Breaking News!, Artest Suspended for Season

Well i must say..this whole thing was hilarious to look at. If i was in artest's shoes i'd have the done the same thing...but thinking about it rationally..it wasnt good for the league or artest. The rest of the guys got caught up in the moment...and i'd have joined in if i was a Pacer.

The fans were totally wrong in my opinion...i almost wish I WAS there..so i could lay the smackdown on um. I didnt like how Artest chickened away from Ben Wallace though...he shoulda took him on. That woulda been a sweet bout until Wallace KO'd him with was haymaker 2 mins into the fight.

Anyone seen that sliding punch attack that jermaine did on that chubby mexican lookin dude?..freakin funny. That attack reminds me of Terry Bogard's "power wave" from final fight and the king of fighters series.

can artest and oneal play in all star game? if they are picked

73 GAMES
RON ARTEST, Pacers
* 2004-05 salary: $6,158,000.
* Salary lost: $4,995,000.


30 GAMES
STEPHEN JACKSON, Pacers
* 2004-05 salary: $5,100,000.
* Salary lost: $1,700,000.

25 GAMES
JERMAINE O'NEAL, Pacers
* 2004-05 salary: $14,800,000.
* Salary lost: $4,111,000.

SIX GAMES
BEN WALLACE, Pistons
* 2004-05 salary: $6,000,000.
* Salary lost: $400,000.


Other suspensions



PACERS

Anthony Johnson, five games
* 2004-05 salary: $2,200,000.
* Salary lost: $22,222.

Reggie Miller, one game
* 2004-05 salary: $5,500,000.
* Salary lost: $61,111.

PISTONS

Chauncey Billups, one game
* 2004-05 salary: $5,455,000.
* Salary lost: $60,611.

Derrick Coleman, one game
* 2004-05 salary: $4,500,000.
* Salary lost: $50,000.

Elden Campbell, one game
* 2004-05 salary: $4,400,000.
* Salary lost: $48,888.

Hey Andrew i don't think the Maxwell case was used as a precedent for this case. I mean Artest decked several people and this was an all out riot.
Besides Stern wanted to be really hard

thats bullshit, absolute bullshit, That fam who threw the shit deserved to get his ass whooped and everyone whos started shit deserved to get hit.

David Stern had a chance to make an example here, and he fucked up. The fans have gotten away with what they did... Lets have a look at who got what:

tell me, how did the fans get away with it? if the beating some of them took was not enough then what about the fact that they will probably be arrested. the nba players wont be.


anyway my opinion is that artest got what he deserved. he had no right to enter the stands no matter what happened. it was only a plastic cup. i dont know about any of you but i would rather take a plastic cup to the chest then get hit in the head by a 240 pound guy a few times. artest,oneal, and jackson were dead wrong and all 3 deserved what they got. if anything jackson deserved a worse penelty. he just ran into the stands and attacked anyone he could. being said i still hope the fans get arrested for what they did.

Reggie Miller, one game
* 2004-05 salary: $5,500,000.
* Salary lost: $61,111.

yes, fine reggie for being a peacemaker and restraining artest.. i know it's against the rules to get off the bench during a fight, but seriously who was holding back artest? securi.. oh wait THERE WAS NONE. its during times like this where you need alleviate that rule. stern seriously needs a JO sliding punch

ron artest does deserves punishment but the entire season is too much. these are the facts:

artest did not committ a flagrant foul on wallace
wallace committed an act worthy of suspension and fines on to artest
artest did not retaliate to that act or the further provocation by wallace when he threw the towel with him
artest did not initially punch fans when he went into the stands- the guy he went after even corroborated this story by saying artest asked him if he was the one who threw the beer at him.
only until he was punched by fans did artest starting hitting back
and for the idiotic fan(s) that confronted him on the floor, they got what deserved- they shouldn't have been there in the first place

again, artest should be punished. now going off these facts, suspension for the rest of the season is unjustified. there is a petition going around protesting the suspension. if anyone cares, check the pacers board at realgm or bbb.net

now i'd like to see what the nba does with the detroit organization/fans for friday's happenings. at this point, from the rulings levied by stern, the players are being blamed here 100%.

all those 1 game suspensions are needed for leaving the bench.
I remember all of those little suspensions handed out in the Knicks vs. Heat series back in the 90s, it's just a rule you gotta follow

all those 1 game suspensions are needed for leaving the bench.
I remember all of those little suspensions handed out in the Knicks vs. Heat series back in the 90s, it's just a rule you gotta follow

Maybe so, but in that case basically everyone on both teams deserves a one game suspension.

now i'd like to see what the nba does with the detroit organization/fans for friday's happenings. at this point, from the rulings levied by stern, the players are being blamed here 100%.

This is the real point! The Pistons deserve to suffer some damage from this situation as well. It's UNACCEPTABLE that fans act like that. The level of security showed by the palace has been UNACCEPTABLE. But no action has been taken against this.

