You know that old line about wanting to see a fight in which the victor dies of his wounds? That's the image that comes to mind on hearing George Karl rant on about Isiah Thomas and the brilliant one's instigation (or lack thereof) of Saturday Night's Main Event at Madison Square Garden. Well, we don't really want either of them to actually die but you get the idea. If each of these buffoons could fade permanently from the Nation's view, that would do nicely, thank you.
Putting some perspective into the sports news these days makes you kind of fearful. Just when you thought much of the news was as bad as can be, it gets worse. It's not just the Nuggets-Knicks punch-up that has us dismayed. It's Tank Johnson and his gun arrest and his presence when his security guard/roommate (and fellow arrestee) is killed in an early morning shooting at a Chicago area bar. This Chicago Bear was clearly in a place he shouldn't have been. What he was doing with an apparent mini-arsenal in his house we'll let others figure out. I am mystified.
On Tuesday we see that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Detroit Lions assistant Joe Cullen for one game for his late summer arrest for DWN--that's Driving While Naked, kiddies. You Lions fans must be so proud.
Imagine that Terrell Owens getting fined $35K for spitting in the face of the Falcons DeAngelo Hall is only fourth on our hit parade.
And of course there are the Cincinnati Bengals who lead all leagues with eight players arrested this year. We would ordinarily let that just go without comment but seeing the Bengals on ESPN getting whipped by the Colts on Monday night raises this question about how people view this team's missteps. ESPN's magazine has a coming article (which was on its website in advance of the Bengals appearance on Monday night) in which Coach Marvin Lewis angrily defends his players' actions if not their activities in those off-the-field incidents. Then on TV, the story is different. Tony and Joe are telling us that Coach Lewis finds the arrests terribly disturbing and embarrassing. So which is it guys? And while we're making people fade away would it be too much to ask to never again have to see or hear Joe Theismann get it so wrong while so sure he's so right? Monday night he was ripping the Bengals for trying to establish a running game early. But he was saying that when the Colts had long since clinched their victory. How could he be wrong? Of course, the Colts were last in run defense coming in and had given up 375 yards on the ground the previous week. Joe's explanation? The Bengals, who have a very good running back in Rudi Johnson, by trying to establish the run, had played into the Colts advantage. Huh? What? Joe Theismann's mouth may be the least of our worries about the sports world but it is one thing that is constantly unpleasant anyway.
But let's go back to the incident at MSG. You can argue from day till night about whether Carmelo Anthony got what he deserved with his 15-game suspension. One wonders if he would have gotten more or less for that sucker punch to the face of instigator Mardy Collins if he had stayed to take his blows instead of moon dancing backwards like a 6-7 Michael Jackson.
But here's our question and it goes to Commissioner David Stern: What the heck were you thinking when you didn't suspend, fine and publicly reprimand Isiah Thomas and George Karl? What were you afraid of? Lawsuits? Appeals? The wrath of the team owners? Do you really believe the fines assessed to each team will keep this kind of thing from happening again?
Could the Commish be afraid of being barred from his hometown arena at Madison Square Garden if he offended the Knicks ditzy owner Jim Dolan? Could he be afraid of getting his Wal-Mart shopping privileges revoked by Nuggets' owner and Wal-Mart heir Stan Kroenke if he bounced Karl? What is it?
Stern made a big point while talking to the media on Monday about the penalty that the teams are facing for the incident--losing their players (a big penalty for sure, particularly in the Nuggets case) and the fine. The league said it had never fined a team so much and that very well may be true. And we won't argue that $500,000 is not a lot of money. But the Knicks are paying Jalen Rose some $16 million not to play and Larry Brown some $28 million not to coach so who's kidding who?
A fine of $500,000 is not enough to change behavior, not enough to stop coaches acting like preening jerks and not enough to get their players to try to defend their "manhood" for an action on court. The coaches, both of them, should have been suspended, even if it could not be proven that Isiah had "ordered" the flagrant foul by Collins. A fight like that does not happen with a coach who has the proper control of his players, who cares that his players act as one of the FanNation bloggers said the other day: "if you have a problem with someone on the court...take it out on the game. Play harder. Shoot better. NOT HIT HARDER!" Stern wimped out big-time in his dealing with Karl and Thomas. Big-time.
Consider that since the brawl of Auburn Hills in November 2004, the league has assessed several fines of more than six figures for such atrocious acts as:
- A $100,000 fine to the Houston Rockets for taking their players on a one-day jaunt to Las Vegas while on a road trip. (A violation of the collective bargaining agreement and its salary cap apparently.)
