Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers was suspended for seven games for elbowing James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder on an inbounds play following a dunk by World Peace. The elbow was clearly intentional. Harden suffered a concussion.
Midwest Sports Fans put together a list of all fourteen suspensions that World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) has served in his career, including this one. This is the third time World Peace has been suspended for seven or more games. According to ESPN.com, World Peace will lose nearly $350,000 in salary from the suspension.
HE GOT OFF EASY
Due to the vicious nature of the blow to Harden, and World Peace’s track record, many in sports media speculated that a suspension for the remainder of the season was not off the table. Most who ventured to guess expected World Peace to receive a suspension of at least 10 games, myself included.
Still, for all of World Peace’s antics, he likely got a break from NBA Commissioner David Stern (if one calls missing up to six playoff games and the loss of 350 grand a “break”) because of his relatively good behavior following the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl at Detroit in 2004, for which Artest was suspended for a total of 86 games. Of the 14 suspensions chronicled by Midwest Sports Fans in World Peace’s 13 NBA seasons, only three of them, prior to Sunday’s elbowing incident, were handed down to World Peace since the 2004 incident.
CURRENCY IN THE BANK
Since the fight in Detroit, World Peace has been an advocate for animal rights and mental health issues. He has put his money where his mouth is, donating considerable amounts of money and property, including his 2010 championship ring, to worthy causes. Last year, Artest received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for outstanding service and dedication to the community by an NBA player, coach, or trainer. Past recipients include Hall of Fame players Magic Johnson, David Robinson, and Joe Dumars.
In the end, I can only guess that David Stern looked at Metta World Peace’s track record, decided that he made a genuine effort to mend his ways over a long period of time, and simply snapped. Similar offenders are suspended for a game or two. While World Peace’s suspension is considerably longer, it was far from a worst case scenario.
World Peace built up a lot of currency. He has now spent it. For his sake, I hope there is no “next time”.
Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!
Midwest Sports Fans put together a list of all fourteen suspensions that World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) has served in his career, including this one. This is the third time World Peace has been suspended for seven or more games. According to ESPN.com, World Peace will lose nearly $350,000 in salary from the suspension.
This "before and after" is ridiculous! 1 (left), 2(right)
HE GOT OFF EASY
Due to the vicious nature of the blow to Harden, and World Peace’s track record, many in sports media speculated that a suspension for the remainder of the season was not off the table. Most who ventured to guess expected World Peace to receive a suspension of at least 10 games, myself included.
Still, for all of World Peace’s antics, he likely got a break from NBA Commissioner David Stern (if one calls missing up to six playoff games and the loss of 350 grand a “break”) because of his relatively good behavior following the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl at Detroit in 2004, for which Artest was suspended for a total of 86 games. Of the 14 suspensions chronicled by Midwest Sports Fans in World Peace’s 13 NBA seasons, only three of them, prior to Sunday’s elbowing incident, were handed down to World Peace since the 2004 incident.
| I am sure Stern was thrilled to see World Peace's name come across his desk again. 3 |
CURRENCY IN THE BANK
Since the fight in Detroit, World Peace has been an advocate for animal rights and mental health issues. He has put his money where his mouth is, donating considerable amounts of money and property, including his 2010 championship ring, to worthy causes. Last year, Artest received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for outstanding service and dedication to the community by an NBA player, coach, or trainer. Past recipients include Hall of Fame players Magic Johnson, David Robinson, and Joe Dumars.
In the end, I can only guess that David Stern looked at Metta World Peace’s track record, decided that he made a genuine effort to mend his ways over a long period of time, and simply snapped. Similar offenders are suspended for a game or two. While World Peace’s suspension is considerably longer, it was far from a worst case scenario.
World Peace built up a lot of currency. He has now spent it. For his sake, I hope there is no “next time”.
Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!
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1) Image from www.eurweb.com
2) Image from www.huffingtonpost.com
3) Image from http://sports.espn.go.com
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