I think the league also should have taken into account Ariza’s reaction after the foul.

Brandon Roy admitted that this is what disturbed him most. He said something along the lines of “…my guy is still on the floor and he’s ‘bucking’ at the rest of us.”

If someone makes a legitimate play for the ball (which this in no way was) and has an opponent get their face, they would be taken back.

Ariza was immediately in a defensive, ready to fight, position. Chad Ford also mentioned that Ariza’s big mitsake was his post foul body language.

1 game suspension should be a no brainer.

Great article. The league is all messed up in terms of incentives.

I’m on the liberal side when it comes to allowing hard fouls without turning every collision into a flagrant or an ejection.

Exactly, me too. But the same league that has the refs calling every little bump or hand-check on an offensive player and calls technicals for every little confrontation is simultaneously allowing this kind of dangerous fouls, who one day will eventually hurt someone seriously, go away with little punishment.

This is one area where I think the NBA could learn with the European basketball – the game in Europe is way more physical and refs allow much more contact; but players don’t escape without a suspension from fouls like this one.

Money quote:

This isn’t meant as advocacy of the NBA further softening how it permits its employees to play defense. But the idea of protecting players’ heads isn’t soft.

I’ve got to agree, he took a swing. That’s all that matters in my opinion, you can say he went for the ball, but ultimately, Rudy’s head was between the ball and Ariza’s arm and he should have been able to see that. He wound up and swung, he should have at least a 1 game suspension.

Ariza was completely out of the play,and didn’t have enough recovery time to make a clean play on the ball…another thing is the timing of it happening makes me as a fan think it was out of frustration more so than trying to make a clean play on the ball.If the score was close and time was running out for the Lakers,i might see a player taking the chance making that particular play.Bottomline is, i would hate to see plays like this being dealt with the same way in the upcoming playoffs?

Yet they still don’t play defense or box out or take charges. Thier coaching staff and team seems to think that delivering more cheap shots is the definition of toughness.

We have seen it all year from Kobe, elbowing Roy (and others) in the ribs before cuts and against us when he took that shot at Rondo’s midsection on a loose ball that led to an altercation. We saw Bynum collapse a dude’s lung with and show no remorse whatsoever. And now we have this completely unnecesary play by Ariza, followed by Ariza acting like a prize fighter after a knockout.

The league is turning a blind eye to quite a body of work, imho.

looks like he went for the ball. The fall made it look worse than it was.

I could be wrong though coz i only saw it from one camera angle in the replay i saw and that’s what it looked like.

You shouldn’t worry about what kind of message it sends though. Players around the league know that Ariza would have gotten suspended if he didn’t play on the Lakers and any player from any other team but the Lakers would get suspended for a play like this.

is it possible for us to change our user names?

From now on I would like to be called “sickcelticsmaniac” “deviantcelticsmaniac”

Great Article. As you said, I’m not a Dr. in Physocology. But I perceived wrongdoing in his act. To add on the conversation, Rudy made a key 3-point shot moments before

I was thinking minimum five games. And Odom gets a one game suspension for walking a few steps farther than he should?

The tape included above looks to me like Ariza wasn’t going to let a breakaway just happen. He was coming from behind and the arm swing was about all he could manage. “No easy baskets”, remember! Looks to me like Fernadez was hurt by the hard landing, not the head slap. Rondo takes those hits often, at one speed or another. The Lakers…known to us as Fakers….need some toughness and that’s what Ariza supplied.

Dickie Bavetta can drive me crazy but he would have seen to a suspension if he thought the play was intended to injure. I don’t want that type of effort “Stern-ed out” of the league. No one wants anyone else to be hurt but its a man’s league and there should be no easy baskets.

Should Ariza have used the “who wants summa this” body language after the foul? No, but if “classless body language” is suspension-worthy, then this league should be destroyed.

Was the foul worthy of a suspension? No, absolutely not. It looked a lot worse than it really was. That was one of those plays where Ariza made a play on the ball, but wanted to make sure that ball was sent into the stands. He didn’t try to hurt him or even make a play on Fernandez’s head. He went for the ball. It just so happens that they were both running very fast and Ariza’s swipe (again, at the ball) was forceful. But was it malicious? Not at all.

I wonder what you guys’ reaction would have been if Ariza wasn’t a Laker… or better yet, if he made this play as a Celtic.

Ariza wound up and swipped hard at Rudy above the shoulders while he was air born. That is a recklous play and he should have been suspended for it. He could have simply extended his arm and grabbed Rudy’s arm to break up the play but he didn’t….he wound up and took a swing. Whenever you try to make a play on an airborne player above his shoulders you have to have some reguard to that players safety which Ariza did not display.

I am from the old school of BBall and let me tell you….Ariza would be hurting the next time he steps on the floor against the Blazers. Don’t get mad….get even!

How is Ariza’s foul different from Davis’? I looked at both and see little difference except for the fact that Cleveland players immediately came to Varajao’s defense and Portland’s players didn’t. Fernandez was in a more vulnerable position. The right call ultimately was made in both instances.

The two plays are worlds apart. Davis was in front/to the side of AV and AV cut around/beside him. Davis jumped and put his arms out to stop him/block the shot. In one hand he got all ball, in the other hand he got the poodle that AV wears on his head. AV then flopped his way to the ground and popped right back up to get into the ‘fight’.

Ariza attacked an airborne player from behind above the shoulders.

Not to mentions the speed difference at which these two plays took place. AV had about 2 steps of momentum. Rudy had a full court sprint worth of momentum.

Taking a wind-up swing at another player as long as the ball is somewhere nearby will meet limited consequences.

I wish that was actually the premise, Professor. The absolute message is more hideous than that. It’s okay when it’s done to a role player. Don’t dare do it to a superstar.

Thats the message im starting to receive from the nba these days…its becoming like the old pro wrestling in feel because the only thing consistent these days is the poor/bad officiating … the sad part about it is,we cant do a darn thing about it.

I want Big Baby’s play and Ariza’s play on my team. No easy layups, period! Ariza did not take a deliberate head shot from the tape I saw. And if he did, he would have been fined, suspended etc. Nowitzki’s elbow to Scal’s head was a more intentional foul than Ariza’s. What we better worry about is if the Lakers have finally grown some balls.

Yep. Ariza is a classless punk, but if I wanted to watch the WNBA, I would. Some of these ridiculous flagrants would hardly have been fouls in the 1980s. You ought to be able to give a hard foul without risking a fine and/or a suspension.

The way to deal with players like Ariza is to resolve the problem the next time he comes down the lane.

Ariza has incredible speed and has made a lot of blocks just like this one this year. He knows he can do it. The true flagrants are when a guy just grabs somebody around the waist from behind or puts a hard shoulder in the body. At the speed they’re moving, a small error can produce contact with the head. They have got ot be able to play some defense. Remember that by going airborne, Ariza also risks injury to himself if he gets tangled up with Fernandez. I think the refs called the F2 to keep the crowd from going crazy. They were out for blood with Fernandez down. Gasol looked truly sad over this whole thing. Rudy is his Spanish National teammate. As others have said, it was the landing, not the blow, that hurt Rudy. When guys launch themselves, anything can happen. Remember the look on Kobe’s face when his baseline tumble took Bynum out for the season…

Are you kidding me? Ariza barely touched the dude. He got more ball then head. You know what the real problem was? Nobody taught this guy the proper way to fall. He got hurt on the fall and not anything Ariza did..geeze.. Don’t you remember your Celtics of the 80s? Geeze that wasnt a dirty play at all..