Pacers Brawl

The cold reality of what happened Friday night in Detroit has hit me. For the record, Ron Artest has been suspended for the balance of the season, Jermaine was hit with a 25 game suspension, Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Anthony Johnson got 6. Reggie got one game for coming out onto the court. Detroits’ Ben Wallace was hit with a paltry 6 game suspension. What a fucking joke!

Okay, I get the Pacer suspensions. I really do. Sure I think they are harsh, but these guys have to know better. What galls me is that the Pistons are basically off the hook for this. Wallace knew damn well what he was doing and yet he is given a lousy 6 gamer. That thug provoked RA just trying to get a rise out of him. When he didn’t he got mad and continued his provocation. This incited the crowd and the near-riot situation that ensued.

Before I go any further let me say that I do not condone, in any way, shape or form, what Ron did. He is supposed to be a professional and he should know better than to go into the stands. Especially knowing his history. But the reality is that anyone would have probably done the same thing if they had just been hit by a beer and a bottle.

Where does this organization go from here? The season is essentially over. RA has proven time and time again that he simply can not be counted on. I won’t go so far as to label him a cancer, but he just seems to lose his mind at the most inopportune times. I don’t know what the rules are, but I wish RA would just go away.

As for the Pistons, I just can’t believe how easy they are getting off on this. They had no security, they have out of control players and yet they get basically a slap on the wrist. If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d be all over this fiasco. Anyway it should be easy to get Pacer tickets, cheap for a while.
I am a little embarrassed by the Pacer’s actions the other night. Again, I think anyone would have done what RA did, but this organization has always carried itself with a degree of class and dignity. That all went away Friday night. And while I appreciate the contributions of Stephen Jackson, I doubt if he is going to turn into the player we embrace here in Indy.