If I were the commissioner I'd give him alot more than 10 games-- a year at least and maybe -just maybe let him back in. If athletes want to fight on the court/rink/field its bad enough but going into the stands after fans crosses an uncrossable line from being an on court idiot to committing criminal assault.
The entire NBA is going to have to scramble now for damage control and they have lost alot because of this incident.
It will be a long time before anyone views the NBA as 'family entertainment'. A huge black day for the NBA.
If I saw this right, after Artest hit that young fan, another older middle-aged fan grabbed Artest from behind in a stranglehold and threw him to the ground. Another Piston came up and hit that guy and another Piston after that jumped that same guy putting him down, so it took two Pistons to take down this middle-aged guy. After that fans began coming after the Pistons in the stands and coaches and other players were trying to get Artest and the rest of those that struck fans out of the stands. Kind of a blur. That's what I saw.
Are they holding off the suspensions until next year? That is what I heard. If so, that is despicable. I hope the team is sued for as much as is possible. I don't think the league is doing enough.
I do believe they should find the "water" guy and have him arrested and his name given to the Pistons lawyers so they can at least counter-sue him. He deserves it. No punches should have been thrown by players, but I think that guy needs punished, too.
Ron Artest will have plenty of time to promote his rap album since he won't be playing any more basketball this season.
What's interesting is that Artest didn't retaliate against Ben Wallace who shoved him to start this whole mess, but he felt like he had to go into the stands after a fan who threw a cup at him to "defend himself." Right.
Stephen Jackson is lucky he didn't get a longer suspension for going into the stands too and just whaling away on anybody he could reach.
Jermaine O'Neal didn't even leave the court but he still decked that idio fan who didn't seem to be doing anything but running his mouth. That moron should be grateful that O'Neal's foot slipped when he threw the punch or he might be in the city morgue right now.
Then a British soccer game broke out and it got really ugly. I wouldn't be surprised if the police charge Artest with assault for what he did.
Its about time the commisioner got a little "Stern'. The league's been out of control for along time, I quit being an NBA fan years ago. Its about time they attempted to take it back from the gangsters,thugs, smugglers,rapists and self centered egotists who have been in control and make it a respectable game again.
Talking to Matt Lauer on the "Today" show this morning, he said he wished the incident had never happened and he thought the suspension was too harsh.
He never did he was sorry that he charged into the stands and attacked the first fan he could get his hands on, whether he was one that threw the cup or not.
He did manage to plug his new CD three times during the interview. It's obviously all about him. This guy should have to try getting a real job.
They identified the guy who threw the cup. He has a couple of felony convictions and if he was drinking alcohol it was a violation of his probation. He's banned from the Palace for good. Also, Artest ran right past him when he got in the stands.
I for one don't think Ben Wallace over reacted. Replays show that Artest pushed him hard from behind while he (Wallace) was still in the air thus compromising his safety. Many NBA injuries occur when a player lands on the foot of another player. Artest's foul was a cheap shot considering there were 45 seconds left and the Pacers led by 15 points. Ben Wallace has been in the league long enough that if he, like Artest, had a temper control problem it would have surfaced by now. Artest brought his ghetto game to Detroit and wanted to send a message, but when Wallace sent the same message back to him immediately, Artest cowardly walked away. Wallace is not appealing his 6 game suspension. Yes, I agree with whoever said Artest was ridiculous for saying he was "defending himself" from a cup of liquid by going into the stands.
Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press had a good article Monday about Artest and others being motivated by a "bastardized" definition of the word "respect".
I said a year and thats what the commissioner gave him, but i wouldn't feel bad about it being a lifetime suspension. See Ya--- Go Get a Real Job
Im tired of professional athletes that arent aware that they are in a very privileged position, and with that comes some responsibility. Fans pay top dollar to cheer, yell, scream, complain, harrass opponents and a lot of other things that they cant do at work or at home. Its Cathartic. It's part of all sports-always has been and it is one reason people are so drawn to sports. The athletes get paid very well for this,
No matter what happens or what is said--One thing that is never ever acceptable is going after fans. Ever--It degrades and mocks any integrity the game may have.
Jackie Robinson took more abuse on an average night than people like Artest will see in a lifetime and he never reacted but funneled the energy into making himself a better athlete, that was part of the whole package that made him great and fun to watch.
The last several years the NBA has descended to the level of professional wrestling, I hope that David Stern heeds this wakeup call,gets tough and reclaims control of the league.
