Suspension??

[MavsFanFinley]

When you watch the replays, Howard went for the ball but somewhere along the line his arm tangles with Andersons and that caused the off-balance, which resulted in an ugly foul and injury. Howard doesn't have a history of this type of fouling and isn't known as being a dirty player. In his interview he said he talked to Anderon and his fiance and apologized and that Anderson knows he's not a dirty player. No, it's not going to make Anderson heal faster or help the Spurs chances against the Lakers.

Most Spurs fans I've talked to don't think it was intentional but that Howard deserved ejection. Some were saying that, along with automatic ejection, it's an automatic suspension? Is that true? I haven't heard anything about that, but Im sure the league will suspend him a game.

On the flip side, if the league doesn't suspend Howard, does Nelson play him? I think he should but Howard will be watched by the refs and might be picked on. Not to mention the crap he'll take from the crowd. What about retaliation? I don't think the Spurs are like that but Danny Ferry always likes to be in the mix. Should we sit him a game and play him at home?

[LonestarROB]

I don't think he's going to be suspended. They just had an interview on Fox4 with Cuban and he said they've already contacted the league to review the foul and asked them to change it to a flagrant 1.

[djb]

I'm not sure an ejection results in an automatic suspension. However, I heard that he can be suspended if he's called for another flagrant during the rest of the series. This is what I was hearing after Bradley's flagrant against the Jazz got upgraded to a flagrant two.

[djb]

Howard continued his pathetic post-season play today anyway, so I'm not sure how effective he's going to be in this series. Good thing Bradley's finally stepping up his play.

[MavsFanFinley]

PJ Carlisimo (sp) was saying that a flagrant foul 1 is intentionally trying to hurt a player. A flagrant foul 2 is intentionally trying to hurt a player and using excessiveness. That it's the act that should be considered not the result. Add that to Doug Collins' remarks about Howard not being a hot head before the incident. That Howard wasn't frustrated before the play and looking to get even about something previous in the game.

Shouldn't Howards foul be considered a flagrant 1 then? It's the result that was ugly and caused injury, not the act? That sounds like a fine line.

I doubt the league changes the call. Have they done anything for us? No.

DJ, wouldn't Howard have to get another flagrant 2 (assuming the league doesn't change the call) or 2 flagrant 1's? I thought it was when you have 4 points that a suspension is automatic. In Bradley's case, he needs another flagrant 2 or 2 flagrant 1's. Howard doesn't have any other flagrant fouls, does he?

[C eh N eh D eh]

Wow, that was quite a hit that Anderson took. I don't think Juwan meant to do it but it was a hard foul. I don't think they should suspend him for it though, I mean he's already been ejected from the game. Juwan hasn't really done anything in the playoff series (including 1st. Round) though has he?

[MFFL]

MavsFanFinley - you are correct about your summation on the flagrant fouls. But that is for an automatic suspension. The league office can always suspend a player regardless of their flagrant totals. Remember Cuban and Nellie got Malone suspended after a game for a play that Malone didn't even get a foul called on him.

[C eh N eh D eh]

It was really unfortunate, but all Howard did was go for the ball to block the shot. Unfortunately, Anderson was hit while in the air and the momentum of both players flipped him sideways and he landed hard and wrong. There was no malicious intent, just an unfortunate accident.

[scooterj5]

Geeez, I don't know how they could call that a flagrant two. It waas a hard foul, but with "malicious intent" c'mon?! Howard clearly did not mean to foul Anderson, and when he saw he was hurt he came running over to say sorry. Danny Ferry gets nothing form pushing Juwan Howard... The 'referees' made their decision on the crowd and emotion. They didn't call a flagrant-2 on the foul but on the injury.

It was annoying listening to the ultra-conservative commentators (NBC I think) repeat how it was an awful foul and how Howard should be suspended. This was after seeing the replay about 5 times too.

[MFFL]

Well the NBA decided not to suspend Juwan. That gives us a chance to win game 2, the key game of the series IMO.

[Murphy3]

if anderson doesn't land hard, it's not even a flagrant foul
there was no malicious intent. howard's not that type of player. he's too soft of a player for something like that., and too nice of a guy

[TheKid]

There is some irony in that play. Juwan said he has never done that to another player before. HOWEVER he's wrong. When he was a freshmen with the Fab Five they played Wisconsin. It was the Fab Five's first big ten loss that year. Of all people, MICHAEL FINLEY (who was also a freshmen at the time) took the ball and was going baseline. Had an open dunk and Juwan came out of nowhere and laid him out the same way he did Anderson. Finley didn't do anything but have a knot on his head, but it was the same thing. Juwan ran over to see if he was all right and some of the Wisconsin players weren't too happy about it. A small skirmish broke out for a minute, but nothing really happened. It's amazing how those sort of things fire a team up. The fab five were winning by two at that point, Wisconsin went on to beat them by 11 that game sort of like the Spurs got a little fired up after that.

Now I know Juwan is not that type of player, what I think the problem is, his ass can't jump! That's really what happened, but I don't think he was trying to intentionally hurt anyone. I'm sure though when Finley saw that, he had flashbacks of his own!

[Murphy3]

just because someone hasn't been a malicious player in the past, doesn't mean that they can't do something malicious.
it only takes one time.

but truthfully, i don't believe that there was any intent to injure anderson, and jhoward was going for the ball
good point kid, he just can't jump.

[MFFL]

Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star Telegram has changed his tune. He now thinks the incident WAS a f2 and Juwan deserved to be suspended.

http://www.star-telegram.com/columnist/galloway2.htm