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Artest Not Allowed In Playoffs

3K views 105 replies 19 participants last post by  Minstrel 
#1 ·
David Stern replied " No way" when asked if Ron Artest would be allowed to come back for the playoffs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2018945

Stern acknowledged that he had considered shortening Artest's suspension.

"At a certain point in the last week or two we decided the most important thing here is Ron's return to the NBA and the best path for that is through a program in which he's now engaged," Stern told The Star.
After leaving the door open for Ron Artest's possible return to the NBA this season, commissioner David Stern closed off that possibility on Monday.

"Our goal is to do everything we possibly can to ensure Ron's return to the NBA next season is as smooth as it can possibly be," Stern told The Indianapolis Star.

"There's a lot of things we're participating in to that end and we're confident he'll be back as a contributing member of the Pacers and the NBA next season."
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think it's a ***** *** move by Stern, as soon as he saw that the Pacers would make the playoffs he said Artest wouldn't be allowed to play in the playoffs.

*edited: No masked cursing*
 
#4 ·
SeaNet said:
The 100% right decision. Can't believe he ever considered lessening the suspension.
Artest penalty was too harsh IMO. Stern was just playing favourites by only giving Ben Wallace 6 games and Artest gets 70+. Thats BS by the NBA.
 
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#5 ·
SeaNet said:
Can't believe he ever considered lessening the suspension.
Me too. The guy's a complete retard, it's shocking that he would think about doing the right thing.
 
#6 ·
This wasn't an isolated incident w/ Artest, he's been completely out of control for quite some time. David Stern has been very clear in the past that continued transgressions get you harsher penalties. And you know what? His stance has worked. Kmart, Sheed, etc. Artest needed a bigtime smackdown to let him know that he's got to shape up or there won't be a place for him in the NBA. Stern's been plenty patient w/ him in the past. You just can't attack spectators and precipitate a riot. Its entirely unacceptable, no matter how you were provoked. Behaviour like that can take down a league, and its Stern's job not to let that happen. Artest is not someone you can give an inch to, he will take the mile. No way you can let him play in the playoffs. The lesson would be lost. Make him and the team really pay w/ their season, and the likelihood of something like it happening again goes down dramatically.
 
#7 ·
SeaNet said:
David Stern has been very clear in the past that continued transgressions get you harsher penalties. And you know what? His stance has worked. Kmart, Sheed, etc.
When did KMart and Sheed miss 70+ games, it's not like Artest lead the league year after year in technical fouls or flagrant fouls, yet Kmart gets a slap on the wrist, and when Rasheed was smoking weed where was "harsh penalty"?
 
#8 ·
thug_immortal8 said:
When did KMart and Sheed miss 70+ games, it's not like Artest lead the league year after year in technical fouls or flagrant fouls, yet Kmart gets a slap on the wrist, and when Rasheed was smoking weed where was "harsh penalty"?
When did Kmart and Sheed charge into the stands to attack an innocent spectator (who probably paid $200 for his seat) and precipitate a riot? Where's your sense of scale? Flagrants a smoking weed don't compare even remotely to what Artest did. Artest's actions threatened the league as a whole. If the fans are afraid of coming to the game because they think (reasonably or not) a player might attack them, you've got a big problem. If you are going to argue a point, come up w/ something that makes sense. Don't just throw out anything you can think of to distract from the original point.
 
#9 ·
SeaNet said:
If the fans are afraid of coming to the game because they think (reasonably or not) a player might attack them, you've got a big problem.
A cup of beer isn't thrown at every game, which means that once in 59 years a fan has been attacked....,. im sure fans are freaking out about going to games.
 