I used to, as the commercial says, "Love this Game", as it stands now its pathetic and I cant stand it.
WEll........JonBonJovi said he would throw him off the team!!!! That works for me!
That interview today proved one thing to me, THANK GOD ARTEST CAN PLAY BASKETBALL, because he is a functional illiterate and if he couldn't make 5 mill a year playing professional sports he would either be in jail or on welfare.
radar
NASCAR RULES!!!!
This is only my second foray into this forum, and If I can make a suggestion......THE WALLPAPER IS MAKING ME NAUSEOUS. How about a floral and pastel?
Artest is an idiot... he had to 'save face' by going after the fan who threw something? ...why wasn't he trying to 'save face' when Ben Wallace was shoving him and coming at him?
what a rick with a P... the suspensions were a good thing, I hope they deal with those fans as well.. I saw the jerk who threw the bottle at Artest on tv this morning... he was just as big an arse as Artest...
quote: THE WALLPAPER IS MAKING ME NAUSEOUS. How about a floral and pastel?
Radar-Us Red Sox fans waited 86 years for this,we put up with a ****load of nausea over that time, can you forgive our generally lack of aesthetics for a little while, like say, until the Patriots win the Super Bowl again?
Welcome to the sports forum....
Ok back to the thread
I still think he should be banished and sentenced to a real job
I heard a sportscaster (can't remember who) last night who, made what I though was an interesting statement. It doesn't excuse the players, but rather puts this whole thing in a different perspective for me.
What he said was (more or less as much as I can remember it):
Maybe this will be enough to have the NBA (and other organizations like them) stop selling beer at these events.
The players are charged up with adrenaline and other energy as they should be during a game, and to a lesser extent, perhaps the fans. But when you give the fans beer....and don't retrict how much they drink, incidents like this are bound to happen.
I'm the last one to want to spoil anybody's fun, but that does make a lot of sense to me.
Krys....Maybe they should serve beer to the players during timeouts...Then at least some of their punches will miss the fans if another brawl were to break out...
Gosh,no,Krys,I wasn't making fun of you,but I guess it appeared that way after rereading it....Sorry...However,if you ever post on the baseball thread,I'll probably yank your chain over there...
I think your point,or suggestion, is a valid one,but I don't know if there's really a call for banning beer sales at sporting events...I agree a lot with what Mstar said about it being cathartic(whatever that means) for the fans to hoot and holler and vent their frustrations or whatever....
This one lies totally on the athletes...Like a buddy of mine said,nobody ever threatened somebody by saying "give me your wallet or I'll throw this cup of beer at you"...Artest stays on the bench,securety throws the cup thrower out,and you have no riot...
I follow baseball! I grew up watching the Dodgers in Brooklyn where half my summer diet was stadium hot dogs. But I guess you can yank my chain over there if I get out of hand.
No doubt Artest and the rest of the athletes have to shoulder this monkey. The sportscaster's point was that both fans and players get charged up watching games, and I think he was insinuating that the beer removes some constraints on the alreay excited fans and some lose control.
I'd love to see the proper authorities to find the idiot who tossed the chair into the mix! Personally I'd like to see his head roll as well.
Yea so what do we do about the steroids story? probably deserves its own thread or march on over to the baseball thread. It complicates things. Considering Giambi hit 2 HR in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, should the game be awarded to the Red Sox in hindsight...? ;)--> What about the sanctity of the game and the games near sacred records that are about to (or have recently been) broken? In a country where almost nothing is sacred I hope Selig jumps on this and cleans up the mess in a hurry.....
Krys: They DID find that guy who threw the chair. Turns out he has a rap sheet even nastier than the guy who threw the cup. He's banned from the Palace, too. I'm not sure if either of them are going to be arrested for anything, though.
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mstar1
If I were the commissioner I'd give him alot more than 10 games-- a year at least and maybe -just maybe let him back in. If athletes want to fight on the court/rink/field its bad enough but going into the stands after fans crosses an uncrossable line from being an on court idiot to committing criminal assault.
The entire NBA is going to have to scramble now for damage control and they have lost alot because of this incident.
It will be a long time before anyone views the NBA as 'family entertainment'. A huge black day for the NBA.
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johniam
Hmm. Ron Artest out for the season. Yessss! I see a lot of 10 day contracts and people coming out of retirement in the Pacers' future.
