That’s all that can be said about the way Commissioner Stern handled the situation in Detroit. He punished those who crossed the line. More importantly, he sent the message to every player, that if you go into the stands and fight a fan, you will be punished beyond anything that could be expected. For those that think there is a trend in the NBA, or professional sports in general towards fan-player violence, as one idiot in the media suggested to me. You are wrong. You are safer going to a Mavs game than you are shopping in your local grocery store or gas station. There are about 2500 NBA games per year. Over the past 25k or so games, this has happened once. That is not a trend. It won’t happen again. Let’s get on with the season and put this behind us.
64 thoughts on “Perfect”
Comments are closed.
I’m new here and would just like to start off by saying Mark your my kind of guy. The kind that likes to walk on the wild side because he can so he does. The world needs more Mark Cubans. Back to basketball.
I most definitely would agree with you that things get blow out of portion by the media, and that the punishment will in all likelihood reduce the chances of this every happening again. The media tends to like to put things that will get the biggest reactions out there without regard for putting things into perspective as you have clearly exhibited here.
On a slightly different not I would like to see more changes in Basketball, I enjoy change so long as it is for the betterment of the game. There is one change I would like to see happen to the All-star Games. I would like to see owners such as yourself actually coaching one of the sides. I know as a kid I had aspirations to be professional player one day, the older I got the more evident it became that it would never happen. As time passed I start thinking of being a coach. Next, and this is for those of us who see ourselves making large sums of money, I started seeing myself as an owner. So if this hierarchal passion for sports holds true then I believe that many owners would love to actually coach, at least one game with all-star players. I know you would, wouldn’t you? (Idea inspired by Mark Cuban)
Comment by Zio -
Not perfect, otherwise the Detroit player who slugged a fan would have been penalized, but he didn’t get jack.
Comment by lindsay lohan -
Interesting to see the Finley event last night. I tend to agree with the suspensions. Interesting also to see the fans barred from the stadium/arena. I bet that event is going to jack-up your insurance premiums! 😉 I don’t think the Mavericks should wait for Stern to make a move to protect both its players and fans. Make some noice by implementing your own changes, be an innovator in fan experience and consideration. Background checks on season ticket holders? Courtside fans? Behavioral contract? The NBA is the most interactive of all the sports. It needs to approach its fans in an innovative fashion with that fact in mind.
Comment by Steven Armstrong -
what happened with Mike Finley last night?
Comment by Luke Peterman -
Everybody screwed up here and should, on some level, be punished and held accountable. The NBA should attempt to ban any fan caught on tape acting like an idiot. In addition, any fan who conducts criminal activity, such as inciting a riot, disorderly public conduct, etc, should be held accountable in the courts. Anybody who can’t see that does not live in what should be an orderly and just society.
Comment by Rob Thrasher -
Apparently I spoke too soon. Fans are now accused of threatening what I suggested in my first post to Vince Carter.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1932415
“Similar to what happened to Detroit, it suggested that a man and three of his friends would attend the game and plan to disrupt the play and try and get onto the court.”
This is what I’m talking about. Let’s get VC suspended, then maybe Ray Allen, huh? He’s hot right now. Just get him hot under the collar. Perhaps someone could think about other western conference guys other than Allen to get out too…
Sad but true – Stern’s decision makes this an easy one for fans. Rile up the oppositions superstars WAY beyond what you used to rile them. Get them suspended and your team may win the NotBA.
Comment by Matt -
I wonder if that first guy that got hit is going to sue….
Comment by clover -
The NBA is risking their reputation throughout the world, yes world, every time they allow Ron Artest to put on an NBA jersey. This idea of progressive discipline has clearly not worked for Ron or other behaviorially-challenged (I can’t beleive I am talking this way about millionare adults) athlete. Artest should be banned for life. Seriously, does the NBA want him? Do the Pacers need him? What is the risk-reward situation of having Artest in the league. The other players were let off way too easy. The NBA is going to deal with some serious
“negative brand equity” in the next few weeks as casual fans and non-fans will view the NBA with a raised eyebrow, especially if any of the appeal cases actually work. Then, the NBA is headed for true muitiny.
Comment by Craig -
How does anyone blame Detroit’s fans? The guy that threw the initial cup is an idiot and should be banned from NBA games, but it was no different than football fans throwing snowballs or baseball fans throwing batteries and cups onto the field. When the Yankee’s fans showered trash onto the field in the playoffs, it wasn’t even a story. The only difference was that the Red Sox players weren’t lunatics like Artest and Jackson. What made the situation spin out of control was when those guys trampled anyone in their path on their way to beat up innocent guys who happened to be sitting near the jerk who threw the initial cup. Punishing or even blaming a significant portion of Detroit fans would be like blaming Croshere and Tinsley for the actions of Artest and Jackson.
There is no reason to say that either Pacers players or Detroit fans are thugs or jerks; save those labels for Artest, Jackson, the guy who threw the initial cup and the guy who threw the chair.
Comment by Brian -
First, Ben Wallace did not start the riot. The riot started when Ron Artest went into the stands after the (wrong) fan! Second, the suspensions are entirely appropriate. Every professional athlete interviewed since the incident has been unequivocal on one point – you cannot, under any circumstances, go into the stands. Period. Thirdly, there is plenty of blame to go around starting with the fans, the (lack of) security, the fans, the other players who jumped into the stands, and last but not least, the fans. Seriously, throwing a CHAIR???? At no one in particular??? When you are in no danger whatsoever????
Comment by Mike -
First, Ben Wallace did not start the riot. The riot started when Ron Artest went into the stands after the (wrong) fan! Second, the suspensions are entirely appropriate. Every professional athlete interviewed since the incident has been unequivocal on one point – you cannot, under any circumstances, go into the stands. Period. Thirdly, there is plenty of blame to go around starting with the fans, the (lack of) security, the fans, the other players who jumped into the stands, and last but not least, the fans. Seriously, throwing a CHAIR???? At no one in particular??? When you are in no danger whatsoever????
Comment by Mike -
The suspension is exactly what Artest wanted. He wanted a year off to work on his music. Now he’s got it. I’m only surprised he’s appealing it. A fitting punishment would have been to make him play the rest of the year.
Comment by Deborah Merrick -
“And Artest didn’t PUNCH the guy in the stands, he threw him down. He didn’t “PUNCH the guy in the face” as you say for throwing the beer. He shoved him and sorta yanked him. He punched at people who came onto the court looking for a fist fight. Big difference.”
Uh, you can try to minimize what Artest did, say he didn’t throw a punch, per se, but what he did basically started a riot…I also think that the other players wouldn’t have gone up there if Artest doesn’t lead the way…totally unacceptable, even for beer thrown…Arrest the fan(s) and hold them up to disdain – much better solution…of course if you’ve got a gangsta, rappa mindset you may not be thinking about those kinds of “solutions.”
Comment by Bruce -
Ron Artest needs some guidance. I saw him on a bunch of interviews on tv talking about the basketbrawl for the first time in public. I think that guy has absolutely no clue about anything. Every few minutes during the interview he would do a plug for a music cd he is involved with. Can someone buy that guy a clue?
Comment by Shaun Cronrath -
There are way too many comments that “the fan deserved it” or that “Artest is defending himself” or “What do you expect Ron to do?” – these statements are absolutely ridicuolous. Artest definitely did not deserve the drink in his face, but surely, no one with even the slightest of civil knowledge can suggest or even imply that it was “OK” for Artest to go tackle the dude. Artest was not defending himself, I mean, what was he defending? Was his life or his physical being in some sort of emminent danger by having beer splashed on his face? No. Did Artest think that if he didn’t stop the fan at that exact moment, the fan would take a gun out to shoot him or even worse drown him in beer? No. It is just plain simple that Artest was pissed and couldn’t control his emotions when the fan evoked him. So enough of this “I understand” and BS like that…Artest is a arrogant wacko with the self control and IQ of a peanut. Plain and simple.
Was the fan wrong? Certainly, but let’s forget the “he was just as bad” or the “he started it first” comments (which Artest actually gave in a TV interview – the nerve!). Throwing the beer is not the root cause of the event: it is always a probable situation that someday, somewhere someone is going to “throw” something at Artest in the hundreds of games that he plays – and the “flood-gate” will ultimately lie on Artest to not have things like this happen. Plain and simple, Artest is the one specifically at fault for the entire mess – and if principles stand he should get KICKED OUT OF THE LEAGUE – if I did something like that at work, I would be out of a job – fast. But alas, money speaks louder than principles in the NBA, so what Artest gets is a little slap on the wrist (yes, that’s what it really is in perspective) so he can continue to earn the money for the Pacers and NBA from his blind fans. Whatever, Artest is probably thinking “I wanted some time off to do my music label anyway – and any publicity is a good publicity for myself/album – so its a double reward.” What a looney…
Comment by Ethan -
People act like this situation is unprecedented. Precedent was set before Sunday. Vernon Maxwell – 10 games for going into the stands and punching a fan (BTW Artest never punched the guy in the stands)
I hear people argue but Maxwell’s action did not lead to an all out brawl. And that even though Artest didn’t mean for it to go there, he has to pay the price.
Fine, I disagree, but I can see the logic. But then you also have to apply the same logic to Ben Wallace. He didn’t mean for his actions to lead to what it did, but he should have to pay the price. Wallace’s suspension should be no less than Artest’s. Unless you follow precedent and give Artest something in the neighborhood of Maxwell’s suspension.
I’ve also heard people say it’s Artest’s past bad behavior that drew the season long suspension. Maxwell was far from an angel well before his incident.
The bottom line for me, is that David Stern is punishing Pacer fans for the behavior of Piston fans. He has totally made it open season on NBA players on the road.
Comment by Griz -
“Thats all that can be said about the way Commissioner Stern handled the situation in Detroit. ”
Yeah, he’d probably fine you again for commenting on it 😉
I agree, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get hit during a Mavs game, except if you’re in the 8th row behind the basket and Shawn Bradley attempts a shot
Comment by Kanes -
this good for the NBA, just like the Kobe rape case.
Comment by Luke P -
A couple of comments.
1) The comment that NO fans in Detroit should be able to go to a game is ridiculous. Punish everyone for the actions of a few. That same logic would dictate that the entire Pacers and Detroit teams should no longer be able to compete.
2) The reason the fines are stiff (if you believe that to be true) is simple. Players are NOT ALLOWED to enter the stands. The reason that breaking that rule carries a stiff penalty is also simple. Because by going into the stands you run the risk of attacking the wrong people, of inciting a riot, of hurting innocent bystanders. The NBA, Ron Artest, and Stephen Jackson are LUCKY with the way that horrible scene played out. Nobody was seriously hurt. But clearly this is a good rule that should carry severe consequences if broken.
3)I get confused when people rationalize Artest and Jackson’s actions with references to a bar. If I was in a bar and somebody threw a beer at me I would be very pissed off. And I would agree that that person would deserve to get beat down. However, I still have a decision to make. I can let it go. Or I wouldn’t be able to respect myself otherwise, I could go after the guy that threw the beer. But if I choose the latter then I am responsible for what may or may not come from that decision. I would not be entitled to cause the guy serios physical harm. I certainly wouldn’t be entitled to attack the wrong guy. And if a riot broke out, I would share a signicant amount of the responsibility in what happened. Trust me, people in bars or anywhere else that make bad decisions have to pay a price for them too.
4) To elaborate on the above, too many people are saying the same things that the ESPN crew was saying the night of the fight. They emphasized that any human being would react the same way as Artest, Jackson, and Oneal but ignored the fact that most of the Pacers didn’t react that way. In fact they reacted much closer to the way you would hope a person would in that situation. Fred Jones was in the crowd trying to break things up and was actually getting jacked from behind by Ben Wallace’s posse member and still had the sense not to go there with any of the fans. Another Pacer stepped in front of Stephen Jackson so that he’d stop pummeling one of the fans. There were a lot of players on both teams that should be pointed out and commended for the way they handled themselves in a ridiculously chaotic situation. There actions should be the model that we should look to and expect. Not those of Artest, Jackson, and ONeal.
Comment by Wade Weidner -
PERFECT are you crazy,
1. Ben Wallace should be gone for the year for escalating a roit, he continued to go at the Pacers, yelling and throwing things at them.
2.The fans who were involved will never get what they really deserve.
3. The Pacers penelties were fair,
but I feel they are the only ones getting the short end of the stick.
4 Finally if i was Artest I would sue the nba and the palace for not providing him with a safe place of work, the security was not there and they are at fault for the whole thing
Stern reminds me of a communist dictator
Comment by jack -
Here are my thoughts:
1) If someone is going to provoke someone by throwing something at them REGARDLESS of who they are, then they should certainly expect to get smacked.
2) Just because you paid your money to watch the game, doesn’t give you the right to disrespect any of the players by throwing things or making rude comments. It’s just a game, you’re there to watch the competition.
3) Well, Artest wanted time off to promote his album, well he got it. I just hope that it is successful seeing that he’s going to need to make the $5 million he won’t be earning from the NBA. I never liked his attitude, so I’m not all that upset that he’s not going to be seen playing.
4) Stern put his foot down to show other teams that we won’t tolerate this sort of behavior anywhere. Like it’s been said, this isn’t a trend in the NBA, this is an isolated incident.
5) Maybe security needs to be stepped up a bit in arenas to ensure the safety of the fans that aren’t directly involved. Granted this was at the end of the game, but can you imagine what it would have escalated to if this took place in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd quarters?
I’m going to continue to watch the NBA and enjoy every minute of it. Artest should be happy, he’s getting his media coverage to pimp his album, now that he has time on his hands.
GO MAVS!!!
🙂 CAT
Comment by Cathlina Mireles -
I am totally against the suspensions. THEY SHOULD BE WAY MORE. ARTEST GONE FOREVER, Jackson for the season and Oneal gone for the season. Tinsley went into the tunnell and got a dust pan and took it back out the the arena and he got nothing, I would give him 30 games. I also saw RIP making noise, he should be gone a game or two for fighting. Wallace should be gone for 6 games? If someone gets in a fight normally it is more like 3 games, is it his fault Artest is a idiot?
Comment by Dominic Massaro -
For those of you who honestly think they will punish the fans you are crazy. Do you think the NBA is honestly going to give up a night’s worth of revenue for an event like this? Do you think the NBA will let the defending national champions play on their home court in front of empty seats? The NBA is a business, I am not sure what one game brings in (ticket sales, concession sales, souvenirs, parking, etc.), but I am sure it is enough to say that “punishing the fans” would actually be punishing the NBA.
Another thing. The NBA has to love what happened on and off that court. To go along with Mark’s “apologevent” entry, this does nothing, but draws ratings (which leads to advertising sales) and ticket sales. We have the games between the Pacers and Pistons for this year, not to mention next year when everybody is back in action (assuming the players and teams are the same, which I doubt). Not to compare these teams to a rivalry on the level of Red Sox and Yanks, but you have to figure that when A-Rod got a face full of glove it made more people love the Red Sox and that many more love the Yanks. And vice versa with the hate.
This sales tickets, causes news coverage, sales advertising. The NBA eats this stuff up. The punishment is necessary to build the suspense of what will happen next and to spark rhetorical comments such as this. Props to the NBA for allowing cancers and solid roll models like Artest to even make the league.
Having said all of this, props to Mark and his staff for building a solid team that the fans will never have to worry about something like this happening.
Comment by Paul Yarbrough -
I’ve never felt compelled to post a comment before. I cannot believe that so many people think it is TOTALLY the fans fault.
A fan threw a plastic cup with beer in it at a player. The player pushed aside several people and subsequently pummelled a DIFFERENT fan. Original cup throwing fan then held the player back and hit him a few times.
I don’t care what the provacation was, Artest went into the stands and beat up a person who didn’t do a thing. I don’t care what his salary is, a season suspension is fitting.
The fans should be prosecuted for their part of the melee. The players should be prosecuted for theirs.
AND PLEASE PLEASE do not try to compare Ron Artest to Tim Duncan. The Spurs in my mind are the most respectable team in the NBA.
Comment by Milo -
Mark,
I applaud you once again. I am a huge fan. To the point, I sense your recent comments praising the NBA is rapidly earning you significant respect around the league and amongst observers because you are proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are fully behind the league. I have always known this, but some critics I know have said you were anti-NBA establishment. That couldn’t be further from the truth, obviously. You are a stand-up businessman. Great work.
Doug
Comment by Doug -
Some people are forgetting that these players are PROFESSIONALS doing their job, playing basketball. Just like any other professional, you can’t just react by fighting idiots that throw beer on you. Is a cop justified to just start shooting at someone who throws a beer on him? He can arrest him but still he isn’t allowed to just start punching the jerk. If a high school student throws a drink in a teacher’s face, can the teacher start wailing on him? No! There are ways in place to handle bad behavior and it doesn’t involve jumping into a fight. It’s called self control and maturity. Two things the players did not show that night. Yes, the fans are responsible as well, but they are not responsible for the reactions of the players. Those players had a choice to ACT responsibly or to REACT out of emotion. I recently went to a Mavs game while 8 months pregnant. What if I had been unlucky enough to be sitting next to one of the jerks that threw a beer and a player accidently knocked me to the ground on his way to the guy? It’s time to start being professional athletes, not playground kids.
Comment by Becky -
This is quite simple. An idiot fan screwed up. An idiot player screwed up. A few more idiot fans and players got involved. The minority, once again, leaves a stain on the majority. A few idiots in the media over analyze it. Mark runs the numbers in this post and in a few seconds disproves the buzz. The few idiots get punished and the majority moves on.
Comment by Rob Thrasher -
For those commenting about the lack of action towards the fans involved (or instigating) this incident, I think the local District Attorney is looking at the tapes of the event, and will no doubt take action if and when it is possible to ascertain who can be charged with a crime. Requiring the Pistons to play to an empty arena is an interesting idea and should be discussed by the league.
Comment by Bill -
The side show is that when I hear the NBA players coment: I get this feeling that they think that a good number of fans are crazy and a problem for them.
A bit like the Fans are the enemy for them.
.V
Comment by Vic -
This is totally ridiculous. Punishments given are totally unfair. If at all anyone deserves any punishment, it should be city od detroit and its fans. Why not BAN all home games for Detroit this season?? Let the people of Detroit understand what they did. They are ones responsible for all the mess. As for the players, I think the deserving punishment shd have been, 20 games for Artest, 10 for Jackson and 5 for O’Neal. 10 for Ben Wallace also.
As someone rightly pointed out, this makes it so much easier to win championship now. Put few holigons on the stands and get some players suspended. Pistons might think abt doing this to Spurs
Comment by Chandan -
The Pacer fight goes a lot deeper then the night in Detroit. Apparently now we are employing thugs in the NBA. I can’t wait till Ron Artest’s rap album comes out and we can see how gangsta he is. This is a player mentality problem it’s even a culture problem that I believe will only get worse. As the old saying goes you can take the kid out the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out the kid. What’s the next thing to happen a player grabs his gun and shots a fan because he dissed him? Is it really impossible? Did you think something like what happened in Detroit would ever happen? I am sorry but as much as I love basketball that doesn’t change the fact we have nothing more then a bunch of gang-banging thugs in the NBA. This is not Michael Jordan’s NBA anymore. As far as the suspensions go I think it was far from fair. Every single player that threw a punch at a fan should have been sent home for the year. Just one guys opinion. Like it or hate it I own it!
Comment by roberto pedone -
Oppurtunity lost. A real statement would be to ban BOTH the Pacers and the Pistons from the playoffs. Now that would be perfect.
Comment by T Moriarty -
How can you say it wont happen again when it just happened? I hope it doesn’t come to player and fan seperation where the players play the games behind cages and the fan has to look through the wires of the cage to see the game. How sad that would be. But, whatever makes the fans and players feel safer is what needs to be done.
Comment by Molly -
Mark,
I love you like a brother and all, but I’m out for the season due to the recent debacle. This comment will likely not curry any favor when I run my business idea by you sometime in the future, but this is a matter of principle. One incident like this is one too many. Best of luck to the Mavs though… I may read about them in the paper, but I won’t be watching any NBA this year.
~harris
http://www.armchairathletes.com/nbaboycott/
Comment by Harris Reynolds -
“you will be punished beyond anything that could be expected”
Uh, if the punishment isn’t expected, then how can it be used as a deterence or even be remotely considered fair.
And if, as you claim, this ISN’T a trend, then why did stern feel the need to deter at all?
Artest’s actions were bad, but they don’t warrant the loss of 5 million. It was on the level of Vernon Maxwell’s actions.
Comment by kronicfatigue -
This wasn’t perfect, what this looks like to me is that the fans who started a big fight won. Now the Pacers are one of the worst teams in the league, and the Pistons will miss one guy for 6 games, the Piston’s fans won this and they started a stupid fight to do it. Artest should have gotten the 30 and O’Neal and Jackson between 10 and 20, the Pacers would feel that, but not be decimated and be legitimate rivals to the Pistons by seasons end. Now the only team in the East the Pistons and their fans have to worry about is the Heat, who’s ready to start tossing things at Shaq?
Comment by Kyle -
To those of you commenting that a fan throwing something on the court deserves what he gets – whether this is true or not, it’s irrelevant because Artest attacked someone other than the guy that threw the cup at him. His “fine” will be more thant $5M once he settles the civil suit he has coming his way. Jackson should have been suspended for the whole season as well.
Comment by Score -
Is this an “on-the-court” incident? I don’t know.
I agree with David Stern’s decision, but I understand why the Pacers feel it isn’t fair.
At the same time, Ron Artest had sense to walk away from Ben Wallace. Why didn’t he have the same sense to ignore someone throwing a beverage at him?
Also, was Mark fined/reprimanded/suspended for coming on the court several years back? If he had been shoved around while he was on the court, would he have expected the player who shoved him to be suspended? I realize it’s a very different situation, but I’m just curious.
Comment by J from Fear Always Remains -
what about the “fans” out on the court taking punches at the players, or that crazy cop who took out a can of pepper spray? why aren’t they fined. let’s dock them pay as well, or make them reimburse the palace for the tickets. this whole thing is ridiculous. this is what we get for the over hyped, over commercialized league that david stern created. what about the days of class in the nba. bring back the knicks of ’70’s.
Comment by Warren -
Artest isn’t being “fined” $5 million. He lost the opportunity to earn his salary this year. If I went to jail for a year, I would lose my salary, but it isn’t a fine. I too think that Ben Wallace’s suspension is light considering the amount of escalation he caused.
Comment by John -
I agree with most here. You throw stuff at the players and you deserve to have your face caved in. The penalties were way too excessive on the Pacers players. The Pacers season holders get penalized by having to watch an NBDL team for the rest of the season and the degenerate Pistons fans don’t get penalized at all. Total BS.
6 games for Ben Wallace?! That’s it?! You gotta be kidding me. That’s the same penalty Rick Fox got for his fight with Doug Christie and Ben started a riot. Why didn’t the refs throw those 2 out immediately?!
For those who think the NBA is rigged, this just confirms it. Stern is handing the Chip over to Shaq and Miami this year.
Comment by Scott -
Ben Wallace’s 6 games is a joke. The NBA needs to teach their players not to escalate the situation. Detriot fans acted poorly and their primary competition is dead in the water.
Stern is a miserable commish and proved it yet again. Act up as fans and get the benefits too.
Comment by Billy Barron -
“Are you seriously going to tell a 10 year old child that they can’t watch their favorite team play because of the actions of someone who may not even be a Detroit fan? I’m pretty happy you have no say in this.”
Nope, I’d tell that 10 year old they can watch it on TV because no one is allowed in the arena tonight, and they can go to the game 10 days from now, when the suspension is lifted.
It makes no difference if it’s a Detroit fan (although, judging by the jerseys the principal fans involved were wearing, it’s safe to say they were) or not. The point is to send a message. While I don’t necessarily expect this to happen again, the NBA is sending no message to the fans whatsoever (at least thus far). They’re saying, “the players can’t come into the stands, but you go right on ahead doing whatever you want.”
Make the Pistons play a game or two with no crowd. Put it on TV. Don’t refund anyone’s money. Make the whole world watch. Let Detroit be embarrassed over their pathetic actions. See if another city’s fans ever pull the same stunt — I doubt it.
If the NBA is so dead set on not being soft, it should not be soft towards the fans, either, as they have equal ownership in this event. And let’s remember — we’re not talking about one or two idiots. We’re talking about tens, probably hundreds of fans that were involved in one way or another, hundreds more who cheered it on, and hundreds more who did nothing to try to stop it. Nearly everyone in that arena was responsible in one way or another, and they should all pay.
Comment by Jeff Croft -
The question is, how long before Artest realizes he’s only hurting himself? So what, $5 mil; what do people expect, a tap on the wrist? You’ve got to get through to this guy somehow…
By the way Mark, take it easy on my man KG tonight! He’s got a bum shoulder. 🙂
Comment by Jason -
Ryan,
Have you ever been in a bar? Just curious.
And Artest didn’t PUNCH the guy in the stands, he threw him down. He didn’t “PUNCH the guy in the face” as you say for throwing the beer. He shoved him and sorta yanked him. He punched at people who came onto the court looking for a fist fight. Big difference.
Comment by Matt -
Carl Everett gets hit with a cellphone by a fan in Oakland. His response, throw the phone back, alert security, continue game. That should have been the actions of the Pacers. Instead, Mr. Asshat decides to do it himself. Completely wrong. AS far as the no play, no pay. completely right. Why should he get money he doesnt deserve? he isn’t bringing fans to the arena. he isn’t producing for his team. why should they pay a guy that can’t even suit up? I am so glad the Mavs haven’t had this problem. We have great fans who know better than to throw things. We have players that know better than to respond in the same manner. Kudos to Mark and his coaching staff for putting a group together that plays basketball and not streetball.
Comment by John Sells -
I don’t know where some of you folks are from, but if you throw a something (for example, hmm let’s say a beverage) at anyone it’s to be expected that you will get your ass handed to you. I am also curious how this will affect the impending lockout for next season…
Comment by Pandemonium -
“I honestly believe that forcing the Pistons to play to a completly emtpy arena for a handful of games would not only punish the involved fans, but send a message to sports fans everywhere that this will not be tolerated.”
Are you seriously going to tell a 10 year old child that they can’t watch their favorite team play because of the actions of someone who may not even be a Detroit fan? I’m pretty happy you have no say in this.
Comment by Ryan -
For those of you who want to pull the whole “the punishment doesn’t fit the crime” card, do you think getting your face punched in is a fitting punishment for throwing a plastic cup full of liquid at someone?
Comment by Ryan -
While I do think the suspensions are a little harsh on the Indiana side and not harsh enough when it comes to Wallace, I can’t argue with them much. What I want to know is what is going to happen to the fans, who in my mind are at least equally responsible for the brawl.
In a blog post over on my personal site (http://jeffcroft.com/blog/archives/000427.php), I suggest that the Detroit fans should be suspended, as well. I honestly believe that forcing the Pistons to play to a completly emtpy arena for a handful of games would not only punish the involved fans, but send a message to sports fans everywhere that this will not be tolerated.
Comment by Jeff Croft -
I agree with you that basketball games are safe places. They are very safe, but Detroit Pistons fans are disgraceful, embarassing morons.
I don’t think the punishment fit the crime… The way I look at it is Ron Artest defending himself for 5 million dollars. That is, it cost him 5 million just because he got up from the scorers table to try to find the person who threw the cup at him. He didn’t actually punch anyone until he got back down to court level. The court is the player’s domain–once someone comes down their looking for a fight, they should expect one.
I could see myself taking your stance if I owned a team in the NBA as well. This obviously is not going to bother you because it takes away the best defender in the league. From a fan’s standpoint, its horrible because it completely ruins a team that was once a championship contender.
Comment by Nick -
i think thats it’s wrong that ben wallace didn’t get the same as jackson or o’neal because he was the one that started it all. true enough it was a flagrant foul but his main problem was that the pacers had taken it to him and the pistons for the whole game and he was mad about that. Artest should have been suspended true enough but the whole season was a little over the top. And another thing when the players union appeals their suspension david stern should be the one that hears it. it should be someone that is impartial. because i don’t think that he can be that.
Comment by eric burns -
“Artest lost it – big deal. Now he’s been fined $5 MILLION dollars for pushing someone to the ground and punching at a few fans?”
Not true. It isn’t up to the NBA to fine him for that. The criminal courts will be in charge of that. Artest is being fined $5M for the harm he has done to the image of the NBA and the Indiana Pacers. The NBA has every right to protect it’s image. The NBA image/brand is worth a lot of money, so the $5M Artest will lose sounds pretty small to me.
Comment by Ryan -
Completely agree! Great comments. Artest has been a thorn in the side of the NBA for too long. We don’t need folks like him. He taints the purity of the game.
Comment by Rod Trent -
Completely agree! Great comments. Artest has been a thorn in the side of the NBA for too long. We don’t need folks like him. He taints the purity of the game.
Comment by Rod Trent -
If it was Jon Barry the fan wouldn’t have thrown a beer at him… or Dirk or Peja or Brad Miller or austin Croshere….
Comment by Pandemonium -
The question here is “Would you let people harass you verbally and physically for a $5mil/year salary?” Players have to expect this kind of treatment and act professionally. Tradeoffs are a *itch, but no job is perfect, even Mark’s!
Comment by Gary -
Anyone who takes a swing or throws something at a professional athlete deserves what they get. I have no sympathy for the guys who took swings at the Pacer players and got punched in return.
Comment by Wade -
Perfect?
Why don’t you hire a few fans to chuck stuff at Garnett, Sprewell (he may lose it!) and Duncan/Manu while you’re at it? Give them a few grand and have them harass those 4 into diving into the stands. Then there’d be two less teams competing as well.
Artest lost it – big deal. Now he’s been fined $5 MILLION dollars for pushing someone to the ground and punching at a few fans? It entirely wrecks the balance of the East in the sport you want us to care about and it’s “perfect?”
I speak as a huge fan – someone who emailed you and knew of you long before blogmaverick, but I can’t agree with you on this one. Perfect? If this was Jon Barry, he’d have gotten Vern Maxwell’s 10 games. Instead, it’s 3 members (one who DID NOT LEAVE THE FLOOR) of one of the elite teams in your sport. One has a bad rep. So he gets chucked for the season??
There’s something seriously wrong with that.
Matt
Comment by Matt -
The NBA has to love what happened on and off that court. To go along with Mark’s “apologevent” entry, this does nothing, but draws ratings (which leads to advertising sales) and ticket sales. We have the games between the Pacers and Pistons for this year, not to mention next year when everybody is back in action (assuming the players and teams are the same, which I doubt).
Comment by runescape money -
There are ways in place to handle bad behavior and it doesn’t involve jumping into a fight. It’s called self control and maturity. Two things the players did not show that night. Yes, the fans are responsible as well, but they are not responsible for the reactions of the players.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
Cialis Perfect
Comment by cialis -
The media tends to like to put things that will get the biggest reactions out there without regard for putting things into perspective.
Comment by mar -
I’m new here and would just like to start off by saying Mark your my kind of guy. The kind that likes to walk on the wild side because he can so he does. The world needs more Mark Cubans. Back to basketball.
I most definitely would agree with you that things get blown out of portion by the media, and that the punishment will in all likelihood reduce the chances of this every happening again. The media tends to like to put things that will get the biggest reactions out there without regard for putting things into perspective as you have clearly exhibited here.
On a slightly different not I would like to see more changes in Basketball, I enjoy change so long as it is for the betterment of the game. There is one change I would like to see happen to the All-star Games. I would like to see owners such as yourself actually coaching one of the sides. I know as a kid I had aspirations to be professional player one day, the older I got the more evident it became that it would never happen. As time passed I start thinking of being a coach. Next, and this is for those of us who see ourselves making large sums of money, I started seeing myself as an owner. So if this hierarchal passion for sports holds true then I believe that many owners would love to actually coach, at least one game with all-star players. I know you would, wouldn’t you? (Idea inspired by Mark Cuban)
Comment by Zio -