Ron-Ron and Udonis Haslem were both handed one-game suspensions for their actions in the Games One of their respective playoff series’. Equal punishments for unequal crimes.
The elbow/forearm that Artest hit Manu Ginobili with was not anything extraordinary. It was blatant, yes, but it wasn’t particularly punishing, and the recipient of the elbow has been known to exaggerate the effects of physical contact from time to time. That’s going to happen a dozen times in the playoffs. Anyone who tries to defend Shaq takes more contact than that every single time he posts up. Haslem’s act, however… was extraordinary. You can’t throw things at an official. You just can’t.
Now, I’m not saying that Ron Artest was wronged here… if David Stern suspended him once a month, just on general principle, you couldn’t find too much fault with him. Artest has earned the extra scrutiny. He made his bed, and now David Stern is forcing him to lie in it while he takes manly advantage of him.
I understand that, and I think it’s fine. But what Haslem did, to me, is so much worse… an aggressive act towards an official can’t be considered acceptable. I don’t think what he did is any better than shoving an official… and a shove would’ve earned considerably more than a one game suspension. I know if it was me, I’d rather have Udonis Haslem shove me in the chest than hit me with his dirty mouthpiece. I don’t think there’s any excuse for what he did.
The Heat were fine without him, tonight, by the way. The game was a lot like the first… the Bulls can play, but they just don’t have the studs. If Miami gets in trouble, they can go to Wade or Shaq, and everything’s fine. If the Bulls get in trouble, they don’t know what to do.
nirwin
I’m no fan of Ron Artest, and you’re probably correct that he can’t say he’s being wronged after all he’s done. However, having said all that, the Artest suspension is complete bullshit. It appeared to be a slight forearm to the head. It wasn’t even so much Artest hitting Ginobli with his forearm so much as him sticking it up and Ginobli running into it. Ginobli then proceeded to act as if he’d been clubbed over the head with a rock. I guess it makes sense. Ginobli grew up in a soccer-crazy country, and he definitely takes the soccer approach to drawing fouls. Namely, act as if you’ve been hit by a small car every time you’re even slightly touched. I guess based on this precedent, every hard foul committed in the NBA deserves a fine and every minor flagrant foul deserves a one-game suspension. I’m waiting for the day Ron Artest yells in somebody’s face after dunking on them and gets a three-game suspension.
April 25, 2006 at 1:18 am
Rhondda Nunes
So if success is the best revenge let RonRon get back at Manu by setting a really, really, hard pick like Brad Miller used to clock Seattle’s Luke Ridenour in round 1 last year.
But given his rep he has to be sneaky. His biggest mistake here was being kinda out in the open with his loving gesture.
A player (especially one known for his ‘d’ ‘tude) can’t let someone “accidentally’ give him a fat lip & get away with it. Balki has to pay; hopefully Arthur Bonzarelli can be of assistance, or I’d like to see coach Adelman bring in the Cisko kid who has D.C.(Doug Christie) qualities to defend ‘a la francois’ in the paint. Running him into a ‘Big Nasty’ tree would also be….satisfying.
April 25, 2006 at 1:56 am
insomniac
It was definitely an intentional elbow to the head. Artest just did it mildly because he was hoping not to get caught. As soon as the whistle blew, Artest’s expression was, “Damn, you caught me,” not “What did I do?”
I’m sure if Artest had it to do over again, he would have just given the full-blown elbow to get more mileage out of his suspension.
April 25, 2006 at 1:58 am
Doug
I don’t think you can equate slamming your mouthpiece into the ground to pushing a referee. Haslem was on the ground, got called for a foul and all in one motion looked toward the whistle and threw his mouth piece down. Naturally, your throw is going to go in the direction you are looking.
For him to push the ref, he would have had to stand up, walk over, and then push the guy. That’s totally different. What he did happened all in one second. For him to push someone he would have had to get up and go do it over a span of a few seconds.
Reacting wrong, and getting up to push someone isn’t the same.
April 25, 2006 at 10:11 am
Dave's Football Blog
If Ron Mexbury threw his dirty mouthpiece at a ref, would that be a felony in Georgia?
April 25, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Rhondda Nunes
Probably just to think of it would be a felony in Georgia.
I’m surprised Udonis Haslem was only suspended for one game, especially with Joey Crawford as the ref in the situation. A player can practically look cross-eyed at him & get teed up.
Still, throwing your mouthpiece is just gross. Who wants to touch that thing?
April 25, 2006 at 5:35 pm