- A $200,000 fine to the very same George Karl for illegal contact with college players. (That conjures an image we'd rather not contemplate.)
- A $200,000 fine to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a voluntary, but against the rules, mini-camp.
- A $200,000 fine for Mavericks' owner and maverick owner Mark Cuban, $100K for coming on to the court during a playoff game and another $100K for criticizing the League and the Commissioner in his blog. (Uh, oh.)
- And my personal favorite, a total of $650,000 for several teams' allowing their players to play with their shorts too long. Among the leaders in this clubhouse? The Knicks with $100K and the Nuggets with $150K.
So let's get this straight: the Nuggets (coached by George Karl) allowed three players (Andre Miller, Voshon Lenard and DerMarr Johnson) to play with baggy shorts below their knees and got $150,000 in fines and that same coach and team had their players partaking in a horrendous on-court fight that endangered fans at courtside and that was worth just another $350,000? No wonder people laugh at the NBA.
Hilary Rhoda
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Comments (12) Add A Comment
EASY there big fella...
First and foremost, over the past 20 years, we (the general public) have put sports on a pedestal much too high...and I'm as guilty as they come. We complain about how much money they make, but we would jump at the chance to negotiate using our colleagues as comps. We criticize their problems, but refuse to admit our own...which we can hide because our lives are not public. Sure, the Bengals hand out warrants with each paycheck, but we only know about it because of their "status".
As for the NBA, I hate Isiah...and really don't care for George Karl, but they never threw a punch. They didn't push anyone into the stands and they shouldn't be suspended...pending an investigation (which the league is conducting). A hard foul is part of the game and it is at the discretion of the refs to decide intent. While we have heard that Isiah "warned" Denver that a hard foul was coming, we have not proven that there was intent to injure...and unlike the famous John Chaney Temple incident, no one was injured. All George Karl has said is that Isiah is a jerk, which we've all said at the water cooler.
So basically, you are saying we need to suspend Thomas for doing what every professional coach would have done and suspend George Karl for venting his anger to the media? If this happened, we'd have no one left to coach or play any of these games.
Well done David Stern on a prompt, hard and fair punishment to everyone involved...pending an investigation.
BK
Total Comments (88)
Are you bucking for a job at the NBA? Stern said the deed is done. No suspensions for the coaches. I am saying that the coaches should be suspended for the players taking off like this. I'm not saying Karl should be suspended for what he said about Isiah. I'm not saying even that Isiah should be suspended for 'ordering' the foul (although he should be). I'm saying they should be suspended for what their players did. Imagine this: the NHL does it and it worked. Players stopped leaving the benches for fights when, and only when, the coach was suspended along with the player. If 'long' shorts are worth $150,000, how can a fight of this proportion be worth $500K to the team and NOTHING to the coach who is responsible for this mess? Can't be, it just can't be.
Arthur Pincus
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No players left the bench...the participants were on the court. How many games did Mark Crawford get suspended in the Bertuzzi/Moore incident, which was MUCH, MUCH worse than this?
BK
Total Comments (88)
I think Stern should suspend himself, for not being able to prevent the fight....and Doc Rivers too. He might not be the coach of either team but he sure didn't do anything to stop that fight. Shame on him.
Bennett
Total Comments (101)
Arthur, I think Isiah is a putz. I think George Karl is an a#$. I think 15 years ago this fight doesn't even make news. I'm really not all that outraged. Maybe I'm crazy.
woodyhedgerson
Columbus, OH
Total Comments (143)
Woody, I saw your comments on Karl and am not surprised at your opinion of him. It's what I would have thought. When he sounded off about Isiah you half expected him to start crying real tears. And 15 years ago a fight like this does make news. Check out the fight between Knicks and Bulls, I believe, in the 94 playoffs. Obviously I agree as well with your assessment of Isiah.
No, BK Marc Crawford did not get suspended for the Bertuzzi incident. Maybe he should have been. The result was far worse but the incident itself was really not. This fight doesnt' equate with that in my estimation. That was two guys (one guy really)with a terrible result. This was at least half the players on the court--Collins, Jeffries, Anthony, Robinson, Smith were suspended. Others may have had a poke or two. This fight went on for a while; it tumbled into the stands. Bertuzzi broke Moore's neck without anyone else involved. But there were questions then about who else might have been responsible--including people wthout skates. You also have to think about this incident in light of what happened in the Palace, especially when you saw those players getting into it around the fans in their seats.