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Eagle
If I saw this right, after Artest hit that young fan, another older middle-aged fan grabbed Artest from behind in a stranglehold and threw him to the ground. Another Piston came up and hit that guy and another Piston after that jumped that same guy putting him down, so it took two Pistons to take down this middle-aged guy. After that fans began coming after the Pistons in the stands and coaches and other players were trying to get Artest and the rest of those that struck fans out of the stands. Kind of a blur. That's what I saw.
Are they holding off the suspensions until next year? That is what I heard. If so, that is despicable. I hope the team is sued for as much as is possible. I don't think the league is doing enough.
I do believe they should find the "water" guy and have him arrested and his name given to the Pistons lawyers so they can at least counter-sue him. He deserves it. No punches should have been thrown by players, but I think that guy needs punished, too.
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Steve!
And within the last couple of weeks, Artest had asked for a leave of absence so that he could tour and promote his rap album.
This guy's sidewalk ends in a ditch, if you know what I mean.
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Pirate1974
Ron Artest will have plenty of time to promote his rap album since he won't be playing any more basketball this season.
What's interesting is that Artest didn't retaliate against Ben Wallace who shoved him to start this whole mess, but he felt like he had to go into the stands after a fan who threw a cup at him to "defend himself." Right.
Stephen Jackson is lucky he didn't get a longer suspension for going into the stands too and just whaling away on anybody he could reach.
Jermaine O'Neal didn't even leave the court but he still decked that idio fan who didn't seem to be doing anything but running his mouth. That moron should be grateful that O'Neal's foot slipped when he threw the punch or he might be in the city morgue right now.
Then a British soccer game broke out and it got really ugly. I wouldn't be surprised if the police charge Artest with assault for what he did.
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mstar1
Its about time the commisioner got a little "Stern'. The league's been out of control for along time, I quit being an NBA fan years ago. Its about time they attempted to take it back from the gangsters,thugs, smugglers,rapists and self centered egotists who have been in control and make it a respectable game again.
They still have a long way to go
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Eagle
Well, I was wrong. Artest is out the rest of the season and the rest were suspended for various periods of time.
They all got it.
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Pirate1974
Ron Artest just doesn't get it.
Talking to Matt Lauer on the "Today" show this morning, he said he wished the incident had never happened and he thought the suspension was too harsh.
He never did he was sorry that he charged into the stands and attacked the first fan he could get his hands on, whether he was one that threw the cup or not.
He did manage to plug his new CD three times during the interview. It's obviously all about him. This guy should have to try getting a real job.
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johniam
They identified the guy who threw the cup. He has a couple of felony convictions and if he was drinking alcohol it was a violation of his probation. He's banned from the Palace for good. Also, Artest ran right past him when he got in the stands.
I for one don't think Ben Wallace over reacted. Replays show that Artest pushed him hard from behind while he (Wallace) was still in the air thus compromising his safety. Many NBA injuries occur when a player lands on the foot of another player. Artest's foul was a cheap shot considering there were 45 seconds left and the Pacers led by 15 points. Ben Wallace has been in the league long enough that if he, like Artest, had a temper control problem it would have surfaced by now. Artest brought his ghetto game to Detroit and wanted to send a message, but when Wallace sent the same message back to him immediately, Artest cowardly walked away. Wallace is not appealing his 6 game suspension. Yes, I agree with whoever said Artest was ridiculous for saying he was "defending himself" from a cup of liquid by going into the stands.
Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press had a good article Monday about Artest and others being motivated by a "bastardized" definition of the word "respect".
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mstar1
I said a year and thats what the commissioner gave him, but i wouldn't feel bad about it being a lifetime suspension. See Ya--- Go Get a Real Job
Im tired of professional athletes that arent aware that they are in a very privileged position, and with that comes some responsibility. Fans pay top dollar to cheer, yell, scream, complain, harrass opponents and a lot of other things that they cant do at work or at home. Its Cathartic. It's part of all sports-always has been and it is one reason people are so drawn to sports. The athletes get paid very well for this,
No matter what happens or what is said--One thing that is never ever acceptable is going after fans. Ever--It degrades and mocks any integrity the game may have.
Jackie Robinson took more abuse on an average night than people like Artest will see in a lifetime and he never reacted but funneled the energy into making himself a better athlete, that was part of the whole package that made him great and fun to watch.
The last several years the NBA has descended to the level of professional wrestling, I hope that David Stern heeds this wakeup call,gets tough and reclaims control of the league.
