I've been a Pacer fan since they were in the ABA. I've never been so embarassed at to admit that more then now. I've always thought Artest would be a problem but never to this extreme. While I admit the fans were wrong, if Detroit would've had sufficient security this might have been avoided. Artest and others should've never gone into the stands. With that being said...Detroit got off way too easily imo as far as suspensions. If you're gonna send a message...then send a BIG one to both the teams and the entire NBA. Pacers were wrong..no doubt about that, but Detroit was also.

Haha. Ok, first of all, if anything, Jackson should be gone the entire year ALONG with Artest. Artest is a nutball. He has been suspended so many times in the past two years, he needed a lesson, and time off to get HELP. Jackson would not have been in the crowd if Artest didn't go first, but instead of playing peacemaker, he drilled some guy that threw a beer in the face of Artest. They both should be gone all year.

Ben Wallace pushed artest after getting punched in the back of the head. He did not charge into the stands, he did not do anything else (other than throw a towel), and when things got rough, he backed off. His punishment is on par with other similar situations in the past. Do you think, if Artest hadn't charged into the stands, that Ben would have gotten 6 games still? I don't.

As far as O'Neal goes, he made the decision to go and drill a guy on the court that didn't do anything to him. He was not provoked, and he also apparently hit someone off camera, on top of that. His suspension maybe have been a little rough, but to switch with Ben Wallace? Please. You MUST be a Pacers fan.

And, if you had payed any attention, Stern made sure to point out "This is just part of the punishment in relation to the player's conduct. The police are still investigating pressing charges to the fans" or something along those lines.

Here's an artical from the Kansas City Star by Jason Whitlock. Everyone should read it.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...0242339.htm?1c

Question is, why did these guys have beer at that late a time in the game. Must of been still selling it. So blame the Piston's management.
Ron Artest wanted time off for his rap album. The easiest way to get is was to get suspended. I think he might have bitten off more than he can chew. He probably should get jail time.
It is also time for ESPN to clean up thier act. They are as much at fault for promoting this shit.
Should cut off beer sales at the end of halftime. But I suppose they have to sell it at $7.00 a pop to pay the saleries of these over priced buffoons. I don't even watch the NBA of free TV.

i don't know if i buy the white fan base rejecting the nba because of the "black style of play."
people who watch basketball aren't exactly rednecks to begin with. if the players of today played "whiter" it would be even more boring. most non-black players are interesting because of their novelty, not really their style. and discouraging fighting is not a way to attract the nascar crowd, either.
focusing on fundamentals instead of showing off is what happens in women's ncaa. sure there is room for some skill improvement but is that really going to change the audience? even though the lakers were a poor team last year, didn't their star power bring more revenue than the "good fundamentals" pistons?

i don't watch the nba because college basketball is more exciting. but if i knew that artest was playing tomorrow, i'd watch.

For doing what everyone does in the league?
Yeah, I'm sure his first thought after getting hit in the face with a cup of beer was, "This will get me my time off I need!"
What are they promoting?

Give me a break. Wallace had nothing to do with what happend after the shove. If the fans aren't mature enough to not get involved, thats on them. Wallace is not at fault for Artest and Jackson flying into the stands, and O'Neals sucker punch.

The suspensions are fine just the way they are.

I can't stand the fact you want Wallace punished for somthing he had no control over. Yes, he deserved to be punished for the shove, but not the after effects. The conflict was a moot point and almost done deal till the beer went flying. Thats when it got out of control. I watched the whole thing, and Wallace wasen't involved at all after the shove and the clearing. And even then, no punches were thrown until the fans got involved.

http://complabs.nevada.edu/~kiml4/in...makers.net.wmv


This link works as of right now. Full video....

EDIT: Looks like the damn thing is dead already. I will leave it up in case it comes back online.

Yeah... because they will probably bring their guns with them next time!

And I agree that Artest should be banned for life and probably O'Neil too. They have absolutely no excuse for their behavior. If they are going to act like petty thugs, then they should be treated like one. Why were there no arrests being made? One fan left the game in an ambulance for chistsake! If anyone else in the world would have caused bodily harm like that to another person they would have been arrested.

And I'm sorry, but I do not think that getting a beer thrown in your fact is any reason to go beat the shit out of someone. You can just dump all your arguments about "what would you do", and "it's only human nature to defend..." Blah, blah, blah... We are not animals that are controlled by instinct. We have an intellect (or at least some of us do) that can overrule our base reactions.

