NBA Roundhouse: More Fines for Criticism, Jason Smith’s Body Check and Derek Fisher’s Whining
By Sarita Kelly
If you criticize an NBA official and say it on Twitter, does anyone hear it?
The answer is yes and it will cost you $25,000. Houston Rockets Patrick Patterson was fined for criticism of an NBA official on his Twitter, yes his personal twitter.
“This game shows how biased & one sided the [expletive] are in this game. Wish we had a superstar. #smh #nocalls. Still proud of how we fought.” Patterson said.
There is no point in arguing the validity of his point, but these fines are harsh and kind of uncalled for. These players should be allowed to speak their mind without fines or fear of them.
Jason Smith’s Body Check
After showcasing his best NFL and WWE skills on Blake Griffin, Jason Smith was ejected from the game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Jason’s body checked Griffin excessively in the 4th quarter of the Hornets 97-90 win over the Clippers. Griffin lay on the floor for a few seconds and was helped up off the ground by his teammates.He was able to leave the court on his own.
Smith will serve his suspension March 24th and the 26th.
If the body check was not bad enough his and the fans reaction was just as bad, everyone enjoyed that Griffin was really hurt and cheered Smith on as he was thrown out of the game. And as expected he has issued an apology, a very thorough apology/statement:
"“I deeply regret the incident that took place during the 4th quarter of our game vs. the Clippers on Thursday night. Not only do I want to express my sincere apology to Blake Griffin and the Clippers organization, but also to all basketball fans that might have the impression from seeing the play, that it’s okay to go beyond playing aggressive and attempt to injure someone during the course of a game. It’s never been a part of my makeup to intentionally hurt anyone on the court, nor ever will be, and I have the utmost respect for Blake and the game of basketball to ever abuse it in any fashion. I also want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Hornets fans for the consequences of my actions.”– Jason Smith"
Derek Fisher’s Home on the Range
Derek Fisher now has a home in Oklahoma. On Wednesday Fisher signed a deal on Wednesday that will keep him with the Thunder for the remainder of the season. This comes almost a week shy after he was traded to Houston by Los Angeles, but he decided on a buyout instead of playing with the Rockets. Fisher had played 13 of his 16 seasons with the Lakers before being traded by last week’s deadline. The Lakers lead the Pacific Division but they are 3rd in the West and 6 games behind the Thunder.
Fisher even took what could be seen as a swipe at his former team. He explained why he picked the number 37 for his new jersey number.
“Especially this season, it seemed to be a negative thing that I was 37. So I just wanted to send a message that the Thunder organization and I see it as a positive that I’m a guy that can still help a team be successful and compete for a championship at the age of 37.”
He scored 3 points in 19 minutes. The Thunder won 114-91 over the Clippers.
Other News and Notables
- The Chicago Bulls have reached 40 wins and have now locked themselves into a playoff spot. This comes as no surprise to the Bulls and their fans after last season’s 62 regular seasons games and had both the MVP in Derrick Rose and coach of the year in Tom Thibodeau. But this season they had to compete with injuries and still have found a way to get the NBA’s best mark with 16 games left in the regular season. But the injury ridden Bulls has not let this slow them down. Luol Deng who had his own injuries this season, made the game winning shot right at the buzzer in overtime in Saturday night’s game. That gave the Bulls a 102-101 win over the Raptors.
- In a freak accident Boston Celtics Mickael Pietrus left the court on a stretcher after he collided with 76ers Lou Williams. Pietrus crashed to the court on a drive down the lane. He landed hard on his tailbone and his head almost hit the court. He immediately grabbed the back of his head with both hands and rolled over on his side. Pietrus was down for at least 10 minutes and was promptly tended to by trainers for both teams. The Celtics circled Pietrus and a couple of players took a knee as the he was put on a stretcher and was taken out.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves will be missing Nikola Pekovic at least till Friday because of bone spurs in his right ankle. Pekovic missed the final two games of the previous road trip and the home game Sunday against Denver. He will also miss games at Memphis and Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pekovic says he hopes to play Friday against Boston.
- Ricky Rubio should be back in about 6-9 month. That leaves open for him to return in time for the start of next season in November. On top of a torn ACL in his left knee, the Doctors found a torn lateral collateral ligament in that same knee. But after talking with Doctors and athletic trainers it has was found that will not be a factor in his recovery and comeback.