"Were I a Suns die hard, I'd be especially furious right about now."

blingbling, Fire32,

Any input?

This just goes to show what a joke the league has become. Not the players association, but the league. David Stern has lost all credibility. Stu Jackson is an obedient lap dog for Stern and his cronies, which may include a few referees for as much as we know. People, we need to send a message to these NBA hijackers. Enough with the hijinx. It's unfair to the players to see this type of discrimination, had that been Acie Law or Leon Powe, they would have recieved a minimum of a one game suspension, there is no doubt in my mind. But when it's precious Celtic Star Kevin Garnett, without whom you could expect Boston to play at about .500 level, than suddenly cracks in the iron handed discipline of the NBA began to show.
Kobe gets suspended for following through on his shot (into manu Ginobli's face) during the REGULAR SEASON and Garnett shoves a ref and is let off the hook. I agree with you AK...ridiculous.

I call Bullsh!t!

No freaking way. And the NBA wonders why it has a perception problem?

Late whistles, inconsistent rulings, the subjectivity of charge/block/flop -- let's see, how else can we make our fans cringe?

I thought shoving a ref was a punishable offense (Nick Van Exel). Hell, the Lakers have had to deal with years of bad officiating from Javie because of that one ref-shoving incident.

Sad.

On a lighter note, BIG congrats to Byron Scott -- the original #4 -- for his COY honor. Tom, I love ya, but I'm not sorry Phil was passed over for this. It went to a Laker.

Objectively, I actually still think Nate McMillan deserved it most for getting a young albeit talented Blazers squad -- without a decent PG, I might add -- to .500 in the brutal WC. But again, glad it went to a Laker and I'm very happy for PJ's replacement in waiting.

OPEN LETTER TO DAVID STERN

To: David Stern
From: Any diehard fan of the game who wants to copy theior name onto this bad boy.

Please do not insult the game of basketball by playing favorites and making excuses that would make Bush Administration officials cringe. Man up to your own system of rules and regulations and mete out punishment fairly and equally. If, as you are so fond of saying, the National Basketball Association does indeed have the best atheletes in the world, than losing a star player for one or more games should provide nothing more than a simple change in strategy.
Not suspending Kevin Garnett for his on court actions on April 28th, 2008 de-legitimizes every punitive action against players you have taken in the last 5 years, dating back to the Auburn Hills brawl. Do not let economics play a part in sportsmanship, it is unfair and will create a feeling of dissillusionment in the minds of players, coaches, front office and fans'. It will darken what could be the best NBA Playoffs in years. It will drive away newly acquired Hawks fans. It will cement in the minds of Phoenix Suns fans that you play favorites. Any fan of a small market team will not only have to play the opposing team, but your internal politics as well. Follow your own rules or do away with them all together. The buck stops with you.

Jamie Sweet, Laker fan since 1974

Amazing Happens,

This goes beyond a comparison of Amare/Diaw vs. Williams/Perkins. Putting aside the vagueries of what defines "vicinity of the bench," are we supposed to believe that Diaw and Amare actually did something worse than KG? Unless I'm completely off base, there are rules against making contact with a ref, which Garnett clearly did. Thus, we're now left with KG going unscathed for something he ACTUALLY did, but Amare and Diaw getting suspended for the threat of what they MIGHT have done if they reached the scrum.

Stern said at the time that the rule was in place to prevent events from escalating, which is why he wouldn't consider the circumstances when deciding the Phoenix pair's punishment. It's all about maintaining safety and order (and, of course, Stern's paranoid fear of come off like "thugs" to Joe Q. Public). But then he turns around and allows KG to shove away a ref looking to calm down a fracas started in large part by KG himself. That's beyond illogicial. Not to mention hypocritical in a transparently obvious way.

If Stern really wants to sell the sincerity of his actions, he should publicly admit he overreacted with Amare and Diaw (which he did). Otherwise, he really looks like a guy trying to ensure the best possible Eastern Conference team in the Finals.

AK

Any input?

Posted by: Charles

Whats done is done, not crying over spilled milk.

