The NBA announced fines and suspensions for the Knicks and Grizzlies
The trainwreck in Midtown Manhattan, known as the New York Knicks, were once again in the news for all the wrong reasons.
This time the Knicks decided to get offended by some late game antics by Memphis. The Grizzlies had the game won when Dillon Brooks decided to shoot (and make) a three-pointer giving the Grizzlies an 18 point lead with 53 seconds left. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jae Crowder, a veteran who should know better, stole the inbound pass and shot a three from the corner. Predictably, the Knicks took umbrage because they fight hard about everything except winning games. Elfrid Payton fouled Crowder hard causing both teams to have an impromptu “I’m tougher than you” meeting.
That led to the NBA suspending Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric of the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks guard Elfrid Payton for one game. Crowder was fined $25,000 for escalating the situation.
Where the NBA fell short was with Marcus Morris. After the game Morris was asked about the incident and he described Crowder as someone who has “female tendencies”. Morris was fined $35,000 for the comment but no suspension.
The NBA has been an inclusive, diverse league. There’s no place for comments like this. Morris should’ve been suspended one game so the league would send out a clear “no tolerance” message to everyone. This is not to say that the NBA has an issue with this type of rhetoric. The league and its players are the best among professional sports when it comes to treating everyone with respect. A suspension would’ve reinforced the mission of the league.
Adam Silver, the governors, and the NBPA usually get it right but in this case they got it wrong… horribly wrong. It was as if they were the Knicks.
