NBA: National Basketball Assault

“Just two weeks ago, my friend and I ate at a McDo's......he was so hungry, he wolfed down the egg McMuffin.....and then 4 hrs. later, realized they forgot to put in the sausage patty.”

“Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- John Chaney's use of a "goon" is going to have a lasting effect on Saint Joseph's.


Hawks senior forward John Bryant could miss the rest of the season after an MRI on Thursday showed he had a broken right arm. Bryant was injured on a hard foul two days earlier by a Temple player who Chaney put in the game for the sole purpose of rough play and hard fouls.


Phil Martelli's response
Phil Martelli spoke to ESPN Radio's GameNight on Wednesday about John Chaney and the foul that injured Hawks senior forward John Bryant.
Phil Martelli

Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw spoke to ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick Show on Friday afternoon.

Bill Bradshaw



Bryant will miss at least three to four weeks, the school said. The standard recovery time for the injury is eight to 10 weeks, but Bryant will pursue aggressive rehabilitation and be evaluated weekly by team doctors.


The Hawks (15-9, 12-1 Atlantic 10) clinched a share of their fifth straight conference title, but will likely have to win the conference tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.


Bryant was knocked hard to the floor on a layup by Nehemiah Ingram and was sprawled on the court for several minutes in Tuesday's win over the Owls. Temple students spit at Bryant while he was on the floor and booed when he was helped up.


Chaney suspended himself Wednesday for one game and apologized for putting in a player to "send a message" to the Hawks. Chaney turned to the seldom-used 6-foot-8, 250-pound Ingram to even the score after he complained the referees were not calling what he thought were illegal screens by Saint Joseph's.


Ingram, who was called a "goon" by Chaney after the game, fouled out in 4 minutes. He has played in 14 games, averaging 0.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 4 minutes per outing.


Bryant averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 23 games, with seven starts. He started 28 of 30 games last year when the Hawks reached No. 1 in the polls and advanced to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament.


"I grew up watching Chaney, I still admire him, but I don't really understand the situation fully," Bryant said Wednesday. "It was just weird."

Commenting on this and the Ron Artest story, popular TV personality and former NFL commentator Rush Limbaugh was quoted as saying "See, this is why I hate black people."
last edited: 3/01/05 7:46:16 PM”

“Pacer Pistons tonight. First game in the Pallace since the big brawl. Lets see what the fanatics can do this time.”

“well, some jerkoff called in a bomb-threat causing the game to start an hour and a half late”

“Bob Kravitz
When will Pistons be held accountable for security lapses?

March 29, 2005


In November, the Pacers went to the Palace of Auburn Hills and were goaded into a brawl that effectively destroyed their season.

Friday night, a series of phoned-in bomb threats aimed at the visitors' locker room caused massive delays and serious consternation, especially among fearful Pacers personnel.

Now look at the playoff race.

If the season ended today, it would be the Pacers vs. the Pistons in the first round.

So here is commissioner David Stern's best and last chance to make the Pistons organization and the Palace hierarchy pay for the fact that the Pacers cannot play in that building fully assured of their safety:

Play Detroit's home games -- at least the ones against the Pacers -- in an empty building.

Absurd?

Excessive?

Well, the brawl and the multiple bomb threats were absurd and excessive, and it's time to make the Pistons and their small percentage of loony-tunes fans pay for the way they've treated the visitors from Indiana.

Nov. 19 was bad. This latest episode, though, may have been worse. Nobody, the Pacers included, should have to play a basketball game worried about their safety or even their life.

"What's made this whole thing unfair is, a lot has gone wrong and you know we haven't blamed anybody," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "But still, all the light has been shined on us. We've clearly taken the brunt of all this."

Which is true, but not completely unjustified. They were, after all, the ones who went into the stands, and the arguments they've presented -- "well, they started it" -- have sounded rather hollow.

But this wasn't entirely a solo act, and the other side has escaped culpability entirely. While the Pacers had their entire season -- Reggie Miller's final season -- entirely eviscerated, nothing has happened to the Pistons.

While the two individual miscreants got lifetime bans from the Palace, nobody has held the Pistons or the Palace responsible for controlling some of the rudest fans in the league. There was no fine for poor security. There was nothing. Just a promise from Stern that the league would review and increase its security presence.

Well, now comes time to hold the Pistons accountable.

Make them play the Pacers in front of empty seats.

The fact is, they do this all the time in international soccer. When a team's fans get out of hand, either at home or when traveling as a fan club on the road, soccer's various federations make the team with the rowdy following play games in an empty stadium.

It's really quite simple.

Get the players and the media in there, and keep everybody else out -- and that includes you, Kid Rock.

Wait a minute. Do you know how many millions the Pistons would lose with two, three or four empty home dates?

Fine.

Let's talk about losing money.

