http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/94894.html
Ailene Voisin: Old rules need a new look
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 6:25 am PST Tuesday, December 19, 2006
David Stern acknowledged the severity of the crime and meted out the punishment accordingly, and for the most part, he got it right. The suspensions levied against two teams and seven players for their involvement in Saturday's brawl in Madison Square Garden were fair, if terribly unfortunate. Carmelo Anthony was the most egregious offender, Mardy Collins the inexperienced, impressionable rookie, Nate Robinson the major provocateur, and Isiah Thomas no different than any other NBA coach, which is why he escapes unscathed.
Zeke skates because coaches always do.
In the NBA, it's the messenger who gets caught.
Fortunately, though, that appears about to change. Stern on Monday also hinted about erasing one of the league's implicit codes -- the no-layup rule that coaches have preached for decades -- by holding organizations accountable and declaring that virtually anyone who incites violence in the future will be subject to closer scrutiny than in the past. The rules of engagement, in essence, are being rewritten. No longer will coaches be allowed to instigate the overly aggressive actions that provoke confrontations, then calmly retreat to the locker room while their players serve out their suspensions.
And all I can say is ... it's about time.
The goal is fewer fights and less violence than football and hockey.
And one more thing: I wish Stern had slapped Thomas with a symbolic one-game suspension or a hefty fine, if only because it would bolster his words and establish a precedent. Unfortunately, the commissioner is a former litigator. If the evidence fails to prove Thomas' culpability -- and Stern insists that it fell short -- then you can't hang Zeke because you don't like him. The punishment shouldn't be determined by a popularity contest or the latest ESPN poll. And while the mercurial Thomas may not have many friends in this league, in this instance, he has more in common with his colleagues than they care to admit.
He wasn't being the same old Sneaky Zeke Saturday night. He wasn't reverting to his days with the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys, when Bill Laimbeer elevated low blows into an NBA art form while he nodded encouragement over in the corner. He was merely responding to a humiliating defeat the same way the intensely competitive Pat Riley, Paul Silas, Larry Brown, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Rick Carlisle, Jerry Sloan, etc., would have reacted, namely, by applying the traditional no-layup rule: Enter the paint at your peril. The only difference is that Isiah opened his mouth and was entrapped by the camera.
"In the old days, the 1960s and '70s, coaches used to give a bounty to knock somebody out of a game," related Dallas Mavericks assistant and former NBA head coach Del Harris. "It might be around $500. But today it should be everybody's responsibility to control the violence as best you can. There is a line that you don't want to cross."
Was Thomas' conversation with Anthony a precursor to a potentially violent collision? Read his lips. He did have words with that man. The more difficult and perhaps even impossible determination speaks to intent, which is where the evidence gets fuzzy and Stern becomes cautious.
"If I thought that somebody had given a specific order to injure another player," Stern continued, "I would react very differently, and I don't believe that happened here."
As everyone remotely associated with basketball knows, there is a major distinction between a clean, hard foul -- and that has long been the standard -- and an overly aggressive act that leads to frightening confrontations, fractured bones, and on more than one occasion, altercations that escalate and spill into the stands. And need we mention again the damage inflicted upon the game's image when these incidents are repeatedly aired as part of ESPN's highlight packages?
Too often the viewer is left with the perception that NBA players are a bunch of overpaid thugs.
So, OK, they're overpaid. But they're not thugs, and in fact, are the most skilled, graceful athletes in the world and mostly good guys. The fact that they have become high flyers, with so much of their movement taking place above the rim, making them more susceptible to injury, long ago should have prompted league officials to re-evaluate old traditions and consider making new ones. Maybe the clean, hard foul isn't so clean, or the interpretation so clear anymore. Stern needs to spell it out.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Old rules need a new look
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 6:25 am PST Tuesday, December 19, 2006
David Stern acknowledged the severity of the crime and meted out the punishment accordingly, and for the most part, he got it right. The suspensions levied against two teams and seven players for their involvement in Saturday's brawl in Madison Square Garden were fair, if terribly unfortunate. Carmelo Anthony was the most egregious offender, Mardy Collins the inexperienced, impressionable rookie, Nate Robinson the major provocateur, and Isiah Thomas no different than any other NBA coach, which is why he escapes unscathed.
Zeke skates because coaches always do.
In the NBA, it's the messenger who gets caught.
Fortunately, though, that appears about to change. Stern on Monday also hinted about erasing one of the league's implicit codes -- the no-layup rule that coaches have preached for decades -- by holding organizations accountable and declaring that virtually anyone who incites violence in the future will be subject to closer scrutiny than in the past. The rules of engagement, in essence, are being rewritten. No longer will coaches be allowed to instigate the overly aggressive actions that provoke confrontations, then calmly retreat to the locker room while their players serve out their suspensions.
And all I can say is ... it's about time.
The goal is fewer fights and less violence than football and hockey.
And one more thing: I wish Stern had slapped Thomas with a symbolic one-game suspension or a hefty fine, if only because it would bolster his words and establish a precedent. Unfortunately, the commissioner is a former litigator. If the evidence fails to prove Thomas' culpability -- and Stern insists that it fell short -- then you can't hang Zeke because you don't like him. The punishment shouldn't be determined by a popularity contest or the latest ESPN poll. And while the mercurial Thomas may not have many friends in this league, in this instance, he has more in common with his colleagues than they care to admit.
He wasn't being the same old Sneaky Zeke Saturday night. He wasn't reverting to his days with the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys, when Bill Laimbeer elevated low blows into an NBA art form while he nodded encouragement over in the corner. He was merely responding to a humiliating defeat the same way the intensely competitive Pat Riley, Paul Silas, Larry Brown, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Rick Carlisle, Jerry Sloan, etc., would have reacted, namely, by applying the traditional no-layup rule: Enter the paint at your peril. The only difference is that Isiah opened his mouth and was entrapped by the camera.
"In the old days, the 1960s and '70s, coaches used to give a bounty to knock somebody out of a game," related Dallas Mavericks assistant and former NBA head coach Del Harris. "It might be around $500. But today it should be everybody's responsibility to control the violence as best you can. There is a line that you don't want to cross."
Was Thomas' conversation with Anthony a precursor to a potentially violent collision? Read his lips. He did have words with that man. The more difficult and perhaps even impossible determination speaks to intent, which is where the evidence gets fuzzy and Stern becomes cautious.
"If I thought that somebody had given a specific order to injure another player," Stern continued, "I would react very differently, and I don't believe that happened here."
As everyone remotely associated with basketball knows, there is a major distinction between a clean, hard foul -- and that has long been the standard -- and an overly aggressive act that leads to frightening confrontations, fractured bones, and on more than one occasion, altercations that escalate and spill into the stands. And need we mention again the damage inflicted upon the game's image when these incidents are repeatedly aired as part of ESPN's highlight packages?
Too often the viewer is left with the perception that NBA players are a bunch of overpaid thugs.
So, OK, they're overpaid. But they're not thugs, and in fact, are the most skilled, graceful athletes in the world and mostly good guys. The fact that they have become high flyers, with so much of their movement taking place above the rim, making them more susceptible to injury, long ago should have prompted league officials to re-evaluate old traditions and consider making new ones. Maybe the clean, hard foul isn't so clean, or the interpretation so clear anymore. Stern needs to spell it out.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