Artest was the whole reason this thing happened. If he hadn't committed that bullshit foul, then there wouldn't have been a shove, and there wouldn't have been a bench clearer and there wouldn't have been any reason for the fan to throw the beer in the first place. It can all be traced back to Artest acting like a total dick. PERIOD. And it's not like he hasn't done it before. He has been suspended many times in the last two years for what could be considered "unsportsmanlike like conduct"... oh, but I forgot... sportsman like conduct doesn't have any place in sports anymore.

Does anyone out there remember when basketball was a game of skill and finesse? When ANY contact between players was a foul. When traveling was actually called? The game used to have integrity. Now it's just a bunch of thugs out there paying street ball. Just my opinion, but one I feel is shared by many people.

But in the end, I do think the NBA should take some responsibility for it. Only because they let this kind of shit takes place. As many people above have pointed out, Rodman, Shak, etc. have done almost as bad with little or no punishment. Are we then surprised when we finally have something like this occurring? No. We are not. It is simply another day in professional sports.

And frankly, I think it quite offensive that anyone would think that this sort of behavior is "cool", or that this event was "awesome". I think it is one of the worse events in American professional sports, and I hope the league and players take a hard look at what they have become.

Jason whitlock is an idiot. He's proven it time and time again. "The american public is fed up with black athletes"..come on, get real.

I think what we are fed up with is primadonna athletes thinking they are immune from public punishment or regulations.

It's so easy for a "journalist", like Whitlock, to fall back on the race card. It's a weak and pathetic argument. Fact is, the athletes that went into the stands and began fighting the everyday Joe's, are immature, over-zealous morons that happen to be black.

Whitlock, once again, has failed to capture the true pathos of the situation.

All the punishments that were already given were fine. They were all in the wrong. Detroit as a city and the team still need a serious punishment.
They should be forced to play all their games either on the road for the rest of the season or at home in front of empty seats. For the next 3 years after fans are allowed back, no beer sales. After that beer sales doubled indefinately to pay for the apparently necessary security for that stadium.

Fuck Pro basketball though. Can't stand it. The Primadonnas need a goddamned salary cap to bring the sport as a whole back to earth.

On a side note, can't wait for the Lions Turkey Day game against the Colts. That should be a hoot and a half!

I agree with each and every fine/suspension... I can't see anything better to not only prove the point, but to actually give these fools what they deserve.

BTW, Go STONES :D

The NBA does have a salary cap.

Yeah. My fantasy season is done. I had Artest and O'Neal.

Everyone that says Artest never shoulda went in the stands in crazy. I'll leave it at crazy because I can't use the words I want to use. To the people that say he should have done nothing... I would love to meet each and every one of you just so I could throw a cup of beer in your face because I know you won't do shit.. Even after I laugh in your face afterwords.

Wallace shoulda got suspended longer. He was acting like a dick over a weak ass foul. If anyone shoulda been suspended for the season it shoulda been Jackson. He was acting crazy.

Personally, I like Artest even more now. Fuck the NBA.

Just so people know. Weak lazy bullshit fouls like the one Artest gave Wallace happen multiple times a game. If you don't realize that then you know jack shit about hoops. Most people don't react like Wallace did.

Another thing, fans love to hate Artest because of his personality. This isn't the first time that fans have thrown shit at him. The NBA never did a thing to the fans who have thrown shit at him before. Maybe if the NBA/teams would punish their fans this would've never happened. Artest should be allowed to beat the living shit out of any pussy in the stands that throws something at him. I don't give a shit how much money someone makes.. That doesn't give fans the right to abuse/shit on athletes.

Charles Barkley said this afternoon on PTI that, under those circumstances, he would have gone into the stands, too. However, he also said that he would tell Artest to learn from this situation and get help.

I think Stern made a good business decision when he levied severe suspensions.

I don't really understand why people think think that what the players did was so egregious.

