NBA suspends Horry (2 games), Stoudemire and Diaw (1 game each)

[peplaw06]

Well, it helped that their coaches were pushing them back. The rule is simple. Don't leave the bench. Okay, maybe not that simple, but it isn't complicated. If a player(s) leaves the bench, things can easily get out of hand. The NBA has seen that occur in the past and does not want that happening again. There is room to re-evaluate the rule in both how it is written and how it is enforced, but in this particular situation it seems the right decision was made by the current standards. Every player knows the rule and this situation has occurred several times since it was introduced. It is obvious the Suns' coaches knew the rule and that is why they were pushing those guys back to the bench.

Someone pushed Duncan back to the bench too.

 

[joseephuss]

Someone pushed Duncan back to the bench too.

I saw that, too. The difference there is that there was no altercation when Duncan left the bench. The players on the court were not in each others faces or anything like that. There first has to be an altercation before a player can be accused of leaving the bench. Too bad because even though I live in Austin and will root for the Texas teams I find myself cheering for the Suns. I like their style of basketball. Still should continue to be a very good series.

 

[MC KAos]

i dont understand why people are trying to make a conspiracy theory out of this. What, you think the league wants the spurs in the finals over the suns? ya, your right, cuz the spurs always draw such HUGE ratings! and the suns are so boring, makes sense

 

[Doomsday]

Great interview of the commissioner on the Dan Patrick show today regarding the suspensions and this rule. Dan showed once again why he is by far the best interviewer in the sports world.

 

[joseephuss]

Great interview of the commissioner on the Dan Patrick show today regarding the suspensions and this rule. Dan showed once again why he is by far the best interviewer in the sports world.

Dan Patrick came across a little dense in the interview. His whole premise is that the commisioner should use judgement when handing out the suspensions. Stern said the rule is the rule. There is no room for judgment. Dan just kept at it like it did not matter, but it does. That is the fact that he wanted to ignore. Is that a bad rule? Yes, but you just can't change a bad rule over night. The commisioner does not have that type of power. Dan Patrick just ignored that fact.

 

[Doomsday]

I thought Dan did a good job of holding his feet to the fire, instead of just moving on. If there is no room for judgement then why isnt Duncan suspended for 1 day? If there was no incident then why was he off the bench and 10 feet onto the court. There is always room for some judgement, he just chose not to use it and it is most likely going to cost Phoenix the series. No way can you tell me it is just to give Horry 2 days for taking Nash down and Stoudemire and Diaw 1 game for doing nothing.

 

[joseephuss]

I thought Dan did a good job of holding his feet to the fire, instead of just moving on. If there is no room for judgement then why isnt Duncan suspended for 1 day? If there was no incident then why was he off the bench and 10 feet onto the court. There is always room for some judgement, he just chose not to use it and it is most likely going to cost Phoenix the series. No way can you tell me it is just to give Horry 2 days for taking Nash down and Stoudemire and Diaw 1 game for doing nothing.

Horry got a game for pushing Nash and a game for elbowing Bell. Two incidents there. I would not be so quick to write off the Suns. They may lose tonight because they will be short two players, but they can go into SA and win game six because the Spurs will be out one player. I htink the Suns will take it in seven and that is if they don't actually get lucky and pull a win tonight. They have played without Stoudemire before.

There was no incident when Duncan came off the bench. Maybe he thought there was going to be, but in the end there wasn't one. I agree it is a bad rule, but it is the rule. They can change it for the future, but it applies now.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Great interview of the commissioner on the Dan Patrick show today regarding the suspensions and this rule. Dan showed once again why he is by far the best interviewer in the sports world.

Yep, great interview. Stern just didn't want to admit that this may have helped tipped the scale in the Spurs' favor.

- Mike G.

 

[peplaw06]

Horry got a game for pushing Nash and a game for elbowing Bell. Two incidents there. I would not be so quick to write off the Suns. They may lose tonight because they will be short two players, but they can go into SA and win game six because the Spurs will be out one player. I htink the Suns will take it in seven and that is if they don't actually get lucky and pull a win tonight. They have played without Stoudemire before.

There was no incident when Duncan came off the bench. Maybe he thought there was going to be, but in the end there wasn't one. I agree it is a bad rule, but it is the rule. They can change it for the future, but it applies now.

That's the issue I have with it. There was clearly some hard contact, and Duncan felt the need to step out on the court. He had to have some reason to do that. And it's pretty clear someone on the bench (I don't know who it was) thought, "Hey we better get you back to the bench, before you get suspended."

There was no "altercation" per se, unless you have a liberal definition of the word "altercation," which is entirely possible. There are grey areas, and the Commish acts like there aren't. That's my issue with it.

