Fracas in Detroit. . .

NBA Suspends Artest for Rest of Season

Mon Nov 22, 4:30 AM ET
By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK - The wrath of David Stern was unleashed, giving Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal a long time — extremely long in Artest's case — to ponder the error of their ways.

The NBA commissioner suspended Artest for the remainder of this season Sunday and disciplined eight other members of the Pacers and Pistons, sending a strong message that the league won't tolerate the type of unprecedented violence displayed Friday night.

Jackson drew a 30-game suspension and his Indiana teammate O'Neal was banned for 25 games. Ben Wallace of Detroit was hit with a six-game ban, and Indiana's Anthony Johnson got a five-game suspension.

Four others drew one-game suspensions for leaving the bench during the initial stages of a fracas that quickly escalated into a five-minute melee with players and patrons exchanging punches.

While coming down hard on the players, Stern also announced the league would review several procedures, from in-game security to alcohol sales, in order to establish a safer arena environment.

"There is an element out there that thinks they can take certain liberties. That didn't used to be the case," Stern said. "We have to really begin anew to determine what that covenant of civil behavior in our arenas is going to be all about.

"Frankly, we've got a lot of work to do in the next several days and weeks," Stern said.

Reaction to the suspensions came quickly. Union director Billy Hunter said the penalties were unduly harsh and vowed an appeal, Artest issued a contrite statement in which he also questioned the length of his suspension, while O'Neal's agent released an angry missive accusing the league of singling out O'Neal without taking into concern the fear for their own safety that the players were feeling.

Stern, meanwhile, said Artest's history of suspensions and anger management issues contributed to the severity of his penalty. He also made clear that things could have been even worse for O'Neal.

"His penalty actually would have been harsher if he had succeeded in getting into his stands, which he tried to do but was restrained from," Stern said.

Four players — Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman — were suspended one game apiece for leaving the bench during the initial fracas.

Artest's suspension is the strongest ever levied for a fight during a game.

"The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again — certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league," Stern said.

All of the suspensions are without pay.

Artest will lose approximately $5 million in salary, while O'Neal's suspension will cost him nearly 25 percent of his $14.8 million salary for the current season.

Stern took the unusual step of calling a news conference at Madison Square Garden before the Knicks-Cavaliers game to announce the suspensions, commenting that Friday night's fracas represented "the worst" of the 20,000 to 25,000 games he has presided over in his more than two decades as commissioner.

"To watch the out-of-control fans in the stands was disgusting, but it doesn't excuse our players going into the stands," Stern said.

Friday night's brawl was particularly violent, with Artest and Jackson bolting into the stands near center court and throwing punches at fans after debris was tossed at the players.

Later, fans who came onto the court were punched in the face by Artest and O'Neal.

Players who entered the stands and tried to act as peacemakers were not penalized.

All appeals of disciplinary penalties for on-court disturbances are heard by Stern, making it highly unlikely any of the suspensions will be reduced.

Wallace began the fracas by delivering a hard, two-handed shove to Artest after Wallace was fouled on a drive to the basket with 45.9 seconds remaining. After the fight ended, the referees called off the rest of the game.

The initial skirmish wasn't all that bad, with Artest retreating to the scorer's table and lying atop it after Wallace sent him reeling backward. But when a fan tossed a cup at Artest, he stormed into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.

Jackson joined Artest and threw punches at fans, who punched back. At one point, a chair was tossed into the fray.

"Mr. Jackson was well into the stands, and certainly anyone who watched any television this weekend understood he wasn't going in as a peacemaker," Stern said. "Jermaine, I think it's fair to say, exceeded any bounds of peacemaking with the altercation with the fan in which he was involved."