These are large atheletes who play a physical and intense game. Tempers were heated, fans start throwing debris, shit got out out of hand. I am not condoning all the actions, but many of them are understandable. Especially once in the stands, it was a free for all. Shit went both ways, fans were engaging the players too. They didnt have their hands up and backs turned or anything. I saw video today showing Artest get a few shots to the head from the guy who yoked him up (the accused cup thrower) after Artest went after the young looking dude. Chairs flew,players went into the stands, fans stepped out onto the court ready to roll, players hit fans, fans hit players: blame chaos

Ok see how much I know...
Well, they need one that is reasonable, and they need some standards to keep the high schoolers out of Pro ball. They need a bit of maturity.

Yes, but how often do they happen in the last minute after the game is all but decided?

Unsportsmanlike. Wallace said it himself, this is why he took exception.

Nice to know you'll only throw beer at people if they'll do nothing in retaliation.

Anyway, you're welcome to come and throw beer at me, because I will do nothing. Behaving like a cave-troll because someone else is behaving like a cave-troll does not resolve the matter. I don't have to engage in self-defence from getting wet (and anyone who thinks they do has serious self-worth problems), so I won't be punching your lights out. If you're so cowardly that you want to throw beer at me from a distance because you're too scared of actual physical confrontation, then you're welcome to do so. To me, it's the same as name-calling and I will be the one laughing in your face.

Mark Jackson and some of the other SportsCenter panel were laying the blame for this fiasco at the feet of the culture of "disrespecting" that is so prevalent in society today, where "self-defence" is engaged in not to protect one's body, but one's ego. I'd have to agree.

I also don't understand why some people say that the Pistons have got off lightly in this whole episode. Ben Wallace's suspension was longer than has been handed out to players who actually threw punches previously. Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman were suspended for leaving the bench when Armageddon was erupting all around them. What were they supposed to do? Staple themselves to their seats so that they rioting public all around them couldn't remove them with crowbars? As far as I'm concerned, the only person who got off lightly was Stephen Jackson.

I don't know Super, yeah a lot of the high schoolers they get are immature brats who handle fame in negative ways. But there is always a Lebron, who can handle it in a great and respectable way. It's all in how they are raised and the discipline recieved as children. Same as anyone.

What I believe is they need to uphold these suspensions and look within all sports and see why the players feel they are above the fans and do what it takes (even if it means locking players out until lower salaries for one, are established). Players today, know that all sports get their money from television, endorsements, corporate ticket accounts, that they have no respect for fans anymore.

Like I said in a previous post, a fan throwing a cup (especially when the player is showboating and laying on the scorer's table) is nothing compared to the old days. Hell, Dave Parker was pelted with batteries in Pittsburgh every game for a season and he didn't do anything.

The athletes (most not all and in every sport from NASCAR to Baseball, to football (college and pro) to basketball) today feel like everyone should bow down to them and feel like they are OWED everything they get and that they do not have to work for it. It's time to correct this while we still can, if we still can.

Ron Artest is on the Today show right not giving an interview. He is:

A) Incredibly stupid
B) Incredibly dumb
C) Incredibly out of touch with reality

Wow... he's just. Interesting interview.

I heard some of his interview on SC. Heres a basic quote:

"Do you think you acted in a responsible way, as a role model?"
"I think you should review the tape and you should be able to answer your own questions."

I never know why people go to an interview (or probably, in this case, request an interview) and then dance around all of the answers.

The NBA has to be reponsible for protecting the players while they are on the court (and going to and from the locker room). If a fan goes onto the court or throws anything, they should be arrested. If a player breaks that line and goes into the stands, they should get a minimum 30 day suspension. If a fan breaks that line and gets to a player on the court, I wouldn't punish the player for whatever he does.

It was a damn paper/plastic cup of beer. Artest should have let the security guards handle it. He should have never gone into the stands.

It's a "manhood" thing. Had he let it go (as he should have), then he loses street cred. In my opinion, Artest was in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. That said...I do believe that he handled it wrong. It's our own fault, really. This is what we come to expect of athletes, and they are providing it. Don't believe me? Just go to a Little League game, or a soccer match. It's not on a Pacer/Pistons level, to be sure...but the flu usually starts out as the sniffles. We did this.

Sadly you're completely right, Bill. As always ;)

Is there still a working clip of the whole thing somewhere? anyone?
I just saw a glimpse of it in the news... :(

I hope there's a future trend where fans always throw beer at him.

Kinda like those other "sports rivalries". In Detroit, some hockey team fucked up one of the Red Wings, and since then, they have been rivals. Same should be here. Whenever he plays here, fans should pelt him with beer.

