Isiah Thomas Avoids Suspension

[duncan228]

It's like a three ring circus.
The NBA's trainwreck.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/01/10/isiah.ref.ap/index.html

Isiah avoids suspension
NBA: Thomas made inadvertent contact' with referee

NEW YORK (AP) -- Isiah Thomas avoided an NBA suspension, even though the league said Thursday there was contact between the New York Knicks coach and the official who threw him out of a game.

The league ruled the contact wasn't initiated by Thomas, but accidentally created by official Eric Lewis while he was ejecting Thomas from Wednesday night's game against Houston.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank called it "inadvertent contact from the official in signaling the technical foul."

Thomas was tossed with 11:19 remaining in the Knicks' 101-92 loss after he came onto the floor to yell at Lewis, claiming Rockets center Yao Ming should have been called for a 3-second violation.

Though Thomas said he didn't touch the official, they clearly made contact when Lewis was issuing Thomas' first ejection of the season.

[exstatic]

You're officially in "meltdown mode" when you get run from a game for bolting on to the court...to argue a fucking three second call. WTF? That call almost never gets made. Your bench has to basically call it by screaming at the official. Running out onto the court does NOT help your cause. :lol

[exstatic]

Oh, and didn't Tim get suspended in the Nies incident a few years back for "inadvertant" contact? When did they change the rule, or is there one?

[JamStone]

No surprises here. Just an NBA front office not suspending who they aren't supposed to suspend.

[duncan228]

Oh, and didn't Tim get suspended in the Nies incident a few years back for "inadvertant" contact? When did they change the rule, or is there one?

Duncan was suspended. Pop called it inadvertant.
The rule apparantly states that it has to be intentional.

I thought I remembered that something was later changed in Duncan's case.
Maybe the fine? I can't find anything at the moment to confirm though...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1675580

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs was suspended for one game by the NBA on Monday for pushing an official to the floor.

The two-time league MVP and five-time all-star made contact with Jack Nies in the third quarter of the Spurs' loss Saturday night to the Golden State Warriors.

Duncan was setting a pick near the Spurs' 3-point line as Nies was trying to untangle himself from another player. Duncan cut to the high post, put both hands on the official to clear some room, and Nies tumbled to the floor. The official quickly got up and called a technical.

"Circumstances and facts have to be considered in each case, and I think that clearly, here, it's obvious that the contact was both inadvertent and accidental," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before San Antonio's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. "To be suspended, the rule states that it's got to be intentional contact. So whether you want to speak intellectually, philosophically, factually, there's absolutely no support for such a decision. It's just a bad decision. It's absurd."

Popovich said his star player was surprised by the league's decision.

"Tim was shocked," Popovich said. "I mean, he almost let out a laugh, like `Are you kidding me?' It was just like a funny incident to the fans, and nothing was written about it. He was flabbergasted."

Duncan, also the series MVP when the Spurs won the NBA title last spring, was out of the lineup against the Clippers, who beat the Spurs 91-83 Monday night.

[kingsfan]

Isaiah should be kicked out the league, he's getting way too many chances. How he still has a job is beyond me.

[m33p0]

when will the knicks hit rockbottom? it seems every week they find a new depth to which to sink to.

shooting incident involving marbury next week. i'm calling it.

[Armando]

I wonder what Isiah has on Dolan and the NBA that they keep on giving him a pass.