Basketbrawl

[TheTimm]

I don't think the league has handed down the official punishments yet, so instead of waiting and seeing what they do -- and then scrreaming and yelling about how they mishandled it -- let's go on record now as to what we think the penalties should be. Second-guessing sucks. Let's hear about it now. Who do you think should be hit hardest?

Personally, I think Stephen Jackson should get clobbered. Say, 50 games or so. I just can't see them suspending anybody that long though. But all he did was try to make things worse and act like a thug. He for damn sure wasn't provoked or defending himself.
Next on my list would be Artest. I thought he handled himself pretty well at the start of the on-court stuff, but he blew it by going into the stands. Maybe I'd give him 30 games or so, in part because he at least tried to restrain himself at times. My guess is he's the one that the NBA will really hit hard, in no small part due to his history. And he is the one that originally went into the crowd. So I guess I wouldn't have much of a problem with 50 games or so for him either. But I'd go a little easier.
Then Ben Wallace. I don't know what the norm is, but I'd give him whatever they usually give a player for hitting another player during a game. What?- like two games and a big-ass fine?
Jermaine O'Neal. I can't stand this guy, but as far as I could tell he limited himself to beating on fans that came on the court. I have no problem with that. I'd thank him.

What do you think?

 

[TheTimm]

Oops. Never mind. . .

Apparently, they have already handed down the punishements. I didn't get the whole story but I think they said 30 games for Artest and 20 for Jackson & O'Neal. Missed what they said about Wallace.

Feel free to second-guess if you'd like

 

[vinnyv07]

I think any player who went into the crowd and started swinging at fans should be out for the season. The players have to understand......they are accountable for their actions. The NBA has to set an example here. At no time can a player enter the stands. NO TIME. I dont care if beer is thrown at them or not. It does not give the right to the player ...who is a so called professional ...to go into the stands to go after someone he thinks threw something at him. Stupid actions sometimes have tragic results. But at NO TIME can players take it apon themselves to enter the crowd. There really could have been tragic results ..thank god there wasnt. It wasnt a punch thrown by the fan...it was a beer. A BEER....a drink....liquid...for that you go into the stands and start punching the first guy you see in the area of where it came from? Artest has to get the season...any less would be a slap on the wrist. The league probably wont give these guys stiff punishments but I would. Then I would find as many fans that threw drinks and arrest them ...take away their seats....etc.

 

[vinnyv07]

Oops. Never mind. . .

Apparently, they have already handed down the punishements. I didn't get the whole story but I think they said 30 games for Artest and 20 for Jackson & O'Neal. Missed what they said about Wallace.

Feel free to second-guess if you'd like

TIMM...I havent seen any punishments handed down yet...where did you read that?

 

[TheTimm]

Morning local news. I just caught the tail end of it, so it is possible that I heard it wrong.

 

[TheTimm]

Yeah, my mistake. Haven't heard anything else about it. Maybe I just caught the end of the local guy speculating. Or perhaps I was just hearing things. That's a shame -- I thought those voices were gone forever. . .

 

[z71tahoe193]

Its a little different workin ER havin drunk and drugged people spitting and cursing at you. In the ER they plan for it, if you are not too injured you will not be seen to you have sobered up. Going to a basketball game you don't expect to have beer or anything else thrown on or at you. If it was me I would have done the same thing, and I think a lot of people would too.

 

[GadgetRick]

Well...

I think you have to blame the lack of security. Now, let me explain this. I'm a Yankees fan. I (regularly) sit in the bleecher section, you know, the section you're told is so rowdy and lots of fights and things like that. Well, in ALL of the games I've gone to in the bleechers (used to have season tix in the bleechers) I've NEVER seen a fight. I've seen people heckle fans for opposing teams, opposing players, and, yes, Yankees who aren't playing well. However, it's never gotten out of hand.

Why is this? It's not beacuse NYers are any better (or worse) than people from Detroit or any other city in the US. Actually, it's the security. They have ample people (security AND NYPD) but, more importantly, they are on top of people to defuse situations before they happen. If that means removing you from the park, they will do this. It is NOT impossible to adequately protect players and fans from those few unruly people who attend professional sporting events.