That would be hilarious.

Look at professional wrestling (granted a pseudo sport but a good example for the case) and the way they handle fans in regards to the stands.

If a wrestler stands too close to the fans the fans can touch them, however if the fan crosses over and onto the arena floor, the fan then becomes fair game to the wrestlers. If the wrestlers go into the stands (as part of the show) the fans can pat the the wrestlers etc. but if you attack one you're toast.

I'm sorry I cannot nor will not condemn the fan who threw a soda cup. To state that it was "street cred" is ridiculous because Artest makes millions to be a professional and should act as such. That includes not lying on a scorer's table after instigating a fight in some other city's arena. It showed a total disregard and lack of respect for not only the Pistons team for for Detroit fans.

I am sorry if Detroit has a rep of having bad fans, that is no reason to disrespect them.

I am sorry if the player doesn't like Detroit personally, it is no reason to disrespect the fans and city.

I am sorry if the fans rode his ass, but that is part of road games and as a professional athlete he needs to deal with it or get out of the game.

My God the athletes today do far less training, far fewer practices, work far less than their predecessors, get away with far, far more publicly and yet get paid far more and cry about fans far more than those in the past.

I think all sports in their own way have gotten so far from recognizing the importance of the stadium fan that the athletes look at those fans as nuisances, people needing to shut up and have no respect for them whatsoever.

IMHO, the vast majority (not all) of athletes act as though they "are owed respect" and yet give very very little to the fans. Until they can respect fans again, I think we will continue to see more and more of these outbreaks.

Do I condone, partake or applaud fans throwing things? No, but I disdain and dispise what athletes have greed have let them become, how the athletes have destroyed sports and how they view the fans. Until, thier views of the fans change and they taper off salaries, my attitude is if the player can't handle the oppositions vocal supporters in the stands, if the athlete refuses to show fans due respect (no matter where the game is) and if the player must showboat and become an asshole, then if he gets pelted with beercups, snowballs, JuJuFruits, he has no right to complain. That is after all what is supposed to make these athletes better than the rest of us isn't it? Aren't they paid the big bucks to handle that competitive stress and perform to their best ability upon demand?

Oh, I wholeheartedly agree. He should. Thing is...he's not going to until we, as the fans, demand it. We have been condoning, and even encouraging, this type of behavior for so long, that it has become part of the make up of an "athlete".

I disagree, here. I will most certainly condemn the fan. We want the athletes to maintain a professional demeanor, while the fans display behavior that would make a barbarian blush. No, I think not. The guy was an ass. He may not have had an ass beating coming, but I certainly would have had him hastily escorted from the arena, with a some strong advice never to return.

I don't know Bill, it has been my experience at games that if the eatms act professional and the players go out and give their best, yeah they may recieve some vocal abuse but overall the fans respect them.

It's not until athletes act like total asses that fans do.

There are some exceptions like the White sox and KC baseball incidents. In which fans jumped onto the field and deserve what they got.

However, there were incidents with the Angels and NY Yankees where players, showed no respect and charged into the stands.

We will never be able to control the fans verbals abuses (nor should we try). But we should expect and demand the athletes to hold up to a certain civilty.

Hey, if the fans get too bad, and the players truly feel threatened, then I have no problem with a game delay until the fans are quieted and can show respect for the game.

And that's what this all boils down to respect for the game and the fans. It's hard to respect the game when the players treat the fans like shit and the owners threaten the cities with moving or refuse to spend money to better the team etc. And it's hard for the athletes to respect the fans when they are paid so much and given so much all their lives that they don't have that sense of responsibility to anyone.

The guy who threw the soda deserves just as much blame as Artest. Artest didn't even start the whole incident. He made a foul. Overly agressive, yes, but the Pistons player instigated it all.

How many people would sit and do nothing if someone threw a cup of soda at them? Fans need to know that there are limits to what they can do.

I have zero sympathy for the ones who stepped onto the court. They got what they deserved.

Pan, throwing cups of soda goes beyond verbal abuse. So what if Artest was laid out on the scoring table. It's no excuse to start throwing items at him. If he had hit the right guy I wouldn't have much of a problem with it. None of this would have happened if the dude hadn't thrown the cup. He should be arrested for inciting a riot. Maybe in the future jackass fans will think twice before they throw something again.

What if the fan had thrown a bottle? A battery? A rock?

