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Kind of a surprising move..buy horray anyway!!; NBA Suspends Artest for Rest of Season
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Topic Started: Nov 21 2004, 07:19 PM (70 Views)
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Psycmeistr
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Nov 21 2004, 07:19 PM
Post #1
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Keeper of the Realm
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It's about time these idiots got punishment that fit their crimes..
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NBA Suspends Artest for Rest of Season Email this Story
Nov 21, 6:43 PM (ET)
By CHRIS SHERIDAN (AP) The NBA has suspended Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers and... Full Image 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 $20,000.
Among the harshest non-drug-related penalties in NBA history was a one-year suspension of Latrell Sprewell - later reduced to 68 games - for choking Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice.
Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers drew a 60-day (26-game) suspension in 1977 for a punch that broke the jaw of the Houston Rockets' Rudy Tomjanovich during a game, while Dennis Rodman was suspended 11 games for kicking a courtside cameraman in the groin and six games for head-butting a referee.
Artest was benched for two games this month for asking Pacers coach Rick Carlisle for time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a rap album.
Artest was suspended twice by the NBA last season, once for leaving the bench during a fracas at a Pacers-Celtics playoff game; the other for elbowing Portland's Derek Anderson. During the 2002-03 season, Artest was suspended five times by the NBA and once by the Pacers for a total of 12 games.
Artest also once grabbed a television camera and smashed it to the ground after a loss to the Knicks two years ago.
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kiwi_too
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Nov 21 2004, 07:42 PM
Post #2
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Sir Perceval, Ruler of the Realm
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Not a surprise to me. Players fighting players is one thing. Players attacking the fans cannot be tolerated by the league. This is good. All without pay. Artest just learned a valuable ($) lesson. It is to bad that the Pacers will now play the next few games with backup players (only 6) nad at least 25 withouot 3 starters.
ON EDIT: I hope the police find charges on the fans that threw the debis.
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eb belote
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Nov 21 2004, 07:53 PM
Post #3
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Sage of the Realm
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he lucky he wont stabbed. no mater how big an bad one on one or one on three you is you go against 20 to 30 folks an its only a mater of time for they take you down.
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RTWINGER
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Nov 21 2004, 07:58 PM
Post #4
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Marquis du Nashville
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I haven’t heard anything but Kiwi say that there was a loss of pay involved. If that is the fact then it may have an effect. The problem is some of these guys have been babied from middle school to the point that they could do no wrong. All that mattered was that they play.
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Hondo
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Nov 21 2004, 07:59 PM
Post #5
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Cowpoke of the Realm
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Well Artest had asked for a month off because he was tired from promoting his CD that's due out. Now he can get all the rest he wants. Glad they came down so hard.
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wolfe59
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Nov 21 2004, 08:03 PM
Post #6
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Pack Master
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I heard that Artest is also trying to become involved in the Rap industry, I guess this gives him the bad-boy image all the Rap stars have or want to have. Maybe he will endup like some of the other Rap stars, a big stain on the sidewalk laying in chalk outlines. Wallace started the fight with Artest but Wallace is much bigger so Artest goes and laydown on the bench. Only after a much smaller guy throw ice water on him does he become agitated. He wouldn't fight a guy wanting to fight him on the court, he goes after the smaller guy. What a waste!!
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kiwi_too
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Nov 21 2004, 08:11 PM
Post #7
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Sir Perceval, Ruler of the Realm
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Wolf, Great point. Still think they cannot tolerate the fans throwing any debris at the players. Did anyone take note of Rascheed Wallace changing roles. He use to be the "bad boy". This time he was trying to stop the fight.
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wolfe59
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Nov 21 2004, 08:16 PM
Post #8
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Pack Master
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Yea KIWI, I thougt it was funny watching Wallace. One minute he was all pumped up ready to brawl and then all of a sudden he looks like a police officer trying to promote peace. I couldn't believe what I was looking at.
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