Basketbrawl
How many decades will Ron Artest be suspended following his latest blow-up? Towards the end of last night's game, he and Pacers' teammate Stephen Jackson went into the stands and assaulted fans who had started throwing things at the players. Artest is beginning to make Dennis Rodman and Latrell "How Can I Feed My Family" Sprewell look like model citizens.
Not that Artest deserves all the blame. It's a sad moment all around when fans get violent and the players respond in kind.
Update: In apparent defense of Artest and Jackson, Lakers forward Lamar Odom said, "When you see things like that just think about what it takes for a NBA player to go in the crowd. I never hear anyone say the fan was wrong. Sometimes the fans can get out of hand." Sorry, Lamar, you're wrong. If the fans come onto the court, the players have every right to defend themselves if necessary, but if someone throws something from the stands, then it's up to security to handle it. In my opinion, the suspensions should be indefinite until the players involved can establish they're ready to re-enter the league. Artest especially needs to undergo counseling.