SUSPENSIONS ANNOUNCED!

[HndsmCelt]

Mr. Bricklayer - But if the fans in Detroit are sufficiently punished for their actions, won't that serve as a deterrent?

And if Stern's actions are sufficiently strict to get the message to the players not to respond no matter what, won't they also stay in line?

Im with you here. Even if only a couple fans are fined heavly, loose seats, and do jail time. Future fans will be LESS likely to cuck things in the future.
Good question if indy can use Artest salery to pay a FA with out it being appied to the cap. I doubt it but I honeslty do not know.

 

[VF21]

WORD.

Artest is just the goat in this case.

Or is it because Artest already has two strikes, so to speak? It's not like it was the first time he ever lost it on a basketball court - and this time his actions escalated into violence against a fan. Whether or not the fan deserved it isn't the point. He is/was a loose cannon that had to be brought under control, IMHO.

 

[Entity]

To me the Pacers were the best team in the East now that they have Jackson. Now they don't even have a chance for the playoffs. That has to suck as a Pacers fan. Here you are this early in the season and you know that you don't have a chance now. Thats the real losers in this not the Players suspended, not the Detroit fans that got knocked out, but the fans of the Pacers and the fans of basketball.

 

[6th]

does indy still pay artest? and if they dont can they use that money to sign a FA or as part of a trade?

The players were suspended without pay, however the Pacers still have to pay out the salaries. They pay it to the league and the league and the players union split the money and donate it to the charity/charities of their choice. This may be bad for the Pacers, but there will be some happy charities. BTW - the names of the charities do not have to be disclosed.

 

[Since93]

Or is it because Artest already has two strikes, so to speak? It's not like it was the first time he ever lost it on a basketball court - and this time his actions escalated into violence against a fan. Whether or not the fan deserved it isn't the point. He is/was a loose cannon that had to be brought under control, IMHO.

Even David Stern imply that the discision was somehow based on Artest's past record. If that was KG I bet it will be less than 10 games. That's why I think it is unfair to Artest. We should look at Friday night as a separate incident. I still feel sooooo bad about this hard-working kid. He is just emotional. Why him???

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Because he's psychotic, that's why!

What do you mean, why him? I think that it's very fair to take his past into account, considering just what the nature of his past as a player is; Artest has had this coming.

 

[BigWaxer]

I will say this I am from IN... The pacers were my team until I moved here which happened to be '85 and I hated to watch what happened.

Artest got what I thought he would. Surprised O’Neal didn't get more for his flying haymaker but I think that’s because he has a pretty solid past in the league. I am sure that was taken into consideration.

Why was Reggie suspended for 1 game? He was in street clothes? Maybe the leaving the bench rule but I think everyone left the bench on both sides.

 

[slugking50]

about time Stern didnt something good for the league... Although S Jackson shouldve gotten more games IMHO.


Funny to see all these people defending Artest. Amazing how somebody can say that Artests actions are in any way defendable.. Quite sad I have to say. Wheres our world coming to that garbage we saw Friday is somehow condoned.


: sighs :

Sad indeed......

 

[slugking50]

I will say this I am from IN... The pacers were my team until I moved here which happened to be '85 and I hated to watch what happened.

Artest got what I thought he would. Surprised O’Neal didn't get more for his flying haymaker but I think that’s because he has a pretty solid past in the league. I am sure that was taken into consideration.

Why was Reggie suspended for 1 game? He was in street clothes? Maybe the leaving the bench rule but I think everyone left the bench on both sides.

5 players got hit by that rule. Including Reggie.

 

[Superman]

fighting "words" won;t even be an issue here. Fact of the matter is that Artest was the victim of an assault -- a crime. No need for fighting words.

That's bs. Ron Artest was the victim of having a cup thrown at him. We can sensationalize it all we want to, but that's what happened. You're a legal guy; it may very well be that throwing a cup at someone is a prosecutable offense, but come on. Ron Artest got a cup thrown at him, but he wasn't in any danger. That may be assault, but it didn't put him an any danger.

And of course that crime will apply legally. Not going to get him off, but its an obviousn mitigating factor. he didn;t start it. Didn't go berzerk for no reason. Somebody assualted him, he responded with out of control force (hence no self defense). But the provocation is there.

Agree. He was provoked. But it wasn't self-defense. Ron Artest is no victim here.

 

[Superman]

Or is it because Artest already has two strikes, so to speak? It's not like it was the first time he ever lost it on a basketball court - and this time his actions escalated into violence against a fan. Whether or not the fan deserved it isn't the point. He is/was a loose cannon that had to be brought under control, IMHO.

Indubitably.

 

[Superman]

What do you mean, why him? I think that it's very fair to take his past into account, considering just what the nature of his past as a player is; Artest has had this coming.

Exactly.

Is it unfair to give a criminal with two priors a life sentence? I mean, we've all heard about how Ron Artest has tried to control himself, about how he's lowered his flagrants, etc., but the point is that he didn't do any of that Friday night. He was wrong, dead wrong, and the penalty he gets is directly related to what he chose to do and his history as a player in the NBA.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Blame Jerry Springer!

 

[RoyalDiva]

IMHO, this would make a great idea for the newest video game.

 

[peja16]

--

 

[Superman]

If anything is "bs", it's this.

No matter how you spin it, Ron Artest was the victim of an attack.

If someone throws a cup at me and I nuke a country to retaliate, I was still a victim of assault. Whether or not that cup could have endangered my life makes no difference as to whether or not it counts as an attack.

Where do you draw the line? What if a weak person punches you and then runs away - does not that count as an assault just because it didn't endanger your life?

If you hunt down that weak person and beat them up, does the fact that they punched you first not matter because it didn't hurt?

