Posted on 11/21/2004 4:05:38 PM PST by El Conservador
NEW YORK (AP) -- Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season Sunday as the NBA came down hard on three members of the Indiana Pacers for fighting with fans when a melee broke out at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons.
Overall, nine players from the teams were banned for more than 140 games, including some of the harshest penalties the league ever issued. Artest is the first player to be suspended for nearly an entire season for a fight during a game.
``The message the league sent was so powerful to players that they'll never do that again,'' Pistons CEO Tom Wilson said.
Indiana's Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25. Detroit's Ben Wallace -- whose shove of Artest after a foul led to the 5-minute fracas -- drew a six-game ban, while Pacers guard Anthony Johnson got five games.
``I'm sick about that for Indiana. I'm devastated for them,'' Pistons coach Larry Brown said. ``And we lost our heart and soul.''
Four players were suspended for a game apiece: Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman.
All of the suspensions are without pay.
Artest, O'Neal and Jackson -- who all threw punches at fans in the stands or on the court at the end of the nationally televised Pacers-Pistons game Friday night -- began serving their suspensions Saturday. Indiana, limited to just six players because of the suspensions and injuries, dropped an 86-83 decision to Orlando.
``The actions of the players involved wildly exceeded the professionalism and self-control that should fairly be expected from NBA players,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement, adding that the league must not ``allow our sport to be debased by what seem to be declining expectations.''
The NBA also has to ``redefine the bounds of acceptable conduct for fans attending our games and resolve to permanently exclude those who overstep those bounds,'' Stern said.
He added that security procedures in all NBA arenas will be reviewed and rules need to be added to prevent a repeat of what happened at Auburn Hills, Mich., on Friday.
For Sunday night's home game against the Charlotte Bobcats -- Detroit's first outing since the melee -- the Pistons doubled the number of armed police to about 20 in the arena and increased other arena security personnel by about 25 percent.
When some spectators lined up to take pictures with Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter on the court before the game, two police officers stood just a few feet away.
The brawl was particularly violent, with Artest and Jackson bolting into the stands near center court and throwing punches at fans after debris was tossed at the players.
Later, fans who came onto the court were punched in the face by Artest and O'Neal.
Nine people were treated for injuries, and police are investigating possible criminal charges.
Wallace began the fracas by delivering a hard, two-handed shove to Artest after Wallace was fouled on a drive to the basket with 45.9 seconds remaining. After the fight ended, the referees called off the rest of the game.
The initial skirmish wasn't all that bad, with Artest retreating to the scorer's table and lying atop it after Wallace sent him reeling backward. But when a fan tossed a cup at Artest, he stormed into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.
Jackson joined Artest and threw punches at fans, who punched back. At one point, a chair was tossed into the fray.
The most recent example of an NBA player going into the stands and punching a fan came in February 1995, when Vernon Maxwell of the Houston Rockets pummeled a spectator in Portland. The league suspended him for 10 games and fined him $20,000.
Among the harshest non-drug-related penalties in NBA history was a one-year suspension of Latrell Sprewell -- later reduced to 68 games -- for choking Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice.
Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers drew a 60-day (26-game) suspension in 1977 for a punch that broke the jaw of the Houston Rockets' Rudy Tomjanovich during a game, while Dennis Rodman was suspended 11 games for kicking a courtside cameraman in the groin and six games for head-butting a referee.
Artest was benched for two games this month for asking Pacers coach Rick Carlisle for time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a rap album.
Artest was suspended twice by the NBA last season, once for leaving the bench during a fracas at a Pacers-Celtics playoff game; the other for elbowing Portland's Derek Anderson. During the 2002-03 season, Artest was suspended five times by the NBA and once by the Pacers for a total of 12 games.
Artest also once grabbed a television camera and smashed it to the ground after a loss to the Knicks two years ago.
Updated on Sunday, Nov 21, 2004 6:42 pm EST
The vicious Todd Bertuzzi hit in Hockey, as an act of vile violence, alone, was about 100 times worse than every single thing combinedthat happened at that Pistons game. Is he from the ghetto rap culture?