Just know this, last night when ATL beat the beloved garnettics

I did the ED LOVER dance for about 5 minutes.

Wow. No suspension for Kevin Garnet. Or any of the Hawks or Celtics.

I'm very disappointed in David Stern. It seems all my previous criticisms of him are accurate.

Posted by: Jon K.

Dude, all this means is that any player is free to punch any ref in the throat when they don't like the call.

Floyd

Howdy Sir...

10MillionDollarZen,

Like I said to "Amazing" earlier, I don't see the main issue as a comparison of Amare/Diaw vs. Perkins/Williams. It's comparing Amare/Diaw vs. KG. Both violated rules that may be different, but are in place for the exact same purpose. Maintaining order on the court. Unless you can explain why the Phoenix pair's act was more threatening or worse than KG's (which I personally think is a tough sell at best), it's hard not to suspect Stern and Co. of having ulterior motives.

AK

Charles,

Oh yeah, thats it exactly.

The league will make this year playoffs into a sham if KG or any of the other players that violated the rule were not suspended. This is ridiculous. KG pushed a referree, doesn't that call for an automatic suspension?! I call bs.

Libertad!

DOES THE SUN-SURS SERIES REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING?

Let’s see. It was two years ago. The Phoenix Suns had been favored to beat the Lakers easily in the first round, just as they were to defeat the San Antonio Spurs easily this year. After 4 games, the Lakers behind a miraculous shot by Kobe Bryant to steal a game had seized a 3-1 lead and looked ready to close out the Suns at home in Game 5, just as the Spurs now lead the Suns 3-1 due to a miraculous shot by Tim Duncan to steal a game and are looking to close out the Suns at home in Game 5.

We all know what happened in that series as the Suns came back and won Game 5 in overtime and then Game 6 at home with the coup de grace coming in Game 7 at Staples as the Lakers blew their big 3-1 lead and lost the series in heartbreaking 4-3 fashion. Tonight the Spurs look to close out the Suns for the second time. If they fail to get the job done tonight, then the series shifts to Phoenix and the Spurs may be in danger of being the first NBA team in history to blow a 3-0 series lead.

Watching the Spurs lose Game 4 to the Suns showed me a team that still lacks that killer instinct of previous Spurs’ championship teams. To see Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan laughing on the bench while the Suns demolished them on the floor was revealing. The Spurs are not the same team as last year. The last thing the Lakers want is for the Spurs to blow this series and blow life back into the carcass that is now the Phoenix Suns.

Time for the Spurs to prove themselves tonight. If they lose tonight, I predict they will eventually lose the series 4-3. I wonder if the Suns see the irony and similarity between their situation right now and 2 years ago against the Lakers. Watch out, San Antonio. You are treading in dangerous waters right now. Time to close out and stop laughing.

Tom

Repost:

Not only are both Detroit and Boston not playing (and loosing) to winning teams, they are not playing against teams that are #2 in offense. So, what's the deal?

I thought Boston had this great defense? They can't defend a bunch of losers? I thought Detroit was this defensive iron curtain. They can't defend a bunch of losers either?

The only team playing like they have a destiny is the Lakers. The rest of these playoffs are going to be very interesting.

BTW, if Ainge is such a great GM, why isn't his acumen being displayed in these playoffs? Isn't it the playoffs that his moves were made for in the first place? Not exactly paying off, yet, are they?

Mitch should be your executive of the year. I agree with Scott being COY, though my heart says PJ should have at least placed second.

F the Celtics!

--Fearless

The better comparison is Horry's hip-check on Nash vs KG's shove of the ref, not KG vis-a-vis Amare/Diaw. This compares the actions of the players on the court in both situations.

Yes, I like to use "vis-a-vis" whenever I can.

The Amare/Diaw 2007 suspensions should only be used to compare against the actions and behavior of the players on the bench.

KG should have been suspended for a game.