The attack doesn't justify the relataliation, but it does matter regardless.

There's a difference between self-defense and retaliation.

Sean Deveney said it best:

"Blame fans. Blame alcohol. Blame a security force that was not prepared (and, realistically, could not have been prepared) for widespread chaos. But most of all, blame Artest. The NBA did, suspending him for the rest of the season — a punishment that was warranted. Restraint in the face of fan hostility is difficult, but necessary. Artest showed none. True, he was hit with an object from the stands, and the idiot who threw it should have been arrested. But it was a cup that hit him, not a brick or a Molotov cocktail. Artest apologists have pointed out that he was assaulted when he was hit, but remember: He was assaulted by a plastic cup, and he responded by administering a beating from his 246-pound body."

Ron Artest was not in danger. He endangered the man he battered, and he endangered everyone he went past to get to him. He endangered himself, his teammates, and everyone else involved.

 

[Bricklayer]

There's a difference between self-defense and retaliation.

Sean Deveney said it best:

"Blame fans. Blame alcohol. Blame a security force that was not prepared (and, realistically, could not have been prepared) for widespread chaos. But most of all, blame Artest. The NBA did, suspending him for the rest of the season — a punishment that was warranted. Restraint in the face of fan hostility is difficult, but necessary. Artest showed none. True, he was hit with an object from the stands, and the idiot who threw it should have been arrested. But it was a cup that hit him, not a brick or a Molotov cocktail. Artest apologists have pointed out that he was assaulted when he was hit, but remember: He was assaulted by a plastic cup, and he responded by administering a beating from his 246-pound body."

Ron Artest was not in danger. He endangered the man he battered, and he endangered everyone he went past to get to him. He endangered himself, his teammates, and everyone else involved.

There is, and this was NOT self-defense per se.

That said it WAS provoked -- he didn't run up into the stands just because he didn't like the guy's jersey.

And Artest WAS a victim of a crime (assault) to get the whole mess started. His response was of course over the top, but not entirely out of line of what you might see in other venues. As I've mentioned before, try throwing your drink in somebody's face at a party, or on a pickup court, see what happens. Lot of people not named Ron Aretest are going to be up and right in your face. Its nothing most of us would do precisley because we could easily see something like this being the reaction (unless we were spoiling ofr a fight of course).

The provocation was clear - and I think the thing that has to be seriously addressed here is the fool who did the provoking would NEVER ina million years throw a drink in Ron Artest's face if he was out on a pickup court. NEVER. But because he's a fan he made the assumption (drunken, snap decision) that he could get away with it without consequences. That he could be an *******. Have to really come down on that guy. And in a way that makes his action "uncool" enough that no other weekend warriors are going to copycat.

 

[LPKingsFan]

The Jermaine O'Neal suspension is the worst. He just hit people who came onto the court. Baseball players do that all the time. What's the difference?

 

[Superman]

There is, and this was NOT self-defense per se.

That said it WAS provoked -- he didn't run up into the stands just because he didn't like the guy's jersey.

And Artest WAS a victim of a crime (assault) to get the whole mess started. His response was of course over the top, but not entirely out of line of what you might see in other venues. As I've mentioned before, try throwing your drink in somebody's face at a party, or on a pickup court, see what happens. Lot of people not named Ron Aretest are going to be up and right in your face. Its nothing most of us would do precisley because we could easily see something like this being the reaction (unless we were spoiling ofr a fight of course).

The provocation was clear - and I think the thing that has to be seriously addressed here is the fool who did the provoking would NEVER ina million years throw a drink in Ron Artest's face if he was out on a pickup court. NEVER. But because he's a fan he made the assumption (drunken, snap decision) that he could get away with it without consequences. That he could be an *******. Have to really come down on that guy. And in a way that makes his action "uncool" enough that no other weekend warriors are going to copycat.

I agree with that. Let's just not get things twisted here. Ron Artest is not the victim. He gets a cup tossed at him, which - in legal terms - might be assault. Then he batters some guy because the cup came from that direction.

Put it this way: Someone (1) throws a Gatorade bottle at someone else (2). 1 goes after someone else (3) and proceeds to kick his ***.

Provoked? Yes. Justified? No. The victim? Hardly.

The person that started it is definitely wrong, but just because you didn't start it doesn't mean that you're the victim. That's bs. Artest was not victimized. He was without a doubt provoked, but he wasn't victimized. That's a bit more than a stretch, imo.

 

[Viking]

IMHO, this would make a great idea for the newest video game.

NBA 2k6 -

Introducing NEW INNOVATIVE free control® brawl mode! Control any player or a drunken fan for smashing MULTIPLAYER ACTION! Throw beer, chairs, and of course, punches in a no-holds-barred basketball beatdown!

 

[pollardfreek]

The Jermaine O'Neal suspension is the worst. He just hit people who came onto the court. Baseball players do that all the time. What's the difference?

The difference is that nobody is seated on the grass down the 3rd base line. In basketball, there are fans on the court at all times. If I were sitting in the first row and people were jumping over me to get to a fight happening right behind me, I would move too. Plus, the game was long since over when those fans were on the court. What JO should have done was head to the locker room at the first sign of danger. If he was so concerned with safety and self-defense, he could have easily walked into the locker room and avoided all the chaos.


PS- Anybody see Pollard in his suit. He looked like a straight up PIMP. Either that or Clark Kent.

 

[ImaDougaholic24_7]

Looks like Artest is gonna get that time off to promote his CD after all. Anyone gonna buy it tomorrow?

 

[sloter]

Looks like Artest is gonna get that time off to promote his CD after all. Anyone gonna buy it tomorrow?

I wonder if Ben Wallace is a star guest...

 

[The Freak]

At least he has time to work on his new album


http://tinypic.com/n9hs7