Brawl penalties harsh?
http://www.pe.com/sports/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_suspend_reax_22.a17cf.html
Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich pulled his players together to talk about how
they should "behave."
Tomjanovich felt the need to offer his advice in the wake of the brutal melee
between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons fans Friday night that
resulted in nine suspensions, including Indiana's Ron Artest for the rest of
the season.
"I just made a comment, not about that, (but) just our behavior in general,"
Tomjanovich said. "We make a good living at this profession and I think that
as a product we have to present something that's quality. ... The bottom line
is there is a certain way to behave. Those fines (and suspensions) did not
surprise."
The Laker players didn't have a problem with the suspensions without pay but
had a hard time coming to grips with Artest getting suspended for the whole
season.
NBA commissioner David Stern obviously thought otherwise when he handed down
the sentences Sunday.
Artest, due to earn $6.157 million this season, was suspended for the season.
Indiana's Stephen Jackson was suspended 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal 25.
Anthony Johnson was suspended five games and Reggie Miller, the former
Riverside Poly High and UCLA standout, one game.
Detroit's Ben Wallace was suspended six games and teammates Chauncey Billups,
Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman one game each.
"I didn't think he (Artest) was going to get the whole season," Chucky Atkins
said. "I know David Stern runs the league, baby. There's no question about
that."
"The commissioner has to do what he has to do, and we have to protect this
game," Tomjanovich said. "This game is, I think, the best sport in the world.
It's for enjoyment. Seeing something that brutal and just way out of the
realm of even entertainment, it was scary. It was disturbing. After watching
it, it was hard to sleep."
Lamar Odom has known Artest since they were grade school kids growing up in
New York City. They played AAU basketball together and against each other in
high school.
Odom said he was "disappointed" Artest got such a harsh penalty.
"I guess I know him so I'm a little biased," Odom said. "I feel bad."
Brian Grant has been playing in the NBA for 11 seasons. He is as level-headed
as any player in the NBA.
But even he thought Artest being suspended for the rest of the season was
harsh.
"I think so," Grant said. "I think so personally. I just think that anyway you
look at it, it is a tough decision in any way, shape or form. My comment to
the whole thing is I hate to see it happen."
Tomjanovich was a part of one of the worst fights in NBA history. Kermit
Washington punched Tomjanovich in the face during a game between the Lakers and
Houston Rockets in 1977. Washington served a then-record 26-game suspension.
Tomjanovich was asked if Stern was too harsh on Artest.
"That's not my place to judge the commissioner," Tomjanovich said. "He's doing
what he has to do to protect something precious, and I'm all for that."
The situation got out of hand after Artest was called for fouling Wallace late
in Friday night's game. Wallace pushed Artest in the face.
Later, as the situation settled down and Artest lay on the scorer's table, a
fan threw beer in his face. Artest leaped off the table, ran into the stands
and started throwing punches.
Jackson also ran into the stands and hit fans.
Then, Artest hit a fan who came onto the court. O'Neal also hit a fan on the
court.
"That was bigger than a fight, right?" Odom said. "Any time you have a melee,
or a brawl, and the fans start to run out on the court, I don't know what I
would do, even with that happening. I would be thinking to protect myself."
Odom said he's not sure what can be done to stop it from ever happening again.
"Maybe better on-court security," Odom said. "But that's the one thing that is
beautiful about the NBA, is how close the fans are to us. That's what kind of
makes it special to come to an NBA event. Hopefully, that won't change.
Hopefully, we'll still be able to interact with them."
Though the Lakers feel the fans were just as much at fault, they still want
them to come to the game.
They want the fans to be a part of the game.
"I think the view has changed somewhat since the (Michael) Jordan, (Larry)
Bird, Magic (Johnson) era," Grant said. "It has been maybe a slight decline in
the way fans view us. But at the same time, I think on the level that we view
fans is that we're all very appreciative of the fans that do come out to
support everything that we do. But when something like that jumps off and
things are flying at you, it puts you into a different mode of thinking."
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