AP: ARTEST OUT FOR SEASON

[UrbScotty]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba

<snip>

Indiana's Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25. Detroit's Ben Wallace -- whose shove of Artest after a foul led to the five-minute fracas -- drew a six-game ban, while Pacers guard Anthony Johnson got five games.

``I'm sick about that for Indiana. I'm devastated for them,'' Pistons coach Larry Brown said. ``And we lost our heart and soul.''

Four players -- Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman -- were suspended one game apiece for leaving the bench during the initial fracas.

All of the suspensions are without pay. Artest will lose approximately $5 million in salary, while O'Neal's suspension will cost him nearly 25 percent of his $14.8 million salary for the current season.

</snip>

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

Goodbye Ron! What are you going to do now?

[Oreo]

1. his album

comes out next week... he'll be touring

Just my luck... hewas on my fantasy team...grr

[LiberalFighter]

2. I wonder how they arrived at different game suspension for...

Jackson and O'Neal

and

Wallace and Johnson

[delhurgo]

3. That Artest guy is out of control.

He got hit by a plastic cup that had about an inch of beer in... an empty plastic cup and splashed by a little beer, and he acts like that? I'll bet they consider not allowing him back in the NBA at all after they look closer at the video and think about it longer.

The people getting the bum rap IMO are the fans. I didn't see much the fans did that was wrong. One guy threw an empty plastic cup, big deal, and another guy tried to have words with Artest - thats about it. And for that they get attacked by about half the Pacers team! No wonder the fans then threw soda and popcorn on them when they left; they deserved it.

What's going on now is an attempt to try to act like there's an equivalence between the little the fans did compared to the criminal behavior of some of the Pacers. That figures.

[madrchsod]

4. as usual the guy that started the fight

didn`t get shit-6 games? artest the rest of the year? bullshit.30 games max with no appeal. of course he shouldn`t have gone after the fan-but-the fan also has to face and receive max penality for what ever charge they can find. the guys who went on the court, tough shit, you guys deserve anything you got and whatever is coming to ya..i`m not sure which is worse, the fans or the players.

[toska]

5. Wallace didn't go into the stands and attack a fan

And he ended up assaulting an innocent fan in the process. That's the difference between a 6 game and 20+ game suspension. What Wallace did was wrong, but the flagrant foul started it. So yes, the guy that started it did get punished for more than 6 games.

[tx_dem41]

7. Why does one have to "be worse"?

Can't they all be wrong and share responsibility? Sounds like the sensible thing to me.

[Bleacher Creature]

6. Does anyone know if the police are doing anything.

especially with respect to the fans who were involved??

[delhurgo]

9. For what?

The only thing I heard about that may be illegal is someone throwing a chair. I didn't see it though so don't know if it happened or not. There's nothing else any fan did that I can see that was illegal. Many of the Pacers, on the other hand, will be charged with assault and will probably settle out of court.

[Bleacher Creature]

11. Mostly the chair throwing

Also, the person who threw the first cup may be liable for something minor. I agree that there isn't much, but the police did make a point of stating that they had identified most of the people involved, and they did spend an awful long time at the tape in the ESPN truck. I don't think they were referring to the players, since most of us could ID them in about 30 seconds.

[delhurgo]

13. They were probably trying to identify fans to decide

who should be banned from the Detroit Arena, which would be the proper response to what they did. The guy that threw the cup should be banned, the guy that came on the court, possibly some others who threw stuff - but other than what the people who own the Arena do I didn't see anything fans did that would come under jurisdiction of the police - except like you said for whoever threw the chair. You can't arrest someone for throwing an empty cup or for yelling at a basketball player, I don't think. Those Pacers wildy overreacted.

[Mick Knox]

8. More than just

Pro ball players are getting out of hand.

[WilliamPitt]

10. Good

[Seabiscuit]

12. Bye, Bye Ron.

Good news. Artest is the Mike Tyson (Mr. "bite of the century") of basketball. If it were my choice I would have banished both of their sorry asses for life.