He threw the cup because that's what was in his hand. Does that make it less of an assault?

you all gotta see this

the cops will prolly confiscate "THE" weapon as evidence against the guy in the upcoming assault case... wow... just what i'd like for Christmas, maybe i can get artest to autograph it...

:D "the cup that cost the pacers a season" :D

Holy crap!! $26,100.00?!? with 6 days 5 hours to go?
Hell, the whole damn team...scratch that...the Pacers and the Pistons need to autograph it, for that.

What the hell? There's not even...I mean how do I know that's the cup. $26,100.00 just cause this guy says he has it? Nah! I'll pass.

Now it's selling for $99,999,999.00

Heh, so if I hit someone with a foam bat if i'm upset, I should be charged the same as if I hit them with a metal bat? Do you really believe that?

Also, are you saying he couldn't have found something harder to throw? One fan managed to find a CHAIR, but I don't see any mention of that in this thread.

Been there with the batteries, Dave Parker. He tipped his hat and continues playing.

Monopoly Money among cups thrown at Albert Belle his first Chisox uniformed game in Cleveland. He flipped off the fans.

I have seen fans throw all kinds of shit down on football and basketball players as they walk the tunnel between fans and the lockerrooms.

I not not condoning, but IT HAS HAPPENED in the past, it WILL continue to happen.

Artest started it by laying on the announcer's table and being a dick.

Did he deserve it? No.

If you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt who threw the cup, should he be prosecuted? Depends on the charges, disorderly conduct sure..... battery? would be hard to prove the fan did it with true malice.

It's called "assault and battery", my slightly biased friend.

When some are trying to absolve the fan of blame because of the object he threw, it seems perfectly reasonable to bring up this point.

Good question, dj.

It actually does make it less of an assault because a plastic cup is typically not considered a dangerous weapon. Given that the dipshit lightly tossed it at Artest, the deadly plastic cup theory goes out the window.

However, there is an interesting route the prosecutors could take with this case. Since it was the throwing of the cup that started the entire brawl, the guy who threw the cup could conceivably be charged with inciting a riot, which is a felony in the State of Michigan. This is from the current Michigan Penal Code:

I'm not sure how likely this route will be but one never knows. In addition, Artest, Jackson and O'Neal could also face charges but not nearly as serious:

One more interesting side note to all of this was the gentleman who decided to throw the folding chair. Check out this possible charge:

According to this section of Michigan law, it would have been smarter to start swinging at Artest, so long as you don't intend to kill him, than grabbing a stadium folding chair and throwing it across a group of people. Although, that could still be considered assault, so you'd have a misdemeanor and a felony on your record for flinging a chair at a moronic basketball player.

Heh, I don't know why you think i'd defend the dipshit fans that should definitley share the blame here. But, as just posted, a cup tossed underhanded doesn't fall under assult and battery. He should not have thrown anything, no, and will probably be banned from the palace for life, but pressing a charge like and assult and battery? No way.

Are you sure about that?

Willie Mays himself said that players now train harder and train longer (he said he never picked up a weight or worked out for baseball during the off-season).

Thats just one example proving what you said to be incorrect, but I am sure there are plenty of examples that prove what you said to be true.

Point is, its not fair to categorize a generation of athletes the way you did.

And so it continues: http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3188868

ref you suck! ref you suck! ref you suck!

No, i disagree, fans become assholes whenever things are not going their way. Case in point: the chant i referenced. Most the time the calls are right, or if not, the ref was not biased he simply saw it differently from his persepctive. The general atmosphere among fans these days is one of complete disrespect.

I can't believe Green is still denying throwing the cup. The video is about as clear-cut as it comes.

I hope the next time Artest steps onto a basketball court someone hurls another pint at him. See if he's learned a lesson.

i hope the moron who is gonna throw something at artest next time gets his ass royally handed to him...even better if it was at a pacers home game and the fan was from the opposing team...

:P

There's a, what I thought, great article on Page 2 on ESPN about the whole thing.

Link

Or read here if you're lazy:

--jaded

Good article.

I fully blame the fans for the mess. If they can't go to a game and act like normal people without hurling shit at the players, they deserve what they get. Its one thing to mock the players, but it is entirely different to throw cups and drinks on/at them.
Wallace shouldn't have started anything to begin with, the foul was nothing out of the ordinary and he over reacted extremely. Artest kept his cool until some moronic fan decided to throw his cup at him. I think it is unfair for Artest to be considered the instigator, if anyone should be considered the instigator, it should be Wallace, followed by the fans.

