nothing that fan does, justifys Artest going into the stands.I really dont think that they can suspend artest so harshly until they find the fan who started the whole incident
Stop feeling sorry for asshole Artest.
What crap. Artest should be out for the season. Up until the point he ran into the seats the guy on the court facing the stiffest penalty was BWallace. I guess Ron Ron couldn't stand to be shown up like that.
Hopefully the NBA doles out a special fine for stupidity to Jermaine O'Neal.
This wasn't as bad it was worse. these chumps (ALL OF THEM) got off light.
Y'know after reflecting on these suspensions I've realized that SJax should have been hit with the hardest suspension, 20GAMES??!!?? He had no business out there in the first place he was wailing on people, inticing fans and players alike!!!! What a jerk.
Chances are that the player's agents and the player's union lawyers won't though.Carlisle said today that they were accepting whatever the league decided.
So any person who attends games should be punished for something that a few rowdy fans initiated? That makes no sense at all.
NBA fans in Miami had as much to do with the melee as the ten year old kids sitting in the upper deck in Detroit did. If a kid in Miami and a kid in Detroit are equally innocent (or guilty, in your case) of initiating the brawl, shouldn't every NBA fan be banned from games?
I couldn't agree more. They should be suspended for the remainder of the year IMO. That's with the exception of Wallace, of course.That's not enough. The guys who went into the stands should be sent a message, loud and clear. And the message should be strong enough to where anyone won't think about doing it again.
Jax was just as guilty as Artest was, he should serve the same length.
The only way this suspension has any teeth is if:
1. the suspensions are without pay
2. Artest is not allowed to promote his rap album
3. The Pacers' suspensions must be served concurrently (none of this staggered bull )
spurster - leaving the bench earns you an automatic one game suspension. They'll stagger the suspensions so that each team has enough to play.
Time to go find some fantasy team replacements.
I'm not so keen on number two though. His rap album really has nothing to do with the situation, and it's hard to imagine the NBA having the legal ability to prevent Artest from doing that.
These suspensions are way too light. The NBA wimped out (compare with suspension of Spree for an egregious but non-game, non-public violation).
Come on, Larry, you who did so much so beautifully and classfully to revive and glorify the NBA must hit harder at the IND organization level.
I suggest NBA fans individually apply their own punishment to show their repulsion for these mofo's having disgraced the glorious game we all love:
When these players are introduced or are at the FT line, stand, turn your butt-side to the floor, and boo.
Larry Bird doesn't care, for Larry Bird Can Get Away With Anything. ©2004 MB Enterprises, Inc.
If anything, that's the main reason to bring harsher sentences.
The one visual from the Spree incident is PJ showing his red marks against his light skin.
Even still, that visual can't be nearly as ingrained as the one of Jax with a straight right to the fan in the black shirt.
The visual of O'Neal "nearly blowing his ACL" to connect with a "fan", the visual of Tinsley with a dustpan mimicking David Ortiz.
The visual of a single photograph of Artest on the court after being removed from the stands, his jersey asymmetrically stretched downward with a look of silent rage in his eyes.
Those visuals will almost certainly define those three players for the remainder of their careers. Other than maybe Spurs fans, who will replace the image of Jax in his black #3 celebrating the big shot with his mouth forever cemented in his celebratory scream with his stance of a street fighter - challenging his opposing players, or Jax leaving the arena -welcoming the verbal and liquid assaults from those above him, similar to a heretic facing above-ground assaults by his former followers.
Artest should never have gone into the stands and was stupid to do so but
I personally think he is being over villified for it...
Wallace clearly was trying to provoke Artest...and despite artests reputation for his hair trigger temper Artest was clearly trying to defuse the situation...Wallace pushed/hit him in the throat and kept pursueing him...Wallace kept trash talking at Artest and threw the towel at him...Artests adrenaline must have been sky high but he still didn't respond...he was apparently doing a deep breathing anger management thing on the scorers table when the beer cup hit him in the face...he snapped and went into the stands after the guy that hit him...
Again, I am not saying he was right but even then he didn't go in swinging...he just shoved the guy down by putting his hand on his face...he didn't actually start trying to hit anyone till the mob swarmed him...
SJax on the other hand went up into the stands wailing away with roundhouse punches...
