Artest will get to finish his album after all

I've been out of commission for a while but I'm back.

Ron Artest was just suspended for the rest of the season. Fellow Pacers Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, and Anthony Johnson got 30, 25, and 5 games, respectively. Detroit's Ben Wallace received a 6 game suspension. In total, 9 players got 143 games of suspensions. The NBA cannot dictate how to prosecute or reprimand the Detroit fans. They'll leave that to the local authorities. I'll discuss fan behavior and the inability to handle your alcohol at sporting events another time. (By the way, I'm no too happy with the state of Michigan anyway since they're going to the Rose Bowl. I realize that it's the fault of my beloved Badgers but I'm still not happy for them).

Now, I think that we've all seen what happened Friday night at the Palace at Auburn Hills. From what I've seen, I didn't see Artest throw too many punches while he was in the stands. In fact, he didn't throw a punch until the Detroit fans started swinging at him, as they responded to Jackson and O'Neal. Those two were the guys causing the trouble in the stands. And they cannot hold anyone accountable for altercations with fans running onto the court in that hostile situation. Until he had the beer thrown on him, Artest was the coolest guy on the court. Artest had to weather a ridiculous jab to the face from Wallace and having Ben later throw a towel at him to try to aggravate him a little more.

Now, he did rush up into the stands after someone who threw a beer (Or some other beverage) at him. I would be pretty pissed off too if I were him. Now, he was the first one to rush into the stands. However, he didn't throw most of the punches. And we won't even start talking about the Detroit fans. While I normally do not make a habit out of defending Artest, I think the NBA's action is way out of line. Artest's suspension totals 73 games, half of the total for all 9 players.

Is this guy trouble? Sure. Does he have a reputation that increased his suspension? Absolutely. Will this guy have done something before the end of the year if he would have been allowed to return? Hell yes. Should he have charged the guy in the stands? No. But does that constitute 73 games considering everyone else and all the crap that went on that night? No one has ever accused David Stern of having a grasp of his league or how it relates to the outside world. Most of the NBA's success during Stern's tenure can be attributed to three players: Magic, Bird, and Jordan. The rest of the time, the NBA has been worse than baseball.

It sounds to me like they've been looking for a reason to get rid of this guy for a while and the NBA seized the opportunity when they had it presented to them. Artest should have had the most games of any suspended player but nearly three times as many games as the next guy, who did most of the fighting, is way too much. They should have analyzed the events as they pertain to Friday night and Friday night alone.

In the end, I could really care less since, generally speaking, I don't watch professional sports. And I certainly will not start now.