Not So Stern Discipline

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.

                                  

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”.


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1) Image from www.eurweb.com

2) Image from www.huffingtonpost.com

3) Image from http://sports.espn.go.com

Throw Dem 'Bows!!!

Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (8 PPG, 3 RPG, 27 MPG) threw an elbow to the head of forward James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder after scoring a basket in a double-overtime game on Sunday, won by the Lakers. World Peace has a track record as long as the day, though he, prior to yesterday, had stayed out of trouble with the NBA for several years. World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, is the more physically imposing, more normal looking, more offensively skilled but (probably) crazier version of a modern day Dennis Rodman.

This had to hurt. 1

HIS REPUTATION PRECEDES HIM

By my count, World Peace has been suspended over a dozen times in his 13 year career. Unless you are under the age of 15 and are only a very casual or very recent fan of basketball, I am sure the words "Malace at the Palace" have already come to mind. For those who aren't familiar, in 2004 Artest (before he was named World Peace) was among several Indiana Pacers players who were suspended following a minor altercation between Artest and Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace. After the dust settled between Artest and Wallace, Artest lay on the scorers table. A fan threw a soft drink on Artest while he was on the table. Artest and two other players began fighting with fans and the game was stopped with less than a minute remaining.

World Peace is the same man that thanked his psychiatrist on national television immediately following the Lakers' 2010 NBA Championship. He isn't all there all the time. That said, in between headline-grabbing bouts of lunacy, Artest worked hard to restore his reputation. This was "just an elbow". It is dirty; it is serious; players can be and are badly hurt. Elbows, even intentional elbows, are part of the game of basketball.

I'll bet that guy won't do it again! 2

KISS THE SEASON GOODBYE?

Unfortunately for World Peace, he is a repeat (or three-peat or four-peat...) offender. What would normally garner no more than a five game suspension under the most aggravating of circumstances could get World Peace kicked out for the remainder of the season. Realistically, I don't think we will see him until the second round of the playoffs at the earliest.

This is unfortunate for a Lakers team that got off to a not-so-Lakers like start this season but behind the on court leadership of Kobe Bryant and others (including World Peace) the Lake Show looks poised to make a real run in the playoffs. The problem is that World Peace's value goes way beyond his stat line. He is as close to basketball's version of an enforcer (in hockey) as one will find, only with actual basketball skills on both ends of the floor. The Lakers need World Peace to be on his game to have any shot of winning a title.

The Lakers will play either the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, or the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks (who swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals last year) in the first round. All three of those teams are less potent when contending with a physical defender like Metta World Peace. World Peace may have not only jeopardized his recovering reputation. He may have cost his team its season.

Harden gives new meaning to "taking one for the team." With World Peace possibly out of the Lakers' lineup, the Thunder, one of the top two teams in the Western Conference, may not have to face the talented Lakers at all in the playoffs. 3

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The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from www.deadspin.com

2) Image from www.inhistoric.com
3) Image from http://blog.syracuse.com

Micro Takes

There is a lot going on in the world of sports. The dozen of you who have read the Hat Trick before know that I have no problem discussing a sports topic at length. Today, however, The Daily Hat Trick is going to experiment with a new angle. I only have a few words to say about the following, among the laundry list of hot sports topics.


The involvement of LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson, among others, in a bar fight that led to the arrest of Jefferson and another LSU football player –

Kids, don’t fight. Fighting is bad, m’kay? And if you fight, you could go to jail. Jail is bad, m’kay?

Fighting is BAD! M'kay? 1

Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest, whose petition to legally change his name to “Metta World Peace” was delayed because of Artest’s failure to pay outstanding traffic tickets –

No justice, no “Peace”

The Clerk of Court to Ron-Ron: "Peace!" 2

The three grand slam performance of the New York Yankees, yesterday, the first ever in the 142 year history of Major League Baseball, in a comeback from a 7-1 deficit against the Oakland Athletics –

My message to any of the fans who left early, either because of the 7-1 score or the 89 minute rain delay following the third inning: “You know you done f____d up, right?”

"Now, you see there? You know your done f____d up, right?" 3

The Texas A&M athletic program seeking greener pastures than the Big XII conference –

1) Shouldn’t the conference have swapped names with the Big 10 after the it lost two members and the Big 10 gained its 12th member in former Big XII school, Nebraska?

2) If A&M leaves, would the remaining schools be “seventy five percenters”?

3) Perhaps the Big XII should become the “Dear John Conference”, with its rash of breakups with long time member universities.



Jim Thome accepting a trade from the Minnesota Twins back to the Cleveland Indians –

I am assuming Thome’s goal is to get into the playoffs. The way the Indians are playing, and the way the White Sox have juuuust missed turning the corner, several times this year, I think he is returning to the wrong former American League Central team.


Criticism of team captain Fred Couples adding Tiger Woods to the President’s Cup team –

If any of you have ever bought a lottery ticket, you have no room to criticize. The odds of Tiger catching lightning in a bottle and catapulting the team is far greater than anyone winning a lottery prize. He did just finish fourth in this year’s Masters.


Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor, embattled in a scandal that resulted in Head Coach Jim Tressel’s resignation and pressure on Pryor to leave school and enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, selected by the Oakland Raiders –

Can anyone think of another franchise that could better embrace Pryor, given his situation?


Baltimore Ravens rookie receiver Tandon Ross, who broke up a fight on Thursday afternoon in which a restaurant manager was attacked by two other men at a restaurant, one of which produced a knife and cut the manager –

Ross caught two balls later that evening in a game against the Washington Redskins. Two balls…coincidence? I think not!


Danica Patrick joining NASCAR full time –

I’m looking forward to the champagne baths when she wins.

Get your minds out of the gutter, fellas! 4

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1) Image from jimsfear.blogspot.com
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3) Image from xbox360gamersforlife.blogspot.com
4) Image from indystar.com