And by the way, not that it affects anything, two players did leave their benches Saturday night and were suspended for a game each, James from the Knicks and Nene from the Nuggets.
Arthur Pincus
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Arthur: I wish that fining coaches would have a dramatic impact, but one must also remember that in recent times athletes are the ones getting coaches--and even GMs--fired. Back in the day--coming from Chicago I recall Bulls/Pistons and Bulls/Knicks games--a player wouldn't have cried when he was fouled hard. That was part of the game. Now these guys expect to fly through the lane going into four defenders and get fouls called. Absurd. I think they should follow water polo rules: if you look at the ref, much less argue a call, you are subject to be ejected.
BK: Athletes have always been on a pedistal. One difference that explains almost all of the Bengals' issues would be an earnest approach at diminishing drunk driving. My concern, and this player wasn't named on this list, is Stephen Jackson. First he runs into the obnoxious Detroit crowd and starts throwing haymakers, then he starts shooting guns off at strip clubs. Reggie Miller--who I don't particularly like--called him out after the incident and made mention to the fact that this wouldn't have happened back in the day. Whether or not that is entirely accurate, I don't think that there would have been a gun involved. Basketball, in particular, has picked up a gangster mentality when I seriously doubt any of these guys could TOUCH Charles Barkley, much less Charles Oakley, in a fight. The league and the game has catered to them, the fans have always been there.
chicago al
Total Comments (336)
Chicago: Fining coaches may have some impact, neither one was fined in this case. But those two make as much money as a good sixth man so that wouldn't be enough. The only penalty that means anything really is taking the game away from them--players or coaches. As for Stephen Jackson (Our Stevie) I blogged about him just after his performance outside the Indy strip club.
http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/919
Arthur Pincus
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Arthur, could you please tell me how a pre-meditated sucker-punch from behind (as was the case with Bertuzzi) is not as bad an incident as a caught up in the moment sucker punch from the front?
I'm guessing you thought the McSorley's slash to Brashear's head was a love tap.
BK
Total Comments (88)
It was a sucker punch by Bertuzzi to Moore. It was terrible in its result. But Anthony sucker punched Collins and the result was, luckily, only a 15 game suspension for Anthony. The Bertuzzi-Moore incident most resembles the long ago sucker punch that Kermit Washington three and literally broke Rudy Tomjanovich's face. That's the equivalent incident to the Bertuzzi incident. Not this one.
As for your comment about McSorley and Brashear..I'll give you a pass on that one.
Arthur Pincus
Total Comments (783)
I know you are a hockey guy and an NHL deciple, but the Bertuzzi incident was far worse than this one (and yes, part of it was the result).
As you can see from this article http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1756628, those teams had history and this was clearly payback...thus, pre-meditated.
In both cases, the cheap shots were disgusting, but I have a problem with you saying that Stern handled this situation poorly (by not suspending the coaches), whereas you have implied that the NHL has elimianted this behavior by suspending coaches for full-on donnybrook.
BK
Total Comments (88)
BK: I know the Canucks and Moore had a history, I know the Bertuzzi incident was widely considered a payback. I do say in my comment above that perhaps Crawford should have been suspended (and, I might add, the GM at the time Brian Burke could have been, too). My point about the NHL getting some control by suspending coaches for players leaving the bench was not to praise but to show that you can change behavior if the penalties are changed and are made "real". The NBA has pretty much proved that too with its recent rule change to automatically suspend players for leaving the bench.
Fines to teams do not change behavior; do you think a player really cares if his team is fined $500,000? Do you think a coach does? A good coach can exert a lot of control of his players if he wants to. In this case we were not talking about particularly good coaches and surely they showed a lack of desire to control anything.
Suspensions can, in my estimation, change behavior. It has proven so in other sports, and has even proven so in the NBA over the years. If the NBA was going to make a statement that it was intent on changing behavior, in my opinion, it had to up the ante. In this case sending those two coaches away for a few games would have helped do that.
As for me being a "hockey guy and NHL disciple" I have great affection for the sport and many of the people who are involved in it. But I feel strongly about pro basketball, too, and that's why I was so disappointed in this result. And give me a break on the 'hockey guy" stuff. The statute of limitations has long since run out on my NHL career.
Arthur Pincus
Total Comments (783)
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