Naw, he can pick up some work in the WWE while he's off.

Look Joe is prbably the only person getting paid in that game who is thinking pass as a first option!!!

How can you guys possibly be blaming the fan in this instance?

DeRosa is a professional. He is suppose to act like one. Fans are allowed to heckle. It doesn't matter what they say. You guys on here always advocate ignoring fans.

Who cares if the fan was heckling you can't throw a ball at them. He's lucky it's only 1 game.

constable, I have failed to find one post in this thread that has blamed the fan or excused Derosa.

1. Because buying a ticket to a game doesn't include a license to conduct oneself like a donkey, nor does it permit a person to treat another with utter disrespect.

2. Because the CEO who was behaving very poorly himself and was apparently not in his proper location. What a wonderful way to represent one's company.

3. There is a difference between heckling and engaging in confrontational and threatening behavior. During halftime, when there is NO GAME ACTION, which is this fan doing by standing up and coming over to a position behind the table to yell at the officials?

Yep, the referee shouldn't have done what he did, but there is no question that the fan was clearly in the wrong as well.

Aren't his seats right near the scorers' table?

Unless they were right behind the table, he was still out of his spot. Unless, of course, walking behind the table is the fastet route to more beer.

I forgot one.

4. The guy threw the ball back at the official. So he did the same thing that the official did. How can he deserve any less blame?

Fan: I can do what I want I paid my money to get in.
Game Management: Yes you did. Good thing it is free to leave!

Really? (SNL)
 

Let's see if I can answer this question.

(1) "Fan" stays in seat and doesn't confront the official behind the table.

(2) See (1) above.

While I certainly don't condone what the official did, the official never does it if the fan doesn't initiate the confrontation.

DeRosa tosses the ball and the fan tossess it back. Then he gets security to take the fan away. If DeRosa skips the first part and just has the fasn removed; he doesn't get a one game suspension, he doesn't lose any money and he is seen as professional. Costly lesson for DeRosa but we get to learn from his mistake for free.

My take:
1. Dont engage in conversation with fanatics.
2. If you do & they happen to one-up you, don't try to "do the right thing" now.

Working with a guy last weekend & he chose to acknowledge a loud mouth in the stands. They went back & forth, then the loud mouth came over the top & obviously got a good one in.
Partner now looks to me saying, "red tie, red tie!!"
I gave him the look like, you got yourself into this now get yourself out of it... Dont you see me & lil' Johnnys hottt mom making goo-goo eyes :D

A couple games later, now dude is in a back & forth with a coach. After a couple trips up & down the court, coach must've got a good one in because... *WHACK*

My point is, WE (any level, any season) shouldn't take matters into our own hands, then try to get all professional & toss/whack fans & coaches when they get the best of us.

If Joe tossed the ball & the CEO tossed it back and they left it at that, it probably wouldn't have escalated the way it did.

How in the hell are you gonna have someone removed after you threw a ball at him??? Just my .2

Update
 

Any word on why he decided to leave the NBA?

I met Joe at Dale Kelley's Metro Conference camp in 1989. He had been in the league a couple of years, so he had over 20 years in the NBA. Joe worked HS ball just a couple of years before working D-1 and then to the NBA after 3 more years.

He's a tremendous official and worked the NBA Finals after the incident during the Conference Finals last year. I don't believe he was forced out. After 20+ years, it was probably time to get out. I would imagine he'll be seen on some high profile games.