If Boston wins the series. It will always be the series with an asterisk.*

* The rules were ignored to protect the all important marketability of the NBA. Atlanta needs to understand that their rights under the guidelines of a must see Detroit vs Celtics ECF's are null and void.
_____________________________________________

AK - Sorry guy, but you were just put on Sterns, "Don't EVER give that guy a vote for the MVP list"

Its not nice to fool with Mother Nature Stern.
_____________________________________________

"Its only partially true, that the 'God Father' movie was based on my life."
- Don David Stern
____________________________________________

"Something smells fishy in this, and its not the Boston Fish Market"
- Fatty

Fairweather Fatty,

"AK - Sorry guy, but you were just put on Sterns, "Don't EVER give that guy a vote for the MVP list" Its not nice to fool with Mother Nature Stern."

Meh. I was probably never gonna get one, anyway. Haha

AK

JUST MORE EVIDENCE OF ANTI-KOBE BIAS BY NBA…

Here we go again. Once again, the East coast favorite Boston Celtics catch a break from the NBA. Is there anybody out there with enough balls to say that if Kobe Bryant had pushed a ref in the Denver series that he would NOT have been suspended? Would our own AK go that far? I seriously doubt it but at least AK was man enough to say that KG should have been suspended. Man, new rules for the Celtics, the anti-Kobe team.

But that is the real question in everybody’s mind on the blog, isn’t it? Would Stern have suspended Kobe for the same violation? Obviously, most of us on the blog know the answer to that question. Just more proof of an anti-Kobe attitude and conspiracy among the East Coast media and NBA executives. So how say you, Andy? or Brian? Would Stern have suspended Kobe for pushing a ref like KG did? And why was Jason Kidd not penalized for his taking out of Janero Pargo, which was much more dangerous and intentional than any of Kobe’s alleged unnatural moves that injured fellow players.

The fact that Stern was in the audience made the entire situation even more ridiculous. I am sure that he now also sees the performance by the season loser Hawks and 76ers is proof that the current playoff system works. At some point in tonight’s game, the Suns players need to push a ref and have a couple of guys come off the bench just to put Stern into an impossible situation. What an inconsistent and insincere a$$hole. If the NBA does not give Kobe Bryant the MVP award he deserves, it will be final proof.

Stern is a tool and a fool on a stool. Take one of those “new” basketballs and shove it up his rear. The guy is a caricature of second rate class and eastern bias and sophistry.

Tom

Mitch...

I don't follow your logic that the Gasol trade was a gift to the Lakers from David Stern. Please explain.

LakerTom,

It depends.

If Kobe Bryant is the MVP (which he probably is) and his actions were equal or lesser to that of Kevin Garnett: No Suspension.

If Kobe Bryant is not the MVP and his actions were equal to that of Kevin Garnett: Three game suspension.

David Stern has an image (and a marketing campaign) to maintain, after all.

GO LAKERS!

complex brotha,

It’s going to be a very hard playoffs on us Lakers fans this year because we are going to have big delays between each round as we sweep our way toward our the championship. Even if the Jazz win tonight, our next game probably won’t be until next Sunday. And if the Rockets prolong the series, the Lakers round two would probably not begin until the middle of next week. Tough for the team or its fans to hold onto an edge that long.

At any rate, I just replayed the Making of a Beast and a couple of other Andrew Bynum YouTube videos to get back to your earlier request to reprise our discussion as to whether Drew is a power or finesse player. Knowing your penchant and prior posts, I suspect that we both are thinking pretty much the same about Drew. He is going to be a very unique combination of power and finesse as a center. Perhaps the greatest ever to play the game.

What first impresses anybody watching Drew are his soft hands and incredible footwork, which are the pure embodiment of a great finesse player. Unlike most young big men, Drew is uniquely coordinated at 20, able to use his great footwork to spin around players or drop step to get inside position as gracefully as the great finesse centers in history. His hands are clearly among the very best in the NBA. If he touches a pass or board, it is his. With the best hand-eye-foot coordination seen in years by a center, Drew is definitely a great finesse player, who will eventually even become a good mid-range shooter.