You're mistaken when you say that it doesn't bother people if the athlete who gets into a fight isn't a "street rap ghetto thug". Bill Laimbeer of the Pistons (a white guy) was one of the most hated players in the NBA during his playing days because he was always getting into scuffles with other players. As far as hockey goes, fighting has been ingrained in that sport ever since its origin. That doesn't make it right, it just means that the fans have come to accept hockey as a rough sport. Every sport has it's own set of rules governing how they deal with disciplinary problems involving their players. How baseball, football, or hockey decides to disipline their players has no bearing on how basketball chooses to discipline its players.
Amazing how so many can arm-chair quarterback this riot. Artest had every right to defend himself. He was assaulted and took appropriate actions.
Please, the man was hit with a "cup" of beer, he had no right to run into the crowd. He is a "profeesional" and should be able to restrain himself. Besides, the guy he attacked, wasn't even the guy who threw the beer, can you say, "cha-ching"...la
I can't say I disagree with the suspensions (actually, I think Jackson and Artest should have gotten the same length of suspension), but you make a valid point. If I were a Detroit fan involved in this incident, I'd be absolutely gloating right now, since we come out of this with the best possible outcome. The Pacers kicked our butts on the court, but we the fans were able to provoke the Pacers into some extremely self-destructive behavior that ruins their team for the season. Congrats on a job well done! When does San Antonio come into town?
I care not what the NBA does ...... Where the hell are the criminal charges against these thugs disguised as basketball players ?!!!!!!!
Why are you letting Steven Jackson off the hook? I thought he deserved the same length of suspension as whatever Artest got.
My question exactly.
Yes, he was in a vulnerable position, lieing on his back, and had just been in an emotionally upsetting altercation with Wallace. It is perfectly understandable why he would want to give the "what for" to whoever the idiot was that through the beverage at him. In my opinion, Artest was justified. The fan's behavior was monstrous.
through = threw
"Hey did you hear? I went to a Basketball game and a Music Awards Ceremony broke out?"
Now that's funny. And deep. And sad. Deeply, sadly funny.
These men have absolutely no clue and are coddled, excused and protected. I could care less about any of them, but I am extremely worried about the young kids who look up to them. They're disgusting examples of manhood. They're weak, spoiled and selfish. NOT what we want our boys to emulate. They're role models whether they like it or not and if they willingly take the money and adulation, they need to take the responsibility for their actions.
I am throughly grossed out by their behavior and thank God my kids are not impressed by thugs like this.
"Arrest and prosecution. Denial of access to future games.
Full rights of prosecution of whoever may have assaulted him."
Agree with you totally especially denying access to future games!
2. Ben Wallace did not go into the stands.
Artest, OTOH, has been a volcano ready to erupt at any time. He needs help. The mistake most people who side with the Pacers are making is that they are looking at this one game only.
I propose that the lawyer in you is trying to look at this one incident only and not allow Artest's previous behavior to influence your take on this.
Let me appeal to the physician in you. Artest has a hx of volatile behavior: flagrant fouls, suspensions, throwing a TV. He also has a hx of just plain bizarre behavior: applying for a job at Circuit City before the draft (supposedly to get the discount), asking for a month off (this season to promote a rap/r&b album), and making all kinds of strange public statements regarding his own play.
In fact, at that game, he asked a reporter (I think Jim Gray) if the reporter thought that Artest was getting fouled and the refs weren't calling anything. That is a no-no in the NBA or other pro sports and Artest knows it. So is going into the stands. Every player knows to NEVER go into the stands.
He has big problems IMO. The Pacers organization have let him get away with a lot and have ignored clear signs that he needs help. It was only a matter of time before he erupted again.
Right. His ego was bruised because Wallace dissed him on the court and he was too chicken to do anything against Wallace so to uphold his rap-ego he jumped on an innocent fan. The Man!
Funny that he didn't go after Wallace when Wallace tossed an item at him. I guess The Man isn't The Man after all. Just a punk.
Ten years ago, Vernon Maxwell, entered the stands and pummelled a fan. The fan was verbally taunting Maxwell. The fan did not throw any objects at Maxwell.
The NBA suspended Maxwell for only 10 games.
Now, considering Artest's past, one can reasonably contend that Artest deserved to be suspended for a considerable time. But, one can also reasonably contend that Artest did not deserve 73 games.
The NBA's own precedent is why a good chance exists that an independent arbitrator will reduce the suspension of Artest. I think that the time will be reduced to about 40 days.
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