Pistons – Pacers Suspensions Announced

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » November 22, 2004 11:57 am

It's the NBA. Who cares?

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » November 22, 2004 11:59 am

a1aara wrote:It's the NBA. Who cares?

A lot of kids look up to these athletes. So I care.

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » November 22, 2004 12:04 pm

I would say to find better role models for your kids.

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » November 22, 2004 12:04 pm

BottleofRum wrote:
Four Play wrote:
TheSecretsInTheCrust wrote:Friday night was a the saddest day in American Sports History!
I can't argue with that.
It was a bad day but considering no one died I would argue other days have been worse.

Fair enough, maybe sad isn't the right word. How about disappointing, appalling, or disgusting?

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » November 22, 2004 12:08 pm

a1aara wrote:I would say to find better role models for your kids.

I'm not talking about my kids - they have a father who loves them. Some kids don't have father figures to look up to. As others have said we're talking about professional athletes. As I see it they are well compensated to do a job, and that includes dealing with fan pressure. I'm not taking up for the fans but the players were overboard in my opinion.

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » November 22, 2004 12:15 pm

I think most player would tell the kids that they are not role models and they don't want to be role models.

Everyone was overboard who was involved.

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » November 22, 2004 12:20 pm

a1aara wrote:I think most player would tell the kids that they are not role models and they don't want to be role models.

That doesn't change the reality that they are role models for a lot of kids. The athletes are well compensated and there is no excuse for this in my opinion.

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » November 22, 2004 12:36 pm

What does compensation have to do with it? They are payed very well. What they did was classless. What do the two have to do with each other?

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » November 22, 2004 12:51 pm

a1aara wrote:What does compensation have to do with it? They are payed very well. What they did was classless. What do the two have to do with each other?

My thought process is is that high pressure jobs pay more.

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 22, 2004 12:55 pm

phinsphan25 wrote:Wallace should have gonnten more??? For what???

How about for the fact that his brother was on the court fighting with the Pacers, making it worse?

msu#1 · Post by **msu#1** » November 22, 2004 12:57 pm

CaptainP wrote:I have no problems with the extra long suspensions....(Artest now has beaten Spreewell for the longest ever!!!)

Here's where I disagree....Ben Wallace STARTED the whole thing, AND he also went into the stands. He only got 5 games!

Also, if no fans are arrested for this, then why are the players being punished? This wasn't just an unprovoked mugging...

No he didnt, he never went into the stands, Rashaed wallace went into the stands to help break it up along with other pacers who didnt recieve any suspensions. And Ben's shove was during the game

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 22, 2004 12:59 pm

msu#1 wrote:
CaptainP wrote:I have no problems with the extra long suspensions....(Artest now has beaten Spreewell for the longest ever!!!)

Here's where I disagree....Ben Wallace STARTED the whole thing, AND he also went into the stands. He only got 5 games!

Also, if no fans are arrested for this, then why are the players being punished? This wasn't just an unprovoked mugging...
No he didnt, he never went into the stands, Rashaed wallace went into the stands to help break it up along with other pacers who didnt recieve any suspensions. And Ben's shove was during the game

And when the fight was over....Artest had backed off. Wallace threw a towel at him, and it sparked up again. Sure, it was only a towel, but that told the fans that it was OK to throw things.

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 22, 2004 1:01 pm

msu#1 wrote: And Ben's shove was during the game

And...so was Artest's foul (which the NBA has said wasn't flagrent). And, by your reasoning, the fight on the court was part of the game. It was all part of the game until the fans got involved.

msu#1 · Post by **msu#1** » November 22, 2004 1:03 pm

CaptainP wrote:
msu#1 wrote:
CaptainP wrote:I have no problems with the extra long suspensions....(Artest now has beaten Spreewell for the longest ever!!!)

Here's where I disagree....Ben Wallace STARTED the whole thing, AND he also went into the stands. He only got 5 games!

Also, if no fans are arrested for this, then why are the players being punished? This wasn't just an unprovoked mugging...
No he didnt, he never went into the stands, Rashaed wallace went into the stands to help break it up along with other pacers who didnt recieve any suspensions. And Ben's shove was during the game
And when the fight was over....Artest had backed off. Wallace threw a towel at him, and it sparked up again. Sure, it was only a towel, but that told the fans that it was OK to throw things.

He was throwing the towel at jackass reggie miller, who was yelling "You cant come over here, your not gonna".

