Kleeman's Last Word

Latest NBA Brawl Reeks of Stupidity

While argument persists over how to punish each of the 10 players involved in Saturday night's brawl at Madison Square Garden, one things clear - nobody should walk away with clean hands.
An embarrasing fiasco erupted after Mardy Collins exacted a flagrant foul on J.R. Smith. Knicks rookie Collins clocked Nuggets guard Smith on a breakaway dunk attempt. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas excused the hard foul as a way of sheltering New York fans from another highlight reel play by Denver, who led at the time by 20 points.
The only thing Saturday's fight did was prolongue idiotic stereotypes about the predominately black NBA. For all David Stern has done, attempting to clean up the image of this league, a bevy of Knicks and Nuggets players erased it in a matter of seconds.
The NBA is not a pig pen of language-challenged thugs, but what the hell is the average white viewer supposed to think when 10 players have a punching contest in an ultimately meaningless game?
For those of us who were hoping the NBA might eventually earn its way to being America's favorite sport with the unmatched effort players exude each night on the court, Carmelo Anthony's face and fidgity fist makes such a dream a laughingstock.
The on-court brawl undermines players like Tim Duncan, who has never thrown a punch or lashed out at a referee or opposing player. And what about the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs, who fiercely come at one another, but never commence brawls.
February's Super Bowl contest featuring the Pitsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks was the most boring, anti-climactic and overrated game in the history of sports. The seven game series featuring the Mavs and Spurs was ulcer-inducing, showcasing some of the most competitive athleticism in the history of the sport.
No other sport is being played at the level of professional basketball. Baseball might finish a close second. College football is driving around the neighborhood. Forget about the NFL.
The problem? None of this reality matters. Not after the childish melee that occurred on one of basketball's most historic courts. When Anthony nearly broke Collins' face in, he quickly turned history into folly.
As long as predominately white America continues to infatuate itself with a sport that should really be called "handball," basketball will have its work cut out.
Brawls happen in every sport, on all different sorts of teams, with many different ethnic makeups. However, it's the NBA's that get most of the raging attention.
The ridiculous fight in Florida has long been forgotten and has done nothing to taint the image of college football.
One brawl between two sub-par teams will now be seen as the essence of professional basketball. It's not fair, but it's life and that's why the players should be punished accordingly. Thomas and all 10 players must realize how badly they fucked up. Bad enough for this writer to use a curse word in a seemingly professional blog.

SUGGESTED PUNISHMENT FOR ANTHONY: Suspend him for half of the remaining season and dock half of his paycheck.
Hopefully Thomas and the players will realize how low they dropped

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 7:34 PM