Stern has truly set a precedent. From now on, Fans all over the arena are allowed to throw stuff at players. This is the real outcome of the episode. If something happens, only players from the visting team will be punished. This is a quick way to eliminate a contender from the competition, like they did with Indiana.

And by the way, Stern is so stupid that in these days he said 3 times that in the NBA there are 29 arena (not 30)..he keeps saying that...he doesn't even know how many teams there are in the NBA.

And by the way, Stern is so stupid that in these days he said 3 times that in the NBA there are 29 arena (not 30)..he keeps saying that...he doesn't even know how many teams there are in the NBA.

What's the quote? Maybe he meant 29 arena's (excluding Detroit's)

Second, we must re-examine the adequacy of our current security procedures in Detroit and our other 28 arenas

This is one. I can't find the others 2, but they were same style

hmm so would u guys be saying, hey that dude doesnt deserve to be suspended if though he whooped my lights out cause I threw a plastic cup on his overgrown overpaid body??

weird cause I know id put up a lawsuit if anybody punched me just for nothing...I mean at least Artest should have known who threw it without picking out the weakling, I mean it just shows how weak Artest is....huge big ass dude punching a lil squirt..

make fun of Stern all u want, but im sure u'd be sucking your own cock if u tried running the worlds second biggest league or maybe even the worlds biggest league cause Im not sure if the Champions League is bigger or not.

Its not a easy task, theirs alotta of responsibility n if u keep brutalising him over the net your a bigger shithead than Stern will ever be.

Artest shouldnt have retialted, he should have kept calm n run under the cover of O'neal or something ...

Pacer fan or not, Piston fan or not....the right thing was done...its time to bring some sense into the NBA, not allow crazy shit like this to happen n big stars to walk off just like that, I mean if a normal person smoked weed n got caught for DUI's he'd be like in Prison for 3 months or doing community service....but for NBA players its just a 2-3 game suspension, so even if Violence would give a normal human like 1-2 years in the "Your my bitch" hole....at least these overpaid bafoons need to get some sorta "equal" treatment.

I rest my case

Second, we must re-examine the adequacy of our current security procedures in Detroit and our other 28 arenas

This is one. I can't find the others 2, but they were same style

link plz, n also their r typo errors u know

make fun of Stern all u want, but im sure u'd be sucking your own cock if u tried running the worlds second biggest league or maybe even the worlds biggest league cause Im not sure if the Champions League is bigger or not.

Well, I wouldn't make fun of Stern if he showed how to handle the situation properly. IMO, no players should have been suspended for more than 20 games, and in any case the Palace should have been suspended for the same period of time. Fans need to understand that by acting like that, they harm their own team (Instead, in this specific case, they HELPED their team to eliminate a contender). But the NBA is all about money, and attendance brings money.

Artest shouldnt have retialted, he should have kept calm n run under the cover of O'neal or something ...

He did retaliate indeed. He didn't reply to Wallace's Punch. He was heading toward the locker rooms without doing anything. If it wasn't for 1) Wallace and 2) the fans who threw stuff, Artest was already gone out of the court. Those who didn't retaliate at all are Wallace and Pistons' fans.

OOOPS......shame on me! I just realized That clippers and lakers shame the same arena.

My bad, I apologize

ron artest does deserves punishment but the entire season is too much. these are the facts:

artest did not committ a flagrant foul on wallace
wallace committed an act worthy of suspension and fines on to artest
artest did not retaliate to that act or the further provocation by wallace when he threw the towel with him
artest did not initially punch fans when he went into the stands- the guy he went after even corroborated this story by saying artest asked him if he was the one who threw the beer at him.
only until he was punched by fans did artest starting hitting back
and for the idiotic fan(s) that confronted him on the floor, they got what deserved- they shouldn't have been there in the first place

again, artest should be punished. now going off these facts, suspension for the rest of the season is unjustified. there is a petition going around protesting the suspension. if anyone cares, check the pacers board at realgm or bbb.net

now i'd like to see what the nba does with the detroit organization/fans for friday's happenings. at this point, from the rulings levied by stern, the players are being blamed here 100%.

This is why Limp is the smartest NBA fan here at nlsc. He has a brain. I just hope the pacers make the playoffs with the 8th seed, and face detroit in the first round. That would be somthing. The Pistons organistion should be stripped of some home games. If the Pacer fans are made to suffer over the actions of a few, then the pistons fans should also be made to suffer. David Stern has made so many stupid decisions this year... I can't wait untill he leaves.

Stern's replacement *drum roll*

Jay-Z ???? , I think Mark Cuban might try n take over

This is why Limp is the smartest NBA fan here at nlsc. He has a brain.

Lol rough translation: you both share the same opinion

Seriously though, Artest's suspension wasn't deserved... but no one should try to justify his actions either. Surprisingly, the Sports Guy wrote quite a good piece on this whole thing...