If the rule's in place, I agree you should enforce it if you feel the need. But don't tell me that you're forced, or have no discretion, because they clearly have some discretion.

 

[Mavs Man]

i dont understand why people are trying to make a conspiracy theory out of this. What, you think the league wants the spurs in the finals over the suns? ya, your right, cuz the spurs always draw such HUGE ratings! and the suns are so boring, makes sense

Let's look at the facts:

In the past 19 years, the Spurs have been a lottery team only twice. Yet both times they won the overall pick in a year that a franchise center/forward was available. Hmm, how convenient.

The Spurs won their first championship in the strike-shortened 1999 season. Hmm, how convenient.

The JFK assassination was in 1963. The Spurs entered the NBA in 1976, a difference of 13 years (unlucky). Hmm, how convenient.

To answer your questions about why - the answer is obvious. The Spurs organization is hoarding blackmail photos of David Stern. Whether these photos are related to the Jerry Jones bus photos is yet to be known.

 

[DragonCowboy]

Man, this makes me really hope the Suns win it in 6.

 

[SA_Gunslinger]

In the past 19 years, the Spurs have been a lottery team only twice. Yet both times they won the overall pick in a year that a franchise center/forward was available. Hmm, how convenient.

don't forget the spurs had to wait 2 years after drafting robinson for him to actually play.

that was a ballsy pick in a lot of ways.

 

[locked&loaded]

im not big on b-ball. but it sure as heck seems there trying to give these games to the spurs. That is why im rooting for the suns, its been a good series just theres some kind of bias with the league and the spurs. or so it seems.

 

[DragonCowboy]

im not big on b-ball. but it sure as heck seems there trying to give these games to the spurs. That is why im rooting for the suns, its been a good series just theres some kind of bias with the league and the spurs. or so it seems.

I don't think it's a bias, just a bad rule.

 

[SA_Gunslinger]

im not big on b-ball. but it sure as heck seems there trying to give these games to the spurs. That is why im rooting for the suns, its been a good series just theres some kind of bias with the league and the spurs. or so it seems.

this argument might have some weight if

a) san antonio didn't have a fist full of titles already
b) san antonio was a bigger media market
c) san antonio had a huge national following


since none of those things are true, this is a lame notion.

 

[MC KAos]

Let's look at the facts:

In the past 19 years, the Spurs have been a lottery team only twice. Yet both times they won the overall pick in a year that a franchise center/forward was available. Hmm, how convenient.

The Spurs won their first championship in the strike-shortened 1999 season. Hmm, how convenient.

The JFK assassination was in 1963. The Spurs entered the NBA in 1976, a difference of 13 years (unlucky). Hmm, how convenient.

To answer your questions about why - the answer is obvious. The Spurs organization is hoarding blackmail photos of David Stern. Whether these photos are related to the Jerry Jones bus photos is yet to be known.

hahahaha, thats the funniest thing ive heard in a while!

this argument might have some weight if

a) san antonio didn't have a fist full of titles already
b) san antonio was a bigger media market
c) san antonio had a huge national following


since none of those things are true, this is a lame notion.

 

[zrinkill]

Let's look at the facts:

In the past 19 years, the Spurs have been a lottery team only twice. Yet both times they won the overall pick in a year that a franchise center/forward was available. Hmm, how convenient.

The Spurs won their first championship in the strike-shortened 1999 season. Hmm, how convenient.

The JFK assassination was in 1963. The Spurs entered the NBA in 1976, a difference of 13 years (unlucky). Hmm, how convenient.

To answer your questions about why - the answer is obvious. The Spurs organization is hoarding blackmail photos of David Stern. Whether these photos are related to the Jerry Jones bus photos is yet to be known.

im not big on b-ball. but it sure as heck seems there trying to give these games to the spurs. That is why im rooting for the suns, its been a good series just theres some kind of bias with the league and the spurs. or so it seems.

:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:

You guys need to stop watching X-files and JFK.

 

[Danny White]

The fact of the matter is that hard fouls are a part of the game and every team committs their share of them, including the Suns.

The league has a system in place for dealing with hard fouls (and/or cheap shots) in the form of Technicals, Flagrants, Suspensions, Fines, etc... and the one thing they've made perfectly clear that is NOT part of the system is for players to fly off the bench to get involved in the punishment of such fouls.

 

[MC KAos]

they should just go back to the way it was in the 80s, that would be grand

 

[Mavs Man]

they should just go back to the way it was in the 80s, that would be grand

That would be fine by me.

We have the Bad Boys Pistons and Pat Riley's Knicks teams to thank for the current state of the NBA.