Had I been Artest, I probably would have gone after the guy who threw a cup at me as well; when you’re in the heat of the moment, you don’t think straight, and I believe most people would act in a similar fashion.

On a side note, the look on that fans face who was jumping up and down like an idiot all excited changed so fast when Artest came his way, priceless. And what was the fat guy thinking coming ON to the court? He got knocked flat on his ass which he deserved as well. Stay in your seat next time and there won’t be a problem.

1. The foul was with 40 seconds left, when they were up by 16. It was a much harder foul then needed. Ben got mad.

2. Ron wasn't just "keeping his cool". He was being a smartass. He was laying on the announcers table to piss Ben off. He also put on an announcers headset and started talking, then continued to lay down.

3. He went after THE WRONG FAN. The moron that threw the cup did not get hit by Artest. It isn't like he saw the fan then went after him, he got hit by a cup, ran in the general direction, tackled a guy and asked him if he did it while hitting him. You say to stay in your seat, and not throw stuff, well, there were quite a few fans who did just that and were still hit/attacked.

4. THERE IS NO REASON TO GO INTO THE STANDS. NONE.

5. Everyone involved in that incident can share the blame. Ben shouldn't have overreacted, Ron shouldn't have charged into the stands/overreacted to a cup being thrown, the fans shouldn't have been retards, etc etc etc. Trying to place blame on just one party is ignorant of the entire situation.

6. "Being in the heat of the moment" is not an excuse for anything. Not a DAMN thing. Athletes have things thrown at them all the time (not that i'm justifying it). When they sign a contract, they are expected to uphold themselves in a civil manner, and when they don't they get suspended. Ron's life wasn't in danger. I bet the cup didn't even hurt. He just lost it, and should be punished and should take part of the blame.

He was thinking, "All these guys who are swinging their fists are multi-millionnaires. If I can get one of them to hit me I could be in for some serious wonga in the courts."

Nimbletoe: No offence, but it's hard to take your posts seriously when your avatar is a picture of a Pistons logo. :)

That logo has been there since last year, and trust me, the last thing I would do is defend retards that throw stuff at players. But he was talking about no blame for Artest, who charged into the stands after someone who did nothing to him.

I know your logo has been there a while, which is my point...it shows that you're a pistons fan..and being that some people here are arguing that it was the piston's fans that were the problem, then it would be understandable that you would argue against it whether or not there was any truth to it.

Now, im not saying that the piston's fans were the problem, I'd rather not get into this argument...but your arguments are coming from an (understandably) deeply biased viewpoint...

Perhaps you didn't read what I said. I would never, ever defend any fan, of a team that I like or not, of doing something stupid like that.

that's a great quote: ESPN finally has its 9/11

Yeah, and Wallace should have ignored Ron's smartass antics. Ron was not the one physically attacking Wallace, Wallace was physically attacking Ron. You say it's because Wallace was mad, well, so was Artest after being shoved for a typical foul (a little harder than usual? Sure. But a reason to start a fight with a few seconds left? No.).
Is it a fact that the fan Artest charged at was not the one who threw the cup? Do they have proof of who threw the cup? If they do, can you please send me a link, I didn't really follow it after the initial incident.
All the fans I saw get hit were NOT staying in their seats being coopertive. The old moron in the stands was punching Artest from behind, then Artest turned around and hit him back. The two fat idiots on the court were asking to get hit just by being on the court where they don't belong. And the rest of the fans who got hit were splashing their drinks at the Indi players.
There is also no reason to push someone violently for fouling you.
I will agree, he shouldn't have gone into the stands, but at the same time, I don't blame him for getting pissed. I'm sure most players would have done the same thing. He was already heated from Wallace's idiotic action, and the cup thrown at him pushed him over the edge. Just like you say Ben got angry, so did Ron.
Suspending Ron for the season whereas Wallace only got 6 games is ridiculous. If you want to put the blame in order, it should be 1. Wallace 2. Fans 3. Artest

You won't agree, but that is how I see it.
It's not an excuse, but to be fair, he is still human and any normal human would get upset if they have shit thrown at them. I'm not justifying his actions, but I do understand it.

