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MavsFanFinley · 11-29-2003, 02:03 AM

League suspends Fortson 3 games for flagrant foul
Mavericks forward unhappy with Suns owner's comments

Saturday, November 29, 2003
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

DENVER – Danny Fortson wasn't happy with the three-game suspension he received from the NBA on Friday for his shove on Zarko Cabarkapa that resulted in a fractured wrist for the Phoenix player, who was put on the injured list.

But what bothered Fortson more were comments by Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, which Fortson thought were out of line.

Colangelo called Fortson a thug after the incident and called for the NBA to suspend the Mavericks forward for as long as Cabarkapa is out – expected to be six-to-eight weeks.

"All I can say is they said worse things about Jesus, and he still was able to keep going and be successful," Fortson said. "Jesus is my role model.

"But I thought that comment was a little unprofessional. I never even met the guy. Why me? But it's part of the game. Stuff happens. I understand that he's pretty much like a god as far as the league is concerned."

The Mavericks were without Fortson on Friday night at Denver, and he will miss home games Saturday against Minnesota and Tuesday against Washington. Fortson will lose approximately $180,000 in salary for the three games.

The Mavericks questioned whether the suspension was deserved since it was Fortson's first flagrant foul of the season. The league has a points systems for determining suspensions for players who commit multiple flagrant fouls. But Stu Jackson, the league's senior vice president for basketball operations, said the league reserves the right to impose fines and/or suspensions in addition to the guidelines set forth by the league.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the punishment was probably just.

"It's within the realm of what the league has done in the past, so you can't really argue it," he said.

As for Colangelo's comments, Cuban said, "Maybe that wasn't appropriate, but I can understand because he was upset and standing up for his player, so we're not going to make an issue of it. If I was in the same position, I might have done the same thing."

Mavericks coach Don Nelson does not condone Fortson's foul, but he stood up for his player's reputation.

"I don't think he [Colangelo] knows Danny Fortson," Nelson said. "Danny Fortson is not a thug. He's a physical player who makes poor decisions sometimes. But he's not a thug."

Fortson's teammates said he may have some recourse if he chooses to take on Colangelo.

"I told Danny he should take that up with the players association," Antawn Jamison said. "When it comes to expressing those kinds of thoughts, that's defamation of character."

11-29-2003, 02:03 AM	#18
MavsFanFinley Guru Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: California Posts: 16,670	RE:Fortson suspended 3 games League suspends Fortson 3 games for flagrant foul Mavericks forward unhappy with Suns owner's comments Saturday, November 29, 2003 By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News DENVER – Danny Fortson wasn't happy with the three-game suspension he received from the NBA on Friday for his shove on Zarko Cabarkapa that resulted in a fractured wrist for the Phoenix player, who was put on the injured list. But what bothered Fortson more were comments by Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, which Fortson thought were out of line. Colangelo called Fortson a thug after the incident and called for the NBA to suspend the Mavericks forward for as long as Cabarkapa is out – expected to be six-to-eight weeks. "All I can say is they said worse things about Jesus, and he still was able to keep going and be successful," Fortson said. "Jesus is my role model. "But I thought that comment was a little unprofessional. I never even met the guy. Why me? But it's part of the game. Stuff happens. I understand that he's pretty much like a god as far as the league is concerned." The Mavericks were without Fortson on Friday night at Denver, and he will miss home games Saturday against Minnesota and Tuesday against Washington. Fortson will lose approximately $180,000 in salary for the three games. The Mavericks questioned whether the suspension was deserved since it was Fortson's first flagrant foul of the season. The league has a points systems for determining suspensions for players who commit multiple flagrant fouls. But Stu Jackson, the league's senior vice president for basketball operations, said the league reserves the right to impose fines and/or suspensions in addition to the guidelines set forth by the league. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the punishment was probably just. "It's within the realm of what the league has done in the past, so you can't really argue it," he said. As for Colangelo's comments, Cuban said, "Maybe that wasn't appropriate, but I can understand because he was upset and standing up for his player, so we're not going to make an issue of it. If I was in the same position, I might have done the same thing." Mavericks coach Don Nelson does not condone Fortson's foul, but he stood up for his player's reputation. "I don't think he [Colangelo] knows Danny Fortson," Nelson said. "Danny Fortson is not a thug. He's a physical player who makes poor decisions sometimes. But he's not a thug." Fortson's teammates said he may have some recourse if he chooses to take on Colangelo. "I told Danny he should take that up with the players association," Antawn Jamison said. "When it comes to expressing those kinds of thoughts, that's defamation of character." __________________