NBA suspends Stoudemire, Diaw for leaving bench

[Rollie_Fingaz]

NBA suspends Stoudemire, Diaw for leaving bench

PHOENIX -- Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire and teammate Boris Diaw were suspended Tuesday for one game for leaving the bench after Robert Horry's flagrant foul of Steve Nash in Game 4 of the Suns' Western Conference semifinal against San Antonio.

The NBA also announced Horry was suspended for two games for knocking Nash into the scorer's table with 18 seconds remaining in the Suns' 104-98 victory at San Antonio on Monday night. Phoenix's victory evened the series at 2-2.

All three players will miss Wednesday night's Game 5 in Phoenix of what has been a rough, intense showdown between two of the best teams in the NBA. Horry also will miss Friday night's Game 6 in San Antonio.

Horry was suspended for flagrantly fouling Nash and striking Raja Bell about the shoulders with a forearm, NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson said in a statement. Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for leaving "the immediate vicinity of their bench" during the altercation.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles weighted in on the suspensions.

"A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions," said Skiles.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[Spectrum]

Let the players play. You should NOT suspend players during the playoffs for shit like this. It was a hard foul by Horry;however, it was not done with the intent to injure Nash. It was not like he was on the fast break and attempting a layout and got his legs taken from under him or pushed in mid air and put into a position where he could not protect himself. Damn..in previous decades, this would not have even made the news. a hard shoulder to shoulder foul

I know they have the don't leave the bench rule, but Stoudemire and Diaw should not have been suspended either. This series will likely determine who goes to the Finals. You can't have that shit determined, or greatly influenced, by just a hard foul on a player..and even though Nash caught a nice shoulder... he also flopped and flailed like a soccer player after the contact.

Unfortunate all the way around....and the Suns catch the worse of it for the critical game 5.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

It's a dumb ass rule that was put in place when shit got out of hand a long time ago..now they are stuck with it. It's like the "end-zone celebration" rule that they had in football. When the guy gave the football to the kid in the wheelchair, he was assessed a fine and people were livid, so they repealed it.

This case they knew the rules were violated and they are stuck enforcing it.

Stern and his gestapo are not looking too good this year.

 

[Sango]

Naa fuck that, Robert Horry is a veteran. He knew exactly what he was doing "trying to send a message", at the end of the game nevertheless. So much shit during these playoffs, that make me want to turn off the tv. It's not a player's talent that determines the game anymore, it's the officiating along with how many flops in the paint you can take. I swear there should be a limit to the amount of Duke players allowed in the league b/c there's a good amount of them taking these "charging" fouls in that bullshit of a striped area. Phoenix Suns got fucked with no gel.

 

[cranrab]

my .02

robert horry foul: cheap shot, YES. dirty foul, NO. IMO, not as bad as last year's james posey shoulder on kirk hinrich.

steve nash: took it like a man. watched the post-game interview (on the floor) and didn't hear him bitch once. did go over the top when he hit the floor by raising his arms above his head. but NOT nearly as gay/bad as soccer players; they get kicked in the shin, and fall to the ground holding their face like they took a tyson combo.

amare stoudemire: does NOT deserve a suspension for leaving the bench. the rule is queer. every teammate should have left the bench. who wants to play with teammates who aren't going to stand up for one another? and would the NBA really suspend an ENTIRE roster? BUT, amare stoudemire DOES deserve a suspension for that BULLSHIT story about he was already on the way to the scorer's table about to check in. what, did he think EVERYONE in the world doesn't have video?

boris diaw: same as above, except at least he had enough sense to NOT concoct a BULLSHIT story like amare stoudemire. amare stoudemire should've just manned up and said what he intended to do.

 

[cranrab]

Nba

It's not a player's talent that determines the game anymore, it's the officiating along with how many flops in the paint you can take.

OD,

i have long protested the ever-increasing role of officiating in the NBA. the problem is that the NBA INCORRECTLY feels that it is their responsibility to compensate for the DECREASE in player skills.

athleticism has INCREASED, but skill sets have DECREASED. and in order to prop up the poorly skilled newer generation of players, the NBA feels it must compensate for this lack.

in my day, NBA officials had one core responsibility: PENALIZE players who violate the rules of play.

today, NBA officials have a DIFFERENT core responsibility: REWARD players (thus generating point production) for a particular style of play.

this is NOT my opinion. this is FACT, as quoted from ed rush, nba director of officiating in 2001:

Rush: The specifics of the defensive three-second rule says that a defender may not be in the 16-foot lane for more than three seconds without actively guarding an opponent. The incidental contact clarification applies to a one-on-one play when the offensive player has the ball. The purpose of the rule is to reward the offensive player who demonstrates quickness, speed, and balance. We have asked the officials, when administering plays to the basket, to allow the offensive player an opportunity to demonstrate the athletic factors of quickness and speed.

AND

What type of player do you feel the new rules will benefit?

Rush: These rules will reward a quick, athletic player.

AND

How are the new rules going to change the pace of the game?

Rush: The two rules changes that are most meaningful are the defensive three-second rule and the eight-second backcourt rule. The defensive three seconds puts a premium on defensive quickness and movement. As we see the rule, it encourages more ball movement and puts a demand on both offense and defense to move and play the game at a quicker pace.

 

[Sango]

my .02

robert horry foul: cheap shot, YES. dirty foul, NO. IMO, not as bad as last year's james posey shoulder on kirk hinrich.

amare stoudemire: does NOT deserve a suspension for leaving the bench. the rule is queer. every teammate should have left the bench. who wants to play with teammates who aren't going to stand up for one another? and would the NBA really suspend an ENTIRE roster? BUT, amare stoudemire DOES deserve a suspension for that BULLSHIT story about he was already on the way to the scorer's table about to check in. what, did he think EVERYONE in the world doesn't have video?

C/S Although Nash deserved an acting award, it just seemed like Robert Horry did it with other intentions. As if he were mad that he didn't get to take that 3 pointer he's know for, to continue the "Big Shot Rob" title he's got going....

Amare is a fool for coming up with that excuse that his coaching staff started... I sincerely wanted GS to keep winning all through the NBA Finals. It's not the type of Basketball "THEY" want.