Now, with that said, players can NEVER EVER do what these players did. Sure, it was wrong what happened to them. Sure it was an unsafe environment but you just can't do it...PERIOD. No excuses. Think about it this way. What if you're a cop and people are yelling at you and throwing beers at you. Are you allowed to pull your gun and just start shooting people or do you have to conduct yourself in a professional matter? Similar situation the other night.

I have to say I've not been much of a fan of the NBA in recent years. First of all, the season means little to nothing and the games during the season are boring until the last few minutes. With so many regular season games it's tough for the players to play hard for the whole game until the playoffs. Also, the type of player which has started to take over the NBA just isn't someone I want my 2 year old son to look up to.

All in all the whole situation was disgusting. I guess Artest will get plenty of time off to do his record thing...

The Rickster

 

[vinnyv07]

Its a little different workin ER havin drunk and drugged people spitting and cursing at you. In the ER they plan for it, if you are not too injured you will not be seen to you have sobered up. Going to a basketball game you don't expect to have beer or anything else thrown on or at you. If it was me I would have done the same thing, and I think a lot of people would too.

Yes the cursing is wrong...but all that is part of being a professional athelete. These guys get paid millions of $$$ a year...they are to be held to a higher degree than a fan. The fans are to be held reposible for their actions also. At no time should a 6ft 10 grown man enter into the crowd and start punching away at people. It will incite a riot and eventually could injure innocent people. If someone comes onto the court running toward an athelete then ok...he/she has to protect themselves. But this was all started becasue a beer was thrown. So what if a punch is thrown and connects to some ladys face or a child gets knocked over and goes into a coma ..or someone else gets hit with a punch and dies. What it was all justified because some athelete didnt like getting hit by a beer? Im not saying that the guy who threw the beer should be let go here....Im just saying that going into the crowd is wrong. It could end in disaster ..anyone who misses that point should put themselves in the place of the guy that got punched for doing nothing at all....or the lady who got hit with a chair thrown from a professional baseball player...or if you have kids ...think about the mindset of going to a game. Artest and others are very lucky that they didnt really injure someone...otherwise they would be in jail...all over a thrown beer that hit the target. AND if you are a athelete that wants to go throw some punches after getting hit with something be prepaired to be broke...because you are not only putting yourself in danger and financial danger , you quite possibly be facing jail time over something that could be taken care of by pointing the guy who threw the beer out and getting him thrown out of the game and possibly arrested. Stupid actions....equal bad results.

 

[TYORK]

Ok they have hand down there suspension of the pacers Artist the rest of the season
jackson 30 games O'Neal 25 games johnson 6 games Miller 1 game. And all the Wallace got was a 6 game. But still no action for the Fan that took part in the whole may lay.What about Wallace's Brother that was beaten the crap out of Johnson > And MIller way did they suspend him for get Artist off the court.

 

[TheTimm]

I think O'Neal and Wallace kinda got jobbed. Who is Johnson? What'd he do? And I'm guessin' if they suspended him, Miller did something other than just help Artest off the court.

And I doubt that there's much that the NBA can do to the fans -- they'll have to wait for the Oakland County Prosecutor, who said he expects it to take weeks to sort through everything. But I'd look for Wallace's brother and the beer thrower and others (including players perhaps) to be facing some charges.

 

[Sean Mota]

NBA is trying to send a message to the rest of the league by using Artest's suspension for the rest of the season. I do not agree with it but I understand it. Now the prosecutors need to step up to the plate and send an equal messages to the fans. Otherwise we are to square one.

 

[barth2k]

Well the league can ban the offending fans from all NBA arenas. If they're season ticket holders, revoke their sub and let someone else have their seats.

 

[vinnyv07]

NBA is trying to send a message to the rest of the league by using Artest's suspension for the rest of the season. I do not agree with it but I understand it. Now the prosecutors need to step up to the plate and send an equal messages to the fans. Otherwise we are to square one.

Artest was out of control and really could have ended up killing someone with his own hands. The NBA was forced to do something to send a message. It was out of control and he was out of control. The fans need to be punished also...but the players are to be held to a higher degree than the fans. They after all are the professionals.....because someone throws a beer on you gives you no right to start punching people that are in the area of where you think the beer came from. The NBA stepped to the plate and did something right.