RAGTOP · Post by **RAGTOP** » November 22, 2004 1:09 pm

CaptainP wrote:
msu#1 wrote:
CaptainP wrote:I have no problems with the extra long suspensions....(Artest now has beaten Spreewell for the longest ever!!!)

Here's where I disagree....Ben Wallace STARTED the whole thing, AND he also went into the stands. He only got 5 games!

Also, if no fans are arrested for this, then why are the players being punished? This wasn't just an unprovoked mugging...
No he didnt, he never went into the stands, Rashaed wallace went into the stands to help break it up along with other pacers who didnt recieve any suspensions. And Ben's shove was during the game
And when the fight was over....Artest had backed off. Wallace threw a towel at him, and it sparked up again. Sure, it was only a towel, but that told the fans that it was OK to throw things.

WHAT??? Because a player threw a towel that told the fans it was OK to throw things? Was that sarcasm

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 22, 2004 1:10 pm

msu#1 wrote: He was throwing the towel at jackass reggie miller, who was yelling "You cant come over here, your not gonna".

Gotcha. So Wallace was the innocent little angel in this whole incident. I suppose he's at his therapist crying right now. Give me a break.

Wallace deserved more than he got.

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 22, 2004 1:12 pm

RAGTOP wrote:
WHAT??? Because a player threw a towel that told the fans it was OK to throw things? Was that sarcasm

My point is that MSU is obviously a Pistons fan who can't see that Wallace did anything wrong. In MSU's mind, Wallace was in a field picking flowers and this all broke out around him.

PHBeerman · Post by **PHBeerman** » November 22, 2004 1:16 pm

Wallace did not go into the stands. Wallace did not fight with fans. Wallace did take out a 100 lb fan who was not even the person who threw anything.
Those are the reasons that the others are out for so long

Wallace shoved Artest. Wallace threw a towel.
Thus he got 6 games. If what followed never happened, he would have gotten 2 games max.

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » November 22, 2004 1:52 pm

Fight fallout
Players, fans, personnel face charges after Pacers-Pistons fight
Posted: Monday November 22, 2004 1:06PM; Updated: Monday November 22, 2004 1:33PM

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -- Fans, players and other team personnel could face criminal charges for their roles in a brawl that broke out at the end of an Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game at The Palace of Auburn Hills, a prosecutor said.

Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca said he repeatedly viewed a videotape of the melee at Friday night's game. He said authorities have identified and questioned a fan who they say threw a cup that hit Indiana's Ron Artest and started the brawl.

A resident of West Bloomfield Township confirmed in a telephone conversation with Auburn Hills police that he is that fan, Gorcyca said Monday. However, he failed to show up for a scheduled in-person interview, and authorities have lost contact with him.

Gorcyca said the man most likely would face charges.

"He, I think, precipitated the whole event that transpired in the spectator section," Gorcyca told WXYZ-TV on Sunday. "I think he's going to be facing some criminal charges."

Asked whether players would be charged, the prosecutor said: "I don't want to pinpoint players, but I would say yes. Based upon what I've seen, I believe there will be some charges levied against certain players."

Personnel for both teams also are among the circle of people who might face charges, Gorcyca said.

Gorcyca said police have received some witness statements, but he said he doubted any of the players would help the investigation.

"Auburn Hills has made contact with the NBA about player interviews, but I suspect very strongly that they will on advice of counsel probably not cooperate with the investigation," he said.

As Gorcyca spoke Monday, he was on his way to a meeting with Auburn Hills police about the case. He said he doubted any charges would be brought Monday.

On Sunday, the NBA suspended Artest for the rest of the season. The league suspended Indiana's Stephen Jackson for 30 games and teammate Jermaine O'Neal for 25. Detroit's Ben Wallace -- whose shove of Artest after a foul led to the five-minute fracas -- drew a six-game ban, while Pacers guard Anthony Johnson got five games.

Four players -- Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman -- were suspended one game apiece for leaving the bench during the initial incident.

• Check out more top stories on SI.com

Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Beach Bob · Post by **Beach Bob** » November 22, 2004 1:53 pm

Having been on both sides, I can say that fans do take things too far sometimes and the players have a lot to deal with. What if someone threw a cup of water on you and called you names all day at work? What would you do? That does not mean I agree with going into the stands after someone. I've pointed fans out before when things were thrown at me, and didn't go after them. I wanted to, but didn't. There are a bunch of factors that caused that "riot". Artest is a loose canon anyways. The players, and the fans were wrong. But if Artest does not go into the crowd then that incident would never had happened. I agree with the suspensions and I believe that those fans involved should be charged as well, and I'm sure they will.