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The One That Got Away: Isiah Thomas Escapes Suspensions

10
Vote

by user BU ICEMAN

The National Basketball Association (NBA) handed out suspensions today for the on-court brawl between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets.

The suspensions and fines are below:

The Knicks and Nuggets organizations have each been fined $500,000 each as a result of the altercation. Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony has been suspended for 15 games. Knicks guard Nate Robinson has been suspended for 10 games. Nuggets guard J.R. Smith has been suspended for 10 games. Knicks guard Mardy Collins has been suspended for six games. Knicks forward Jared Jeffries has been suspended for four games. Knicks center Jerome James has been suspended for one game for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation. Nuggets forward Nene has been suspended one game for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation.

Now, look above, what's missing? If you said a suspension for Isiah Thomas, you're right! After he was asked how Thomas had avoided punishment, NBA Commissioner David Stern commented that he relied on "definitive information" when handing out the suspensions. How much more definitive is it when Isiah had been caught on video threatening, not warning, Nuggets players to stay out of the lane; quoth Isiah: "Don't go to the basket right now."

It was only two seasons ago when Temple University Coach John Chaney sent in a "hatchet man," whose only purpose was to foul the opponent, but at least Chaney had the guts to stand up and admit his culpability. Thomas apparently is under a misguided perception that once a team "surrender(s)" that the other team is obligated to stop playing (http://www.armchairgm.com/mwiki/index.php?title=We_Had_Surrendered:_Isiah_Thomas). My counter to that is: if you want to surrender, go all the way: pull your guys off the court and go back to the locker room. Sure, there's the "unwritten rules" about running up the score, but as everybody knows, the best way to avoid that situation is don't let the other team kick your ass. If it happens, you gotta take it like a man, not go out and start giving out cheap shots, it only makes you look worse.

Isiah's comments during and after the game deserved a suspension, but to acknowledge that a coach was culpable in the brawl would have given Stern and the rest of the NBA even more heartburn than they already have gotten after the incident. Simply put, Stern wimped out and let the big fish (Isiah Thomas) in all this mess get away.

Sources: NBA.com http://www.nba.com/news/Nuggets_Knicks_Suspensions.html

ESPN.com http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2701228 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2700761

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False ProphetAll-Star
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
but Isiah never said to his team to do it.
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JoebookRed-Shirting
1077 days ago
Score 2+-
"Sure, there's the "unwritten rules" about running up the score, but as everybody knows, the best way to avoid that situation is don't let the other team kick your ass."
This is the best comment on this website in a long time...
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
True, it is only a rumor that he ordered the "hit" during the game.
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 3+-
ESPN's got a great video of Thomas' threat; check the links on the right of the ESPN article. He knew exactly what was going to happen, because he ORDERED THE CODE RED!!!
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Damn your right, you cant deny that Zeke definitly mouthed out a warning.
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JoebookRed-Shirting
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Is there something wrong with a warning? Couldn't that be taken as trash talk?
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
It could be considered trash talk, if it came from a player. But Thomas is the coach and president of the team. He actually has the power and authority to issue an warning to the opposing team, and then have his team follow through on it.
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JoebookRed-Shirting
1077 days ago
Score 2+-
I think Carmelo should have been suspended for 20 games for running away after swinging...
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Well, NBA players havent been able to really fight since the mid 80's
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JoebookRed-Shirting
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
what about 'Zo vs. Grandmama in the 90's? That was a great battle...
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
This just in! The Knicks have hired Kermit Washington! His title will be Assistant Head Coach/Fighting
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Zo is more of a throwback player. An old time Georgetown Hoya under Coach John Thompson will look at the game differently than a lit of players
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
In case y'all wondered what George Karl thought of Zeke....

http://video...758/&fg=

100% accurate. Way to go George!!!
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Anonymous Fanatic #1
1077 days ago
Score -1+-
STOP, you guys are embarrassing. really embarrassing. simple story, not that complicated. nuggets were up big and shoving it down the knicks' throats and at msg. everything else is irrelevant. every sport when you show the other team up, there will be consequences. in all team sports when you are crushing your opponents at the end of the game, you remove your starters, you run out the clock.

maybe you guys should think back to "YOUR" days playing little league, ya know when the team was up big and the coach came up to you and said, "We're up big, go in and play right field."

