Their (Pistons-Pacers) next game together is on December 25. Anyone expecting a Christmas miracle?
Just watched the clip.
So, you got idiots bludgeoning idiots. I say there are Darwininan forces at work in such a mele, and it’s best not to interfere…
The NBA has indefinitely suspended Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal of the Pacers and Ben Wallace of the Pistons, effective immediately.
Dennis Rodman was fined $25,000, suspended 11 games, and ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation after kicking a camera man.
Vernon Maxwell was suspended 10 games and fined $20,000 in 1995 for climbing into the stands and punching a fan who had been taunting him.
I would guess that that something similar happens to everyone but Artest – who I would guess gets something along the lines of 25 games, a 75K fine and psych eval. He really is trying to be the new Rodman. This, his hip-hop break, his suspension in April.
Alonzo Mourning says the Union will support the players
From here
http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/0411/21/d10-11604.htm
The first person Artest hit when he went into the stands was Mike Ryan of Clarkston.
“I have no idea,” Ryan said of why Artest picked him. “He was on top of me, pummeling me and he said, ‘Did you do it? Did you do it?’ And I said, ‘No, man, no.’ He kind of shoved me and went off on other people.”
What complicates matters is, he didn’t attack the guy that threw the beer, he attacked some other guy in the stands that just happened to be there.
Unfortunately, he attacked the wrong fan! Slow motion replays make it clear that the guy in the white shirt threw the beer but Artest ran up and started hitting a fan who had done nothing – not good!
With regards to the ESPN take on the situation- one commentator was saying that the players involved should not get more than 5 game suspensions because of the way they were provoked. I’d sure like to live on that planet.
I’m going to wait and see what kind of hipocrisy shows up over the next week. I remember the general furor about the Bertuzzi - Moore incident and the holier than thou attitude that so many people expressed. There is no justification for an athlete to go into the stands -ever. There is also no justification for the fans to act the way that they did.
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I went to a riot, and a basketball game broke out.
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With apologies to Don Rickles.
For mature adults, “getting even” simply isn’t necessary. Even when badly provoked.
It takes a big man to walk away from a fight, y’know.
Some of you need to watch the video again to get your facts right: There were in fact two fans in Detroit jerseys on the floor; Artest punches the one with a blue shirt on underneath the jersey, and that guy’s friend (?) in another Detroit jersey kind of pushes Artest away and in the process all three fall down, probably slipping on the spilled beverages. The guy with the blue shirt on underneath the jersey can be seen being helped up behind the other guy in the Detroit jersey, who is getting up and yelling at Artest when O’Neal comes in and blindsides him.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/nba/11/21/brawl.suspensions.ap/?cnn=yes
According to a Detroit station, the suspensions will be as follows: 30 games for Artest, 20 each for O’Neal and Jackson, and five for Wallace.
from what I just watched on TSN,
Artest: Rest of Season
Jackson: 30 Games
O’Neal: 25 Games
If you go to www.tsn.ca, it is, at persent, at the top of the page in the breaking news section. The Idiots.
Y’know, I’m really hoping that the fucktard fans who picked fights with the players are themselves banned from attending NBA games for the rest of their sorry lives. I’m sorry, but if these guys are idiot enough to give attitude to angry seven foot pro atheletes, then, per Darwin, I’m not exactly upset they get their clocks cleaned.
I just can’t bring myself to feel sympathy for any of these idiots. Throw the book at all of 'em, I say.
Seven-foot pro athletes who can surely afford to hire some top-notch lawyers, if necessary.
Idiots indeed.
What, are you nuts? That will start another riot.
Sure sounds like some of you are Pacers fans…
More of my two cents:
The suspensions Stern handed down were, I feel, exactly what he had to do. What he really did was send the message to the entire NBA “Make the decision NOW that you will NEVER go into the stands to confront a fan!”
That being said, I feel there should be some conditional adjustment of the suspensions. The NBA players union has said they would file a grievance with the league over the three large suspensions given to the Pacers—totally unsurprising. What, I feel, they should negotiate is a reduction for all three players contingent on completion of a very severe anger management program.
The way I would do it: Jackson and O’Neal, five game reduction of suspension each. Artest, down to a 40 game suspension but with a suspended sentence of, say, 50 additional games, to be applied if he misbehaves over the next 3 years. All of these reductions would be based on the players showing real initiative in anger rehab.
Also, regarding my earlier issues with the ESPN analysts: They have since done a near about-face on placing blame with the players. Kudos to them for placing blame where (at least in my mind) it should be placed. I just which they could have started out this way.
Cheap beer? At an arena? I rather doubt it! The fan probably threw five bucks worth of suds (not that he isn’t still a jerk).