What makes Drew special as a player, however, is his ability to finish as a power player. When he is back to 100% next year, he will lead the league in dunks, which he will get by throwing down lob passes and rebounds as defenders futilely try to keep him out of the middle and away from the rim. I have never seen a player who was more able to go after any pass thrown his way because of his athleticism and great hands. Because he is far more athletic than Shaq with greater height, length, and hops, Drew will be a far easier center to get the ball to than Shaq, who was only a power player.

Finally, the key that is going to make Drew the greatest center to ever play for the Lakers is his startling high basketball IQ for a kid who basically only played one full year of high school basketball before entering the NBA and his Kobe Bryant-like work ethic and dedication to becoming the best at his craft. His growth and understanding of the game, especially defensive angles and spacing as taught by Kareem, will make Drew the next great defensive center in the NBA. If he is healthy all of next year, Drew will lead the NBA in blocked shots, rebounds, and shooting percentage from the field next year and will come in second to Yao Ming in votes for starting center of the West All-Stars.

Tom

For everybody, including AK, who's interested, here's a really good video of the incident that shows a bit more of what happened.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-823879086344227195&q=garnett%2Bpachulia&ei=Hr8XSPmfMY-WrgO9mr3pBg

You can see that before KG starts talking to Pachulia, Kendrick Perkins is already hoverin a bit off the baseline, and of course when things escalate, he's already off the bench.

Second, KG takes an elbow swing at Pachulia, Zaza comes back and gets in his grill, at this time Sam Cassell rushes at Pachulia but is grabbed away by Hoford. KG is grabbed by a referee, and then breaks himself free with force, giving him a little shove.

David Stern chose not to punish Kevin Garnett because the referees were not calling the game for the Celtics.So he's not watching their backs now 'coz the refs ruined his spread.

A Lakers-Spurs West final and a Celtics-Cavaliers East final is in the works, folks. That's the internal memo.

He wants a Laker-Celtic championship series and it's looking like the refs are ruining his master plan. But in the event that the inevitable happens, look for the refs to stifle the Lakers juggernaut. They all want the ring to go to their favorite son, Kevin Garnett.

And for all 'y'all saying Pau Gasol was a gift from the Grizz... KG was the ultimate gift from the Timberwolves!

The N B A...

where HYPOCRISY happens!

Here's an idea, aimed at Greg Popovich and his complaining about the Gasol deal.

If he thinks that Stern should have stepped in and stopped the Gasol trade, then he must also think that Stern should step in now and make the Wizards give Butler back to the Lakers. Because that trade turned out to be more one-sided than the Gasol trade.

AK and others

Im not just trying to wind everyone up here but before we start suspending people...

1)Garnett did not make contact with the ref...the ref was trying to restrain Garnett.The ref made contact with an irrate Garnett and got pushed off by him.it is completely different towhen a player 'lashes out' at a ref...

2) The ref clearly knew Garnett was irrate and happened to be the person in the best position to restrain him.A player can push off his own teamates or in some cases members of the opposing team who try to restrain him in such a manner without penalty.The fact that the closest person to Garnett was a ref could be seen as misfortune or even,should a suspension occur, entrapment to a degree.Garnett did pipe down and spoke to the ref...and then mellowed out.The ref essentially achieved what he set out to do.

3) the ref made the decision not to eject garnett right there on the spot so he mustve interpreted events a certain way.This is different from a ref missing something that is shown up on camera later.This is a ref making a decision from the box seat.He was obviously satisfied enough with the way things shook out not to suspend him.

4) regardless of the rights and wrongs it is simply what the rules say.I think you will find that there are complicated rules which nobody has take the time to interpret.In the suns instance the rule was dont leave the bench - perfectly simple and a majorly important preventative rule.This you will find is less simple....players on the court will always be given more leeway and in the end no punches were thrown...you what...suspend them for not escalating it???

at what point do you say well Im going to pop the guy becasue Ive just got myself suspended anyway?

had the ref seen fit to eject Garnett for an 'attack on his person' then a suspension would have come but as he didnt i dont think you can suspend him.Call it good luck if you want but I think that the possibility that there is more to this should at least be considered.