Will Tim Duncan Be Suspended?*
Uncategorized May 15th. 2007, 7:03pmThis is the video everybody’s talking about in regards to the Suns-Spurs series. It’s basically a foregone conclusion that Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw will be suspended for game five after leaving the bench to aid to their fallen teammate late in the game.
But what Suns fans are griping about – grasping at straws, perhaps? – is that Tim Duncan may have done the same thing in the second quarter when it looked as if a tempers were about to flare after players tangled under the basket in a brief altercation.
David Stern’s got a tough decision here … face it, if Amare and Diaw – or even just Amare – is slapped with a suspension for game five, the series will be over. So does Stern suspend Duncan, too?
New Twist – Duncan left the bench in the 2nd Qtr – Video added (Bright Side of the Sun)
*It’s fairly obvious to us that there’s no way you can suspend Duncan for this, even though he did go further onto the court than Amare or Diaw. Let’s face it – there’s hardly an altercation here.
19 Responses to “Will Tim Duncan Be Suspended?*”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:09 PM
Well when Amare left the bench, I wouldn’t call what was going on a fight, so I think if you’re going to suspend him for his two steps over the line, you have to suspend Duncan for the same. Therefore, Robert Horry will be the only one suspended. Think about it, this is the last (only?) series that is big time, and the NBA loves big time… so they’re not gonna mess up game five of this great series. At least they better not.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:29 PM
Rules are rules. If a player leaves the bench and is a certain distance away from the bench, it’s an automatic 1 game suspension. Regardless of if there’s a fight/altercation, etc. Duncan was clearly off the bench and on the court. If Amare and Diaw are suspended, Duncan must be as well.
Personally, I think Horry should be the only one suspended.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:32 PM
they should throw everybody for a loop and suspend baron davis for this.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:11 PM
I think the rule is “leaving the bench area during a fight”
It would seem hard pressed to call what was happening a fight when Duncan left the bench area.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:39 PM
Here is the RULE: Section VII–Fines c. During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $35,000. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game. A team must have a minimum of eight players dressed and ready to play in every game. If five or more players leave the bench, the players will serve their suspensions alphabetically, according to the first letters of their last name. If seven bench players are suspended (assuming no participants are included), four of them would be suspended for the first game following the altercation. The remaining three would be suspended for the second game following the altercation.
You can argue that Duncan left during an “altercation” you can also argue that Amare and Diaw were within the “immediate vicinity” of their bench while Duncan was clearly outside that “immediate vicinity”
Either way, it’s a tough call for Stern.
May 15th, 2007 at 9:25 PM
I think it depends on the meaning of altercation..obviously nothing happened with Ellison, Duncan was celebrating the dunk on the court first..and it seems like Stoudemire and Diaw were off the bench before the “altercation” with Bell and Horry started and then when it started they were back in the bench vicinity.if we’re debating it this much the NBA should leave it alone and fix the rule to read “If you join into a fight Greg Anthony style will you be suspended”
May 15th, 2007 at 9:56 PM
i think the NBA will use the loophole that it was not an “altercation.” they don’t want to see these guys suspended any more than we do
May 15th, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Well Horry has to be suspended, do you not agree? Duncan, Amare and Diaw I think are fine. But Horry’s blatant flagrant foul warrants a suspension.
May 15th, 2007 at 10:54 PM
horry, yes. i was talking about the rest of them
May 15th, 2007 at 11:01 PM
They just said on Sports Center that Amare & Diaw got 1 game & Horry got two games.
May 15th, 2007 at 11:13 PM
The Suns are fucked. Can they re-sign Pau Shirley, or is it too late?
May 15th, 2007 at 11:27 PM
typical nba screw job. they can kiss their ratings after this series goodbye too. WHO’S PUMPED FOR SPURS VS. PISTONS ROUND 2?
…
….
May 16th, 2007 at 12:06 AM
Ugh. Reason #478 why the NBA sucks.
May 16th, 2007 at 3:51 AM
Man, the one good series in the awful two-month-long NBA playoffs, and Stern fucks it up. The NBA is a complete joke. Football cannot come soon enough.
May 16th, 2007 at 5:44 AM
Open season on Tim Duncan’s knees. Pat Burke, you know your job, don’t let us down!
May 16th, 2007 at 7:21 AM
Are we just going to show footage of everytime someone leaves the bench? I think that grasping at straws is an understatement. I can see that and I am a girl.
May 16th, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Mike and Mike, talking about this, are thanking espn2 for doing good work to find this video.
May 16th, 2007 at 11:16 AM
That’s funny – I’m watching it, but it’s on mute, so I missed them say that.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:54 AM
The league has enforced this (vaguely written) rule strictly in the past, and for that they shoudl continue for consistency. But, if you are going to write soft rules and then enforce them with zero discretion, then a) Why do we need NBA officials to even review the incidents and b) Write the stinkin rules as you intend to enforce them. DS is a business leader and has done well to expand the league into a greater internation fan base but as the “commander” of the league he is totally lost and has zero understanding of his position. He should take on the role of CFO/Chief Marketeer of the NBA and get his ass out of the business of anything pertaining to the play of the game. Rule without discretion is tyranny, David.
It’s been some time since I’ve watched a Spurs game…I never knew how much of a bitch Timmy has become. Talk about striding the court with a total sense of entitlement. Parker needs to leave th NBA and join the French national soccer team. Stevie proved that Canadians (not my personal favorite) are leagues tougher than the French, but then that wasn’t much of a mytery, was it?
I’d say there is a 75% chance that Big Bob calculated the hard foul on Nash. 36 years old, more playoff experience than anyone else in the league today and he didn’t think that it was worth it to take the shot and the guranteed suspension in order to have a chance at drawing at least one of the young Suns off the bench?
Bowen is a dirty punk. He really is. Look through the throngs of footage of his defensive play. He’s a hell of a defender, likely th ebest in the legue when he’s using his hips and his hands. But, when he uses his feet to kick and get under the feet of an elevated jump shooter, his fingers to poke at the face and nose of the other player and his knees to ball shot the defender, he’s just playing dirty. Lets face it, even as a great defender he’s lost a step and he’s getting the edge back with play that will eventually get someone seriously hurt. The best part is that he after he does it he’s always leaving the scene of the crime with a sheepish look on his face. Maybe even he thinks he’s being a punk.
The Admiral must be ashamed of their play. When he was there they were a confident, upstanding championship squad.
The Sprurs are a better team than the Suns. Strike that, they are a better NBA team than the Suns. The Suns are a much better basketball team. If (heaven forbid) then Spurs had to play them straight up, it’d be devastating for them.
One last remark: “Go Jazz.”