I used to, as the commercial says, "Love this Game", as it stands now its pathetic and I cant stand it.
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Radar OReilly
WEll........JonBonJovi said he would throw him off the team!!!! That works for me!
That interview today proved one thing to me, THANK GOD ARTEST CAN PLAY BASKETBALL, because he is a functional illiterate and if he couldn't make 5 mill a year playing professional sports he would either be in jail or on welfare.
radar
NASCAR RULES!!!!
This is only my second foray into this forum, and If I can make a suggestion......THE WALLPAPER IS MAKING ME NAUSEOUS. How about a floral and pastel?
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Tom Strange
Artest is an idiot... he had to 'save face' by going after the fan who threw something? ...why wasn't he trying to 'save face' when Ben Wallace was shoving him and coming at him?
what a rick with a P... the suspensions were a good thing, I hope they deal with those fans as well.. I saw the jerk who threw the bottle at Artest on tv this morning... he was just as big an arse as Artest...
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mstar1
derail...or as Shakespeare would say ... aside
Radar-Us Red Sox fans waited 86 years for this,we put up with a ****load of nausea over that time, can you forgive our generally lack of aesthetics for a little while, like say, until the Patriots win the Super Bowl again?
Welcome to the sports forum....
Ok back to the thread
I still think he should be banished and sentenced to a real job
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krys
I heard a sportscaster (can't remember who) last night who, made what I though was an interesting statement. It doesn't excuse the players, but rather puts this whole thing in a different perspective for me.
What he said was (more or less as much as I can remember it):
Maybe this will be enough to have the NBA (and other organizations like them) stop selling beer at these events.
The players are charged up with adrenaline and other energy as they should be during a game, and to a lesser extent, perhaps the fans. But when you give the fans beer....and don't retrict how much they drink, incidents like this are bound to happen.
I'm the last one to want to spoil anybody's fun, but that does make a lot of sense to me.
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simonzelotes
Krys....Maybe they should serve beer to the players during timeouts...Then at least some of their punches will miss the fans if another brawl were to break out...
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krys
Simon - are you making fun of me? or yanking on my chain because I don't post here?
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johniam
Serve beer to the players during time outs. BRILLIANT!!!
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simonzelotes
Gosh,no,Krys,I wasn't making fun of you,but I guess it appeared that way after rereading it....Sorry...However,if you ever post on the baseball thread,I'll probably yank your chain over there...
I think your point,or suggestion, is a valid one,but I don't know if there's really a call for banning beer sales at sporting events...I agree a lot with what Mstar said about it being cathartic(whatever that means) for the fans to hoot and holler and vent their frustrations or whatever....
This one lies totally on the athletes...Like a buddy of mine said,nobody ever threatened somebody by saying "give me your wallet or I'll throw this cup of beer at you"...Artest stays on the bench,securety throws the cup thrower out,and you have no riot...
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krys
I follow baseball! I grew up watching the Dodgers in Brooklyn where half my summer diet was stadium hot dogs. But I guess you can yank my chain over there if I get out of hand.
No doubt Artest and the rest of the athletes have to shoulder this monkey. The sportscaster's point was that both fans and players get charged up watching games, and I think he was insinuating that the beer removes some constraints on the alreay excited fans and some lose control.
I'd love to see the proper authorities to find the idiot who tossed the chair into the mix! Personally I'd like to see his head roll as well.
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simonzelotes
Brooklyn??....I won't mention anything about age here....
Looks like the big story in baseball this winter is going to be the player's use of steroids...Jason Giambi just came clean....well,not exactly...
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mstar1
Yea so what do we do about the steroids story? probably deserves its own thread or march on over to the baseball thread. It complicates things. Considering Giambi hit 2 HR in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, should the game be awarded to the Red Sox in hindsight...?
;)--> What about the sanctity of the game and the games near sacred records that are about to (or have recently been) broken? In a country where almost nothing is sacred I hope Selig jumps on this and cleans up the mess in a hurry.....
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simonzelotes
All right,I'll move over to baseball thread...
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johniam
Krys: They DID find that guy who threw the chair. Turns out he has a rap sheet even nastier than the guy who threw the cup. He's banned from the Palace, too. I'm not sure if either of them are going to be arrested for anything, though.
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krys
Yes, Simon - I'm old. I'm sorry - I didn't mean to toss you off the thread!
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