1. The smoking gun from Friday night, at least for me: Artest went after the wrong fans. If you watch the actual game tape, which they re-ran on ESPN2 in the wee hours that night, there's a replay after everything settles down that shows the blue cup plunking Artest. The camera angle comes from the basket where Artest fouled Wallace, so you can see him lying on the scorer's table, plus you can see the stands behind him (and everyone who eventually becomes involved in the fight).

Thanks to TiVo, if you frame-by-frame it, you'll see the beer comes flying from behind the head of someone wearing a white sweatshirt, and that person is standing two rows behind the guy that Artest initially jumps.

That's what changed the stakes for the Commish. Artest wasn't just flying into the stands to confront a fan in the wrong -- he had no idea who threw the cup, meaning he was randomly attacking innocent fans.

4. Most underrated part of the night: The ESPN Shootaround crew defending Artest on Friday night by saying that he diffused the situation with Ben Wallace by lying on the scorer's table, then had every right to flip out once someone tossed a beer on him. First of all, Artest was lying on the table because he was being a jerk -- there were 10 people between him and Big Ben, so there was more than a little gamesmanship in that move. He knew it would infuriate Wallace. Which it did. Second, who the heck would defiantly lie on a scorer's table like that? Would Grant Hill have done that? KG? Dwyane Wade? Steve Nash? Anyone rational? And third, if you're trying to tempt opposing fans to do something dumb, that's the perfect place to do it -- which is why Larry Brown was screaming at the refs to get him off there.

One more note on the Shootaround crew, which sided clearly with the players Friday night. Yes, the fans acted terribly. Yes, Artest was riled up from the Wallace altercation, so it's understandable that he could have snapped when that blue cup nailed him. But why didn't those four guys -- John Saunders, Tim Legler, Stephen A. Smith and Greg Anthony -- wonder if Artest went after the correct fan? And why wouldn't you criticize Artest for being dumb enough to lie on that scorer's table in the first place? Or at Stephen Jackson for acting like an instigator instead of a peacemaker?

(Note: Legler is my favorite ESPN guy for hoops. But I hope he doesn't actually believe that, in the same situation, any player in the league would have done what Artest did that night? You're telling me Grant Hill would have done that?)

Artest (season) -- Given his past history, this seemed fair to me. The NBA wanted to make it clear that players aren't allowed in the stands under any circumstances -- you want situations where players are pointing out the culprits, not punching them. But do you really think the Players Association will allow one of their guys to lose an entire season of paychecks? Please. If he's not back by March 15, I'll be absolutely stunned.

I don't agree with this, you can't look at past history in this sort of situation because he's never done anything like this before (assaulted a fan).

(But here's my compromise idea: For the rest of the season, before every game, Artest gets wheeled out to midcourt like Hannibal Lecter -- you know, tied to one of those white stretchers and wearing a strait jacket and the metal facemask. Then, they untie him, and he gets to warm up with his team. I think this would get the message across to the fans -- stay away from this guy.)

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/cowbell/041122

(But here's my compromise idea: For the rest of the season, before every game, Artest gets wheeled out to midcourt like Hannibal Lecter -- you know, tied to one of those white stretchers and wearing a strait jacket and the metal facemask. Then, they untie him, and he gets to warm up with his team. I think this would get the message across to the fans -- stay away from this guy.)

LMFAO, Ronnibal Artester

yeh Stephen A. Smith made me laugh, first a week or 2 back hes lie Artest is bringing shame n acting like a fool by doing the rap album hes doin....n now hes like best friends and standing by his side, Stephen A. Smith however wacko n funny he may/tries to be is one stupid moron

And by the way, Stern is so stupid that in these days he said 3 times that in the NBA there are 29 arena (not 30)..he keeps saying that...he doesn't even know how many teams there are in the NBA.

What's the quote? Maybe he meant 29 arena's (excluding Detroit's)

Lakers and Clippers share the same Arena so it is indeed 29 and Stern isn't stupid

Is artest available for the playoff?
If Indiana could make it now, with that reduced team.

or is he suspended the whole season + playoff?

no, he is not

people need to stop saying that the fans got away with it or that the fans now know they can throw shit at players and get away with it, cause they didnt. people are most likly gonna see the back side of a set of bars over this, the nba players wont, but the fans will. so seriously people need to stop saying they got away with it.

also on another note, i notice they got video now of the guy who threw the cup and like i was telling people all along it was not the guy artest attacked. i hope the guy that artest beat up sues him and gets a shit load from him. that guy did nothing at all and was down right assulted by artest.

Heres the inconsistancy Sauru:
Pacer's get into a fight, about 6 or 7 players were involved, either trying to break it up or fighting. The suspensions have killed their season. The pacer fans have lost out big time on this.

The Pistons fans involved (alot more that 6 or 7) might be banned, but thats it. There should be loss of some home games at the palace, loss of draft picks... the organisation should be as responsable for the fans actions as the pacers organisation is towards its players.