I can't find a link, but they've been playing it a lot on ESPN and such. It was the guy that started sucker punching Artest in the head from behind in the white hat and blue jacket. He underhanded it, and there was one angle that showed him clearly doing it.

Look, i'm not saying I don't somewhat understand why Artest did what he did. But given his past suspensions, the fact that he attacked fans (which I think is worse than pushing another player in any situation), and the fact that he knew Ben was mad at him, and just tried to piss him off more make me think he got what he deserved. All Ben did was push him, which, if you look at similar incidents in the past, his suspension was a lot longer than normal. Understandable, because of what followed. We can argue all we want about it in regards to whats worse, but in the end, what's done is done.

But my opinion all comes down to, I think charging into the stands is worse than an overreaction and push after a foul. Both are wrong though.

I don't understand how people can say that Wallace should've received the biggest suspension. He pushed another player on court, whereas Artest ran into the stands to attack and punch innocent spectators.

How is the first worse than the second?

It's not that it is worse, it is that he started the entire mess. Had Wallace not shoved Artest, nothing would have happened.

So Wallace shouldn't shove Artest because he knows that Artest has a ridiculous ego and a temper to match and that he will end up storming the stands and beating the fans?

If someone at work irritates me and I get so pissed off I go home and beat my wife, I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who would blame my colleague for my wife's beating.

I don't think you can realistically hold Wallace responsible for Artest's actions. Everyone is resonsible for their own.

Good point, but after Wallace shoved Artest, he continued to pursue him even after Artest showed no retaliation; he wanted things to escalate further. Had he not, he would have stepped back after he saw Artest not fighting back.

But doesn't that show that Artest wasn't really bothered by Wallace? He flipped after having that beer thrown at him. I believe he was lying down and having a nap until that happened.

I think he was already quite angry, I just think he kept the anger inside and when the fan threw the cup at him he completely exploded. Had a cup been thrown at him without the previous incident, I believe he probably wouldn't have over reacted.

This situation could really be looked at in a bunch of different ways, but in the end, whats done is done, lets just hope it doesn't happen again.

If Artest hadn't fouled Wallace, Ben wouldn't have pushed him. Wait, if they weren't playing basketball, there would have been no foul! You have to draw the line somewhere, and I draw it outside the realm of the court. Ben pushed Artest on the court, in the heat of the game. Artest left the game and attacked fans. That's my justification.

Recently, two fans (the one that initially threw the cup at Artest and the one that went onto the court afterwards) have been banned from The Palace of Auburn Hills. Police are still conducting their investigation.

If they banned the fans from the palace for life why not Artest? That would be awesome if the pistons did that. The pacers come to town...oops sorry Mr. Artest you are not allowed on the property. scoot.

Merry Christmas, everybody! Misdemeanors for everyone!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._investigation

Bloomfield Hills attorney James W. Burdick, who represents Jackson, said it was "unfair and inappropriate" to charge his client for his actions during the brawl. Jackson is seen in TV footage punching fans in the stands. :hmm:

it gets better everytime i read this quote

Misdemeanors for everyone except for the fan that threw the chair. He gets a felony that could land him in jail for four years.

What I want to know is this: Why does that guy get a felony, and all the players only get misdemeanors? Because he used a chair?

I hope that they prosecute all of the players to the fullest extent of the law. I hope they get EVERY DAY of the 93 possible for each count. I also hope the fans get their arses thrown into jail, and also get their privelege to go to the Palace completely revoked.

But, of course...everyone will get off with probation. Bah.

Yes, because he used a weapon with the intent to injure

felony

While I know this is the law, I also think that it's a bit ridiculous:

So a trained athlete can't do more damage than a thrown chair?

I know that the law can't cover everything, but I think I'd have thrown more charges at everyone involved. How about "inciting a riot?" How about "breaking the peace?"

The District Attorney has to figure out what charges will stick and will most likely get a conviction. I posted previously about the riot stuff and why the fight participants will only get charged with misdemeanors. Basically, it comes down to what the intent of their actions were; Artest, more than likely, did not try to kill someone. There isn't enough evidence for the DA to charge them with felony assault as it was a spur of the moment action and not planned. The chair-thrower, on the other hand, is facing a felony because of the manner in which it happened. The DA must believe or have evidence to show premeditation with the chair-thrower.