You take the money lost by Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, you could buy your own Pacific atoll, plus a private jet. (Sadly, Artest's CD sales did not quite make up for the lost cash).

And that doesn't mention the revenue the Pacers -- the healthy and active Pacers -- probably would have made with a reasonably long run in the playoffs.

If you're the Simon brothers, and you're looking at the loss of millions, it's hard to feel much sympathy for the Pistons or the Palace over a few games.

OK, but we're talking about a handful of drunks who touched off the brawl, and one or two lunatics who called in bomb threats. How do we know it wasn't somebody from Indiana, just trying to make the Pistons look bad?

We don't know. We don't know where the calls were coming from, and we don't know what the motivation might have been.

All we know is this: As the Pacers were waiting on their bus and voting over whether to play, the NBA and security chief Stu Jackson were threatening the club with massive fines if they didn't play the game.

Isn't that the way it's been all season?

A Pistons fan does something egregious, and the Pacers are the ones who are put in the position to take the blame.

On Nov. 19, the Pacers clearly stepped over the line. The other night, it was the NBA's turn.

"They (the league) assured us it was safe, so we played," Walsh said. "But yeah, I was angry. They're telling us about bomb threats, and the league is telling us we have to play. This has just been a nightmare year. Not just Nov. 19, but the whole thing."

By now, the Pacers have paid their penance in triplicate. They have played with seven players. They have worked to have the suspended players' salaries donated to local charities. They have stepped up their already considerable efforts, in this community and in other cities, to show that the Pacers should not be defined by Nov. 19. And somehow, they're still going to crawl through the back window into the playoffs.

And the Pistons?

They're complaining because Larry Brown is in the hospital.

Listen, if they win another title, the Pistons should vote Beer Cup Guy and Chair Toss Guy a half-share apiece.

We're all smart enough to know that the vast majority of Pistons fans are cultured and civilized, the same way we know most NBA players would never think to cross the line Artest and others crossed that night.

If it's Pacers-Pistons in the playoffs, though, how can Indiana trust they will get through a series without suffering bodily harm? Twice now this season, the Palace and its fans have failed them. Which leaves the NBA with the one option they're too frightened to consider.

After all, an empty seat never hurt anybody.

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star”

“Police question four Pacers after gunfire

Police questioned four members of the Indiana Pacers after one of them fired a pistol outside a Westside strip club early this morning.

Stephen Jackson fired five shots from a 9-mm handgun after someone hit him in the face and tried to run him over with a vehicle outside Club Rio at about 3 a.m., IPD spokesman Sgt. Matthew Mount said.
Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter argued with another group of men just outside the club at 5054 W.38th St., Mount said.

One of the men punched Jackson in the mouth and then got into a vehicle and ran into him, Mount said.

Jackson suffered a leg injury and was limping, but refused medical treatment at the scene. He later consulted with a team trainer, Mount said.

The attackers fled after Jackson fired his handgun. Police do not know if anyone was injured or if the bullets struck the man's vehicle.

Jackson has a valid permit for the gun.

Tinsley and Daniels also had guns in their vehicles, Mounts said, but never pulled them during the incident. Tinsley has an Indiana gun permit; Daniels has a Florida permit.

Prosecutors are evaluating the evidence to determine if any charges are warranted, Mount

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/LOCAL/61006001
last edited: 10/06/06 6:52:41 AM”

“Tuesday night's edition of Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" on NBC featured a piece from comedian Mitch Fatel at the NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas.

Fatel interviewed several NBA all-stars. The highlights, of course, were Fatel's questions ...

To Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets: "I have to live in New Jersey because I don’t make a lot of money. What’s your excuse?"
Carter: "I have to also."

Fatel to Dikembe Mutombo: "Is it true that Madonna tried to adopt you?"

Fatel to LeBron James: "What the hell is a Cavalier?"
James: "It’s a guy that carries around a sword that might stab you."

Fatel to Kobe Bryant: "What would you say is worse: fouling out or having to watch Shaq’s movie ‘Kazaam’ again?"
Bryant: "Probably watching the ‘Kazaam’ movie, I’d say."

The piece de la resistance came when Fatel asked Tony Parker, "Since you’re French, do you ever just want to surrender in the middle of a game?"

Parker was left speechless, then proceeded to raise an eyebrow and give Fatel a dirty look. Priceless.



http://sportsbybrooks.com/nbc-tonight-show-interviewer-mitch-fatel-asks-tony-parker-when-the-spurs-will-surrender-12305.php”

“hey! keepa the fuego offa here!

i thought for sure this was going to be about jamaal tinsley and marquis daniels”

“Poor Quisy - fell in with the wrong crowd.”

“The NBA just announced they are moving the Pacers from Indy to Gary”

“Who really cares about the "Nothing But A$$holes" League? It is just a bunch of no talent Gangsta Thugs anyway.....”

“if you dont care, why are you opening this thread, htt?”