Rick Artest, World Peace, and Seven Days in April and May.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I also believe that 7 games is too little - way too little. .... I'd love to see criminal charges laid against some athletes' actions.

+1

A lot of good that name change did.

[Adam]

An Orwellian name change isn't going to fix his character.

[ballgame99]

I didn't see the replay until after I had read Artest's response and "apology", so I was envisioning a 'fist pump gone wrong' type of accidental elbow; then I saw the replay Thought he should have been suspended for the remainder of this season easily. Of course he will miss the first round, so maybe that will end up being the remainder of the season...

[tref]

Originally Posted by ballgame99

I didn't see the replay until after I had read Artest's response and "apology", so I was envisioning a 'fist pump gone wrong' type of accidental elbow; then I saw the replay Thought he should have been suspended for the remainder of this season easily. Of course he will miss the first round, so maybe that will end up being the remainder of the season...

Yesssir! I think that was their thought process, the Lakers cannot advance past Round 1 without him so he was ultimately suspended for the rest of the year & perhaps a couple to open up next season.

[APG]

Seven games is what I expected given prior precedent for how the NBA handles their suspensions. If any of you thought there would be a lifetime ban, you weren't thinking realistically. And even a rest of the season ban wasn't realistic either. Plus, any suspension of 12+ games and the players association has the right to appeal to a grievance arbitrator and they would have definitely done that...and probably would have won the appeal and gotten it shorten.

To give you an idea, the only players to receive lifetime bans are for integrity of the league issues (e.g. CCNY point shaving scandal in 1951), and for violating the league's substance abuse policy a certain amount of times. And even with that, that's collectively bargained and spelled out explicitly in the CBA.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Seven games is what I expected given prior precedent for how the NBA handles their suspensions. If any of you thought there would be a lifetime ban, you weren't thinking realistically. And even a rest of the season ban wasn't realistic either. Plus, any suspension of 12+ games and the players association has the right to appeal to a grievance arbitrator and they would have definitely done that...and probably would have won the appeal and gotten it shorten.

To give you an idea, the only players to receive lifetime bans are for integrity of the league issues (e.g. CCNY point shaving scandal in 1951), and for violating the league's substance abuse policy a certain amount of times. And even with that, that's collectively bargained and spelled out explicitly in the CBA.

I was thinking they could have just said he's done for the season, but I imagine the CBA states they have to specify a number of games. It does seem that Artest's history should have played a factor and given him a longer suspension; but perhaps the NBA didn't realize he's the same guy because of the name change.

[APG]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I was thinking they could have just said he's done for the season, but I imagine the CBA states they have to specify a number of games. It does seem that Artest's history should have played a factor and given him a longer suspension; but perhaps the NBA didn't realize he's the same guy because of the name change.

I'm sure they did factor in prior history...7 games for an elbow is unheard of in the NBA. Usually, elbowing incidents wind up with players receiving 1-2 games. To put it in context, Kevin Love received two games for step on the face of a prone Luis Scola. Metta World Peace is missing 3x the normal amount...with some of those being playoff games which makes the importance of those games even greater.

Again, if they suspended him indefinitely, I'm betting this would trigger the clause allowing the player, through the players association, to appeal not to the commissioner (as would be the case for any suspensions under 12 games), but to a neutral grievance arbitrator...and I'm betting that's a fight the players' association would have taken up.

[tref]

Originally Posted by ref3808

If I were judge and jury it would have minimally been a suspension for the balance of the year.

Even though APG spelled out how the League operates?

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Plus, any suspension of 12+ games and the players association has the right to appeal to a grievance arbitrator and they would have definitely done that...and probably would have won the appeal and gotten it shorten.

To give you an idea, the only players to receive lifetime bans are for integrity of the league issues (e.g. CCNY point shaving scandal in 1951), and for violating the league's substance abuse policy a certain amount of times. And even with that, that's collectively bargained and spelled out explicitly in the CBA.

[tomegun]

I have been a Lakers fan since Magic entered the league after winning the NCAA championship. The joy he played the game with was what drew me to him and the team. Having said all of that, I don't want Ron Artest on my team anymore. He is unstable and what he did lacked class. Also, he has only had a handful of good games in my opinion as a Laker. Yes, I'm probably exaggerating a little bit, but so what. I think we would have been a better team if we would have re-signed Trevor Ariza.