I find it incomprehensible that anyone feels that ANY of the suspensions are out-of-line. I applaud the commissioner in doing the right thing (for a change).
First of all, when you start a brawl, your penalty should be in part determined by the result of your actions. Ben Wallace deserves 5 games because of just how out-of-hand the brawl got.
Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal threw punches at fans. 30 and 25 are appropriate suspensions.
Ron Artest should be gone for the season. Artest was one of the original instigators - with the hard foul on Wallace in a game that was over. He then decided to lay down on the scorer's table. What did he THINK would happen? Artest was provoked? The *FANS* were provoked.
In NO case should Artest have gone into the stands.
An ESPN announcer asked last night, "Why is it that Ron Artest had the presence of mind to walk away from Ben Wallace, but then went after the fans?" I didn't agree with the answer ESPN gave; I think it was because Ben Wallace is a 6-9, conditioned athlete, whereas fans are much smaller and offer less challenge in a fight. Artest may very well have walked away hurt from a fight with Wallace.
Artest didn't expect to meet resistance in the stands, and he got in over his head.
Had this been another player, I might have given a 50-game suspension, as this is the spark for the Wallace fight, AND for the fight in the stands. (More on that in a bit.)
However, the most interesting take I heard on the fight, shamefully, was from hopefully-soon-to-be-former Polar Bear Quentin Richardson:
I have never seen a fight like that in a game since I was in high school. Man, there are going to be some lawsuits. You don't think some of those fans aren't going to want some NBA money?
Yes; when an NBA player is involved, it's about money. Apparently, the fans threw stuff at Artest in an attempt to extort millions of dollars from NBA players. Good job, there, Quentin. I think we've figured out the problem, and you're part of it - especially with the CBA expiring this year. Think the players are going to be wanting more FAN money? Where do you think the dollars for those megabuck contracts comes from - NBA players? It comes from FANS.
Am I excusing the behavior of fans? To some extent, YES, I am. A fan who throws a beverage or the like should be - and will be - ejected from the game and possibly arrested. That's the penalty, and it's well known. But if a professional athlete comes into the stands - AFTER TAUNTING THE FANS - and starts throwing punches, what would anyone expect to happen? At that point, *ALL* the fans will be throwing stuff. That's a given.
Had Artest not reacted, security would have taken care of the fan who threw the beverage. Artest's over-reaction, however, set off an unbelievable chain of events.
And this is just the latest sad chapter for Ron Artest. The NBA suspended Artest in accordance with his own past, which is something that Ron Artest has certainly had his say in. If you have a history of violent crime, while it usually can't be used in your trial (unless it demonstrates a predisposition for certain behavior), it can certainly be used at your sentencing. Folks who feel the NBA came down too hard on Artest have been ignoring the fact that Artest has been a constant trouble-maker. Had it been someone who isn't typically involved in violent behavior - say a Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett (pre-season episode with the rookie aside) - 50 games would have been an appropriate suspension. However, given Artest's past behavior, I'd say he's fortunate to still be in the NBA.
It's time that NBA players start treating *FANS* a little bit better. That's their bread and butter, and David Stern knows it. You'd think the players wouldn't have forgotten it during a time of negotiations for the new CBA. However, the Players Union shows that it is completely oblivious to how fans feel. I'm actually hearing players talking about fines and suspensions for fans. HELLO. EARTH CALLING. What do you think security does with people? Just more player disconnect from their fan base.
In the past year, we've seen rape trials where the victim was tried, watched a team of professionals lose more basketball games at one Olympics than college kids did in their entire history, and now watched players attack fans. Think this is going to get brought up at the CBA negotiations? I know *I* would bring it up if I were David Stern.
The fans aren't the problem; the players are.