#10 ·
SeaNet said:
When did Kmart and Sheed charge into the stands to attack an innocent spectator (who probably paid $200 for his seat) and precipitate a riot? Where's your sense of scale? Flagrants a smoking weed don't compare even remotely to what Artest did. Artest's actions threatened the league as a whole. If the fans are afraid of coming to the game because they think (reasonably or not) a player might attack them, you've got a big problem. If you are going to argue a point, come up w/ something that makes sense. Don't just throw out anything you can think of to distract from the original point.
If the fans are afraid of a player attacking them when they throw objects at them then god help us. If I was on the street working as lets say street advertiser and someone threw a drink at me, I would fight them too.
 
#11 ·
thug_immortal8 said:
A cup of beer isn't thrown at every game, which means that once in 59 years a fan has been attacked....,. im sure fans are freaking out about going to games.
I see you didn't take my advice above. I will attempt to piece together a cogent meaning from your post, nevertheless. The issue is not the fans throwing a beer. The issue is Artest's response and the riot it precipitated.
 
#12 ·
SeaNet said:
I see you didn't take my advice above. I will attempt to piece together a cogent meaning from your post, nevertheless. The issue is not the fans throwing a beer. The issue is Artest's response and the riot it precipitated.
You said fans would be scared to go to games becasue they would think they would get attacked, I responded by saying, only one fan has been attacked in 59 years therefore i don't think any fan would be scared to go to a game.
 
#13 ·
NYKBaller said:
If the fans are afraid of a player attacking them when they throw objects at them then god help us. If I was on the street working as lets say street advertiser and someone threw a drink at me, I would fight them too.
So two wrongs make a right? The riot threatened many people other than the beer thrower, btw/. As for walking down the street and getting a beer thrown at you, the situations are not comparable. Artest had the power of 'the man' behind him. Part of his $7 mil salary is to keep it in his pants as a representative of the NBA and let security handle it. His response was to precipitate a riot. How is that acceptable?
 
#14 ·
SeaNet said:
I see you didn't take my advice above. I will attempt to piece together a cogent meaning from your post, nevertheless. The issue is not the fans throwing a beer. The issue is Artest's response and the riot it precipitated.
So what if a fan kidnapped Artest's mom and got Ron's attention then started to rape her, should Ron not react at all then? Fact is that the fan who threw the cup started the riot, like it or not. Should Artest have kept himself under control (like he had up to that point), yeah of course. But that doesn't make it ok to suspend him the entire season.
 
#15 ·
How many people do you know that are actually afraid of going to an NBA game?
 
#16 ·
SeaNet said:
When did Kmart and Sheed charge into the stands to attack an innocent spectator (who probably paid $200 for his seat) and precipitate a riot? Where's your sense of scale? Flagrants a smoking weed don't compare even remotely to what Artest did. Artest's actions threatened the league as a whole. If the fans are afraid of coming to the game because they think (reasonably or not) a player might attack them, you've got a big problem. If you are going to argue a point, come up w/ something that makes sense. Don't just throw out anything you can think of to distract from the original point.
If a fan runs out onto a field of play, in the middle of a huge altercation, the fan should be aware of the possible consequences. Artest didn't really attack anyone in the stands. He contrained a man and asked him if he thew a beer, then he was attacked. Then Jackson attacked a fan in the stands. Then Artest went back to the court. Then a fan approached Artest and Artest hit the man. After that, another fan tackled Artest, and Jermaine O'neal proceded to punch the man that had tackled Artest and was about to attack Artest again.
 
#17 ·
q said:
So what if a fan kidnapped Artest's mom and got Ron's attention then started to rape her, should Ron not react at all then? Fact is that the fan who threw the cup started the riot, like it or not.

Yeah, um, that didn't happen. And you know what? If Ron Artest went and killed the person who did that instead of letting the police handle it, he would be prosecuted for Manslaughter at a minimum. Whether you think its right or not, that's the way the world works.
 
#18 ·
SeaNet said:
So two wrongs make a right? The riot threatened many people other than the beer thrower, btw/. As for walking down the street and getting a beer thrown at you, the situations are not comparable. Artest had the power of 'the man' behind him. Part of his $7 mil salary is to keep it in his pants as a representative of the NBA and let security handle it. His response was to precipitate a riot. How is that acceptable?
Actually you don't have a clue what his contract says, he is a human first, and a basketball player second. So he reacted in the way that most humans would react.
 
