File this one under: painfully obvious.
I've been a Ron Artest fan for a long time, even after his berzerker moment as a Piston in Detroit. At his best, he was a dogged, flexible defender, probably a little underappeciated, and somebody I wanted to see succeed.
Basketball is a physical game, and I think the league has evolved a little too far in restraining players' emotional reactions to contact. But it's really impossible to watch the reply of Artest's elbow to Harden's head and see it as anything but intentional (can you picture a motion like that if he's NOT trying to connect with an opponent?). The best you can possibly say for Ron is that he didn't mean to clock him in the head. Seven games doesn't seem adequate, given MWP's history, and it would be hard to protest really if the league just said "enough" and banned him indefinitely.
(Oh, and yes, Lopez definitely should miss games for whacking Griffin like that too - completely inexcusable).
I have to say, watching the replay of the hit made me cringe since I had many ear infections as a kid and know that the general area there is highly sensitive. Speaking of kids, Metta's face looked like one you'd see on a playground at recess. On the playground, however, the offender usually cries too as they are hit with the verbal disapproval of the teachers.
ReplyDeleteI definitely vote for banning him indefinitely. There's emotional, and then there is trying to intentionally harm someone. Ridiculous.
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