Point is that in every sport at every level, when you are up big late, you remove your starters and "lay off" or run out the clock. it happens in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA.
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False ProphetAll-Star
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
exactly, the Nuggets coach was being an Arse, but there isn't a rule against that. Isiah was talking trash to 'Melo, and then his players get pissed and we have this story. I actually play High School Football, so you are wrong in that some of us DO play team sports
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 1+-
AF1, you missed the whole point of the article. Isiah is talking out of both sides of his mouth, or at the least, has an incredibly strange concept of "surrender." He says the Knicks "surrendered" but left HIS starters in the game. He says the Knicks "surrendered" but then threatened the Nuggets not to go to the bucket. He says the Knicks "surrendered" but then dropped a big ol' bomb of an Intentional Foul. He should be held accountable for his actions as well, that's the point of the article. I never said what happened was wrong or right, as a matter of fact, when I played team sports, and I played a lot, I took the liberty of giving a few shots at the end of a game many times, so don't gimme that holier than thou crap.
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False ProphetAll-Star
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
AF 1 makes sense. Isiah diddn't need to take his starters out, Denver should have. Isiah was an Arse to Melo, just as the Denver coach was to them. If the league punnishes Thomas, then they will become the most rediculous league when it comes to punnishment.
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Anonymous Fanatic #2
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
if AF1 made so much sense, he'd be a member...
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Prophet, I suggest you stay awake in English class.
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EnyboDiv-I Stud
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
AF, I understand what you are saying but it doesn't make it right and that goes for every sport. These are grown men, if you can't deal with a little adversity than you don't deserve to be playing. I don't agree with running up the score, but I don't agree with throwing a tantrum about it, take like a freaking man. If not, than you don't serve to be treated like one.

Tell me if I am right or wrong, but I going to assume that your opinion on Bonds is that when he breake Aaron's record it should stand because steroid weren't prohibited in baseball and everyone else was doing it.

And yes, I was the kid that only played when my team was up big. That's why "I surrendered."
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False ProphetAll-Star
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
totally different situations, its like the unwritten rule in baseball that you hit my guy I hit your guy back. Bonds is a totally different issue, don't bring him into it. Karl violated an unwritten rule, and Isiah was talking smack that would get a player thrown out of a game, but neither of those are grounds for suspension
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Anonymous Fanatic #1
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Looks to me like none of you actually played any team sports.
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False ProphetAll-Star
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Also, the only time its okay to keep your starters in when you are way ahead late is in a Grudge match or a Rivalry game, then its okay to run up the score
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BU ICEMANJV Squad
1077 days ago
Score 0+-
Have you been following the story Prophet? One of the theories why Karl left the first team in was that he had a GRUDGE against Isiah for dissing his buddy Larry Brown. Therefore, by your logic, Karl was perfectly in his rights to do so.
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False ProphetAll-Star
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
like a real Grudge Match, Pats/Colts, Yankees/Red Sox, Michigan OSU, Pacers/Pistons, I guess you could throw in Lakers Heat, 49ers/Cowboys... Not something simple like Knicks/Nuggets where they have a coach who possibly left because of Isiah's treatment of Brown
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Anonymous Fanatic #3
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
enbyo- no, i don't think that bond's record should stand. i am firmly against steroids and believe all the records should be stripped. to me, maris is still the single season hr record at 61. nobody has broken this record steroid-free.

and all i'm trying to say is that nobody likes it when you run up the score. and most teams don't do it in any sport. it's not right and if you do, then you can't cry about the consequences. again, in baseball (where fighting is not allowed) if you show-off or run up the score----there are consequences.

tell me this folks- if you just gave up a huge homerun and the guy at the plate just stares at it for awhile and then slowly jogs around the base, what would you do?!

i would hit him the next time he's at bat!!! that is what keeps players in line and doesn't have them dancing around like they do in the nfl when they get a first down. hahaha. a little humility goes a long way...
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Anonymous Fanatic #3
1076 days ago
Score 1+-
and not to totally beat this into the dirt, but.... another example is the nfl when you are up by 21 points late in the fourth quarter. what do you do? you just keep running the bowl, taking time off the clock. when there is only a few minutes left, you run it right up the middle. at the end you take a knee. WHY!? because you already won the game and there is no sense is shoving it down their throats. not even for fear of retaliation, but merely out of repsect for the other team and the game.
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EnyboDiv-I Stud
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
We can debate this until we are blue in the face so I will only say this. On this point "there is no sense is shoving it down their throats. not even for fear of retaliation, but merely out of repsect for the other team and the game", I completely agree.
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Anonymous Fanatic #3
1076 days ago
Score 0+-
Okay, we can agree on that!! Merry Christmas.
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