the chair connected that was thrown at JO. I wonder what might happen after that.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

What if the chair connected that was thrown at JO. I wonder what might happen after that.

It did connect - and that should be the bigger crime. Not that it didn't connect with JO, but with a fan/security.

[dcole50]

Dcole, it doesn't matter. Fans shouldn't be throwing ANYTHING at the players. They should be punished accordingly.It's up to the police and security to punish them. Not Artest's fists. I'm not defendng whoever throw the cup -- that peson should be banned from games. Let the authorities handle that.

But Artest not only embarassed the league, but he hurt his team. Now they'll be without three of their best players for a while. Cooler heads should have prevailed. Artest let the Piston fan win by not being mature about the situation and acting like a street thug.