<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe Bryant was so stunned and angered by his one-game suspension, he took the extraordinary step Tuesday of asking NBA commissioner David Stern to convene an immediate appeal hearing. "I'm blown away by it. It makes no sense." -- Kobe Bryant on his suspension Shortly before 5 p.m. ET the league turned down that request, meaning Bryant had to sit out the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Bryant was staying at the Lakers' team hotel just a few blocks from NBA headquarters in Manhattan and was on call to dash down Fifth Avenue to Stern's office if the request was granted. But barring the unlikeliest turn of events, Bryant was officially banned from the Garden for the Lakers' only visit of the season to play the Knicks. "This is not the process we use at the NBA," Stu Jackson, executive vice president of player operations, said of Bryant's request during a conference call on Tuesday evening. "Certainly in theory, given the fact that the Lakers were in New York, we could have heard an appeal, but we never have. That's not our process." "I've been waiting to play here, it's always been a fun place for me to play here, and I'm surprised. Shocked, by it, actually," Bryant said before his appeal was denied. "I unintentionally caught Manu Ginobili. What do you say, it's a basketball game. You unintentionally catch people with elbows every once in a while." The suspension, for elbowing Ginobili while Bryant was attempting a jump shot late in the Lakers' game against the Spurs on Sunday, caught Bryant completely off-guard. "I haven't seen a precedence for this. There's unintentional elbows that take place in a game all the time," Bryant told reporters at Madison Square Garden following the Lakers' shootaround. "I'm blown away by it. It makes no sense." The NBA news release announcing the suspension said Bryant was being penalized for "striking" Ginobili. "And the fact that this action by Kobe was an unnatural basketball act," Jackson added Tuesday evening. Players association officials said it was highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a player to be suspended for inadvertent contact.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2748084
Stupid bullsh*t. Obviously if it was someone like Dwyane Wade it wouldn't have happened....... If it did, David Stern would hold a public press conference to appologize
Big surprise, yeah right. