An Eye for an Eye
eclipses the Suns.
Ron Artest retaliated, rather gently, with a forearm to Manu Ginobli's noggin in game 1 of the Spurs v. Kings series and was suspended. Yesterday, Raja Bell took Kobe down, admittedly with more force than he should have given the current, suspension-happy, climate. However, Bell's foul of Bryant was no worse than some of the elbows Kobe has hit Bell with during the series. Raja Bell was responsible for the incident yesterday, which resulted in a one game suspension being issued today. Kobe Bryant is also to blame and the league either a) fails to recognize that fact or b) is ignoring it, just like they did when they penalized Ron Artest and not Manu Ginobli.
There has been some physical play in the playoffs this year. But, it's bound to happen when you see the same team over and over again. That is just the way it is. The problem is the league is overreacting. They overreacted to the Artest incident (possibly because of Artest's history) and have been hamstrung by it ever since. Dana Jacobsen reasoned, on Cold Pizza this morning, that because Artest got one game, Bell has to get one game. Well, Bell isn't Artest. I don't think it should matter who does what, but it does ... the league cares, at least usually. Each incident is different, despite similarities, so blanket application of rules does not make sense.
Physical play will continue and the referees need to continue to give flagrant and technical fouls for actions that are out-of-line. The league doesn't need to intervene after the fact and automatically suspend guys. What the league should do is look at the entire body of work that leads up to an act before deciding what to do. Artest didn't hurt Ginobli, Bell didn't hurt Bryant, Posey didn't hurt Hinrich. None of these incidents were Kermit Washington - Rudy T. I think Artest and Bell were both within the limits of acceptable action and the league office is shaping the playoffs ... decreasing the friction the Lakers and Spurs are facing in the first round. Maybe the league is trying to create buzz with Spurs v. Mavs and Lakers v. Clippers, battles of LA and TX.
One final note: Reggie Evans should receive a very harsh suspension. If I were handing out suspensions, Evans would get 20 games to start next season and 5 games the next time his team reached the playoffs. Players shouldn't have to worry about having their private parts attacked during games and the league needs to take a stand. Bell and Artest were sending messages in the open. Evans tried to hurt Kaman without the refs seeing. If Kaman had not shoved Evans (which he was penalized for) and brought attention to the event, Evans might have gotten away with it. I know I didn't notice what happened at full speed. I'd compare this to a hitter corking his bat or a pitcher scuffing the ball in baseball, actions that are done deceitfully. Plus, add in the bodily harm that can be done when you are grabbing and pulling at someone's privates and you realize the league should take a stern position, pardon the pun. So far? Nothing! Maybe they're busy debating whether or not tights violate the on-court dress code.
posted by ET @ 5:15 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Dude please, I saw all the replays of Raja Bell and the majority were phantom blows and Raja flopping ala Vlade Divacs. Then to top it all he whines to the press that Kobe is mean and arrogant. Hmm Kobe is arrogant because he is the best talent in the league. In fact it is hypocrtical for him to whine about it when his coach was pleading for his team to exhibit swagger and attitude. Traits his team was sorely lacking throughout the playoff series thus far. Ironic that they won convincingly by playing with more of a physical presence. Raja must understand that the game does not love the shrinking violets. They heap praise upon the players that dominate with aggression and arrogance. So in the end Raja must thank Kobe because the only reason why they are paying any attention to him is because of the strange relationship they had forged this year and the playpffs. In a contract year this might garner him millions.
I have a number of points to make in my response. Let's start with an easy one: I'm sure you mean Vlade Divac (www.nba.com/playerfile/vlade_divac.html), rather than Mr. Divacs. I really don't have anything against Kobe. He's a very good player, but I think LeBron takes the cake when it comes to best talent in the league. LeBron is taller, bigger, at least as athletic, and passes the ball better. Plus, he is the best 21 year old ever to set foot on an NBA court. But, that's another debate for a different day.
Now, getting into the meat of your comment ... you're right, for the most part. I don't know that I agree that Bell is acting like Vlade. Divac was in a league of his own. I'm not sure if me or Roy has posted about this, but we have discussed, on many occassions, the necessity of a little acting if defensive players want fouls called on offensive players. Defensive players rarely draw charges if they don't fall to the floor. Shaq fell down in game 5 to draw a charge on Luol Deng. I'm pretty sure he could have weathered the contact and remained upright. However, he probably would have been called for a block (which would have been the appropriate call because Shaq was still sliding into the path of Deng, who had already left the floor). If Bell gets elbowed in the face or chest and doesn't react, his chances of drawing a foul on Kobe are drastically reduced, compared to if he "flops." That's just the way the games are officiated. Personally, "There's a Catch" authors don't think that's the way it should be, but we don't have much control over the situation.
You're right that the NBA is a league built around stars: Shaq, AI, Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo, Wade, KG, Tim Duncan, TMac, etc. I think there is a fine line you walk between being sufficiently arrogant (I think I fall in this category) and being a pompous, overly arrogant, ass. I think Kobe is perilously close to crossing over the line. First, he runs Shaq and Phil off ... only to find out that probably wasn't the best move. Now he's calling Bell a "kid" and parading around with his jersey pulled over his head every time he's called for a foul. I don't know Kobe personally, so I may have it all wrong ... or maybe the other stars are the same way and put up a facade when dealing with the public.
I hope the Suns pull game 6 out (it's on right now and is pretty close (Suns up 69-61 ... early 2nd half) so there is a game seven. After that, who cares. I think Lakers v. Clippers would be fun. It's too bad Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire are both hurt, those injuries really crippled the Suns inside (pardon the pun). I don't see either the Lakers or Suns getting to the finals, so it probably won't matter who pulls this one out ... although stranger things have happened.
Finally, I was initially taken aback by "Dude please," but I'm glad someone read my post. I stand by my post. Bell shouldn't have been suspended. If you play enough basketball against the same people in a short period of time, things happen. Tempers flare, people get thrown down. I've never been in organized games where we played the same team four to seven games in a row. However, I did grow up in a town with only two middle schools. Also, my high school was in a region with three teams, so we played them 4-6 times every year. During pickup games and practices, these events often take place. Soon after the incident, the animosity decreases and you're back to competing. You can't allow one team to get all the shots in and not let the situation hash itself out. You don't want Bell waiting until Kobe is going up for a dunk on a fast break and then undercutting him while trying to make it look like he's making a "basketball play". Bell grabbed Kobe around the upper chest first and threw him to the court. Everyone who's played basketball has dealt with similar things. David Stern and his cronies are overreacting.
On a related note, I've always thought leagues should do more to prevent teams from injuring or antagonizing star players. If Raja Bell initiates a fight with Kobe Bryant and both players are suspended, that's would not be fair. If an offensive lineman chop blocks a defensive lineman and ends his season by tearing up his knee, that's not fair. Again, the leagues should take a look at the "big picture" instead of isolated incidents. Unfortunately, this would only be the case in an ideal world, where all files and programs would work on any computer platform, boxing wasn't corrupt, and the oil companies wouldn't be pulling in record profits while the public pays increasingly high rates at the pumps ... that is not the world in which we live.
Post a Comment
<< Home