anyone have the video of the Knicks fight where Ewing got suspended?

Ruling Is Ridiculous

posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
by Chris Sheridan ESPN Insider

I'm just off a conference call in which Stu Jackson explained his decision to suspend Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench during the fracas at the end of Game 4 of the Suns-Spurs series, and I'm searching for the right words to describe my reaction.

Let's see if this does it: Jackson's decision is utterly, profoundly, alarmingly, unreasonably ridiculous.

Or how about this: Idiocy's advocate just unloaded another haymaker on common sense.

But I'm settling on something simpler: This is just plain stupid.

"This is a very unfortunate incident, but the rule is the rule," Jackson said. "It's not a matter of fairness. It's a matter of correctness, and this is the right decision."

Right decision? Upholding a black and white rule when there was so much gray area here is the right thing to do? Giving people another reason to unleash NBA conspiracy theories is the right decision? Being so rigid on this one rule when there are so many others open to interpretation, that is the right decision?

Puh-leeeze, Stu.

The 15-minute conference call with Jackson was one of the most contentious I have ever been on, with Jackson even acknowledging that if the leave-the-bench rule needs to be revisited, then the league office would be wide open to revisiting it. Jackson said the ruling to suspend Diaw and Stoudemire for a game each (and Robert Horry for two games) was ultimately commissioner David Stern's, but that Stern had accepted his recommendation.

The league office has historically enforced this rule rigidly, though Jackson would not speak to exactly which precedents he considered before imposing the suspensions.

But just because a rule was enforced with a lack of common sense in the past does not mean it must be enforced unreasonably in perpetuity.

I asked Bulls coach Scott Skiles about the suspensions before tonight' Bulls-Piston game, and here is what he said: "A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions."

So much for my previously held belief that Skiles was a reasonable guy.

This decision is just plain bad, and it's going to impact the outcome of that series.

And when the guys making the biggest impact on a series are named David and Stu, something is utterly, profoundly, unreasonably, alarmingly wrong.

"NBA commissioner David Stern has canceled a schedule appearance in Phoenix for Wednesday night's Game 5."

Little *****. Won't even honor a scheduled appearance because he's scared to stand up for his decision.

Posted by highfivesucka:

I really don't agree with the suspensions, I think Stu Jackson may have very well decided the series. I don't remember but were there any bench suspensions when Raja Bell clothselined Kobe last year? I mean I'm pretty sure there were Lakers who got up off the bench ready to go at Bell, but I don't remember any suspensions

No Lakers got up. Most tapes just show the Suns bench anyway.

And regardless, it was a hard foul. No scuffle or anything ensued.

May 15, 2007
Suns notebook: League rejects Suns’ argument
Craig Morgan, Matt Simpson, Tribune
The Suns didn’t lose Tuesday’s decision without at least making their own case. The Suns made sure that NBA decision-makers were aware that the Spurs’ Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen left the bench in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series when teammate Francisco Elson dunked early in the third quarter and hung on the rim, only to have the Suns’ James Jones inadvertently undercut him as he headed up court.

Elson fell to the floor.

According to the Suns, Duncan jumped off the bench and walked onto the court with Bowen following him to get him back on the bench.

The Suns hoped — without result as it turned out — this incident either would discourage the NBA from suspending Amaré Stoudemire and Boris Diaw or else would get Duncan suspended as well.

This was different, NBA vice president Stu Jackson said. Duncan “should not have been on the court,” he said. But, “There was no altercation.”

DÉJÀ VU

Jalen Rose seemed to have a premonition on what the league’s ruling would be.

Speaking about three hours before the NBA announced its suspensions, Rose recalled the time in 1998 when — playing for Indiana — “I stepped onto the floor against Michael and the Bulls.

“The action was 94 feet away and that warranted a game suspension. That may or may not bode well for this case. … At the end of the day, it’s no harm no foul to me.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________


Stu Jackson is the Biggest Gilligan in all of sports. LMAO @ him saying Duncan shouldn't have been on the court. What does he mean by shouldn't have been? What are repercussion for doing so?

Wow, Bowen really is a coward. I seriously dislike the Spurs and hopefully the Suns, with the home crowd behind them, can pull out game 5 and have a rested Amare and Boris coming in with Big Shot still out in game 6.

The rule is pathetic, however, if it cost the 97 Knicks, at least they are consistent. Consistently stupid, but at least consistent.

Spurs succeeded in derailing a finesse team by ANY means necessary.

Personally I am very disappointed in the ruling and think its stupid.
Stern is still the best commish in the biz. Don't like everything he does, but his results have been good for the league and its owners.

Spurs did what the needed to do to provoke the Suns. The whining and emotionality of the Suns game showed their weakness and they were prone to snapping and doing somthing stupid. They took the bait, Hook, line and sinker!

Does not matter whats fair or not, the Spurs have a killer mentality and will do what it takes to win. Bowen does what is needed to win and survive in the league.

Thats why in the Duncan era they have three rings and every year are in the thick of it.

Question is do the Suns have what it takes to win game 5? Or bounce back on game 6 if they don't?

And we just happy when Nay Nate pays attention on the bench. Relating to the knicks, it just shows how far our team is away from being "winners".

Posted by tomverve:

The rule is plain stupid and unfair, but what would be even more unfair is if they changed how they interpreted it in mid-stream. This is exactly like the end-game situation of every tight NBA game, where the refs change how they call the game. That's BS. Call it the same way all the time. The only thing worse than a bad rule is an arbitrary rule.

It's funny that this is causing such a tizzy now that it's happening to the team that everyone likes to watch. I don't recall so much outrage over the Knicks situation 10 years ago, even though that literally cost us game 6, game 7, and the series. Not to mention our best shot to beat Jordan's Bulls. Back then there wasn't even a precedent-- they could have gone by the spirit of the law rather than the letter if they so chose, but they didn't. They put the foot down and now every team has to live by the same rule until they change it. It doesn't matter if it's the playoffs or if the team that gets screwed is the team that everyone likes instead of the team everyone hates. Too freaking bad.

tom it is a bad rule, but lets not justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. I cried in 97, that was unfair, but we can't change that, I really want the spurs to face the pistons in the finals but I want to see a good and fair series and right now the suns are getting hoses, that is not fair!! this was an exciting series, tonights game will be tainted in my eyes.. I probably won't watch... thanks Stern.

Posted by Nalod:

Spurs succeeded in derailing a finesse team by ANY means necessary.

Personally I am very disappointed in the ruling and think its stupid.
Stern is still the best commish in the biz. Don't like everything he does, but his results have been good for the league and its owners.Spurs did what the needed to do to provoke the Suns. The whining and emotionality of the Suns game showed their weakness and they were prone to snapping and doing somthing stupid. They took the bait, Hook, line and sinker!

Does not matter whats fair or not, the Spurs have a killer mentality and will do what it takes to win. Bowen does what is needed to win and survive in the league.

Thats why in the Duncan era they have three rings and every year are in the thick of it.

Question is do the Suns have what it takes to win game 5? Or bounce back on game 6 if they don't?

And we just happy when Nay Nate pays attention on the bench. Relating to the knicks, it just shows how far our team is away from being "winners".

stern is the best in the biz but when your competition is bud selig, that doesn't say much..

he has mad a lot of money for the players and the owners.. good for them, but over the years it has cost more for us fans to watch this product and honestly we are getting hosed. Inferior talent across the board, too many bad teams, and rules that make the game less fun to watch... Bad for the fans...