#19 ·
SeaNet said:
Yeah, um, that didn't happen. And you know what? If Ron Artest went and killed the person who did that instead of letting the police handle it, he would be prosecuted for Manslaughter at a minimum. Whether you think its right or not, that's the way the world works.
I'm fairly certain a plea of insanity would get him acquitted if he killed a man that he first handly witnessed raping his mom, or he argue he was defending his mother.
 
#21 ·
SeaNet said:
When did Kmart and Sheed charge into the stands to attack an innocent spectator (who probably paid $200 for his seat) and precipitate a riot? Where's your sense of scale? Flagrants a smoking weed don't compare even remotely to what Artest did. Artest's actions threatened the league as a whole. If the fans are afraid of coming to the game because they think (reasonably or not) a player might attack them, you've got a big problem. If you are going to argue a point, come up w/ something that makes sense. Don't just throw out anything you can think of to distract from the original point.
well said
 
#22 ·
thug_immortal8 said:
Actually you don't have a clue what his contract says, he is a human first, and a basketball player second. So he reacted in the way that most humans would react.
I think the misunderstanding of the contract is yours not mine. In fact, I know it. The NBA specifically addressed the issue of going into the stands during any kind of altercation w/ the players. They all knew that it was forbidden, and that they would be subject to suspensions of great length should they do such a thing.

As far as whether he reacted like most humans would react, that is an entirely separate issue. And I agree, he did react like people would want to react. But he had a responsibility to the NBA and the Pacers to keep it in his pants. He couldn't do that and he paid the price. In that position, Artest has the power of 'the man' behind him. You let security and the cops take care of it. None of that would have happened if Artest had pointed the dude out and let security take care of it.
 
#23 ·
SeaNet said:
Yeah, um, that didn't happen. And you know what? If Ron Artest went and killed the person who did that instead of letting the police handle it, he would be prosecuted for Manslaughter at a minimum. Whether you think its right or not, that's the way the world works.
Ron Artest was attacked, he reacted. You make it sound like nothing happened to him and he just snapped for no reason. That's not the case AT ALL.
 
#25 ·
SeaNet said:
I think the misunderstanding of the contract is yours not mine. In fact, I know it. The NBA specifically addressed the issue of going into the stands during any kind of altercation w/ the players. They all knew that it was forbidden, and that they would be subject to suspensions of great length should they do such a thing.

As far as whether he reacted like most humans would react, that is an entirely separate issue. And I agree, he did react like people would want to react. But he had a responsibility to the NBA and the Pacers to keep it in his pants. He couldn't do that and he paid the price. In that position, Artest has the power of 'the man' behind him. You let security and the cops take care of it. None of that would have happened if Artest had pointed the dude out and let security take care of it.
If Ron Artest didn't retaliate that would just show every fan who is a drunk idiot that they can throw beer at players and get away with it. Since Ron Artest retaliated you won't see another fan do anything stupid like that for another 20-30 years.
 
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#26 ·
DuMa said:
well said
The problem is, its not well said at all. What about the fan who threw the cup, or the one who threw they chair, or any of the other Detroit wahoos involved in the whole matter? Did they get suspended from their job for a year? How is what they did any better? If Ron didnt throw a camera around last year, would he have even been labled as the biggest problem on the court that day? Its painfully obvious that Steven Jackson was main problem in the stands.

And of course we wouldnt want to slap the defensive stopper on the defending world champs team too hard now would we? 8 games for what he did and a season for Artest? That **** is a joke.

I find it funny how anyone who posts against Artest in this thread can act like justice is being served, when they know Artest was the scapegoat, and everyone else got off with a slap on the wrist, especialy ben wallace.
 
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