As soon as Artest got loose from the mob he returned to the center of the floor and again appeared to be trying to calm himself...when those two idiots came out on the floor after him...
LMAO...what the was that fat little er THINKING?...dumb comes waddling out at Artest talking smack and coming after him...
*POP*....stupid SOB never even saw what hit him ...I LMAO every time I saw that clip on TV...
rick will not fight they will accept whatever
atleast the pacers are trying to clean up their image
Are you ing kidding me? Artest attacked a random fan. He shoved the guy down by the throat and was starting to climb on board and wail on him but the surrounding fans grabbed him and held him back. Ron practically had to be dragged back onto the court and after the second incident he had to be guided/pushed into the tunnel and the lockerroom. Anger management my ass. The guy snapped and there's no excuse for it.
IMO, the suspensions are way too short.
I heard someone on ESPN (I think it was Legler) say something like, "If a fan goes on the court, he gets what's coming to him." I was thinking yesterday that Artest, SJax, and O'Neal are lucky they weren't shot or stabbed going into the stands. With that in mind- would those players have got what was coming to them? Imagine if Artest went up against a whole crew of thugs and got beat down? All things considered, the Pacers that went into the stands are really lucky they aren't dead.
I also heard the Pistons are doubling their police and private security presence at the Palace. I called it (then again, not a stretch of the imagination); you heard it here first.
I agree with what Legler said...like when those dorks in Chicago ran on to the field during the White Sox game and the players jumped on them. They deserved it. But you are also correct TSB....the players made a choice to go in there....they shouldn't have and look what happened.
Everytime you post on this, you prove that you are a Pacers homer and apply no common sense.
More of the same 'ol thing!
Without absolving the fan you are mentioning, let me point out something to you. You say it was that fan who "started it all". I beg to differ. It was Artest who started it by cheap shotting Big Ben and then went over to the scoring table and laid on his back ,crossing his knee over, and started whistling, taunting the players, fans, and the refs. That is what started it!!!!! What happened after that is inexcusable. I do not condone the action of that fan. But, thats just it! That fan!!!!!!!!! . He should be sought out and punished accordingly. It was Artest and Jackson who elevated the situation from there. They should not have gone into the stands. If you can not see that, then you are not being objective.
Drachen,
No, it's not being a disgruntled fan. It's being able to see the big picture and feeling that a player should not be rewarded for being an asshole. In Artest's case, he had recently been reported as wanting a month or two off from hoops to promote his rap album.Your number 2 point has nothing to do with the NBA so this is really wishful thinking by a disgruntled fan. Also, how would you punish the fans involved. A lifetime ban from the pistons games??
So, 1) you punish him on the court and 2) you don't allow him to profit from it off the court.
As for the fans involved, any season ticket holders identified as being involved would lose their season tickets without any right to a refund. Video tapes turned over to the police and criminal disorderly conduct charges filed (the league wouldn't really have much to do with, and more importantly does not have the jurisdiction to do so, it's a law enforcement matter), and where appropriate assault charges (i.e., dumb s trying to cheapshot Pacer players).
It wasn't a few drunken fans. It looked like half the lower level was throwing crap on the floor and at the players as they went to the locker room.
That occurred after Artest and Jack decided to rush the seats.
Are you talking about Rasheed Wallace? What has Ben done, except for that attack on Artest, that cons utes you to call him society trash?hey have promoted guys like Artest, Iverson, Wallace.
Punks, that without there talent would be society trash.
Ben Wallace is everything good about the NBA. He buried his brother like a week ago. He deserves a pass because maybe it was just the wrong time to foul him the way Artest did. Ben usually keeps his cool, except for the game in SA last year.
I agree with the long suspensions... but I also feel that fans should not have any incentive to do what they wish knowing that the players will be 'held back' by league rules... IMO the fans who provoked the players should not be allowed to sue them.....
It was a minority of fans at the arena. Most fans there had nothing to do with it. The responsible fans should be penalized as much as they can be by law. But the whole fanbase shouldn't be penalized.
San Antonio fans sitting in SBC had as much to do with the trouble as the majority of fans at the Palace that night. If you penalize all Detroit fans wanted to attend games, you have to penalize the entire NBA fan base.
Penalize the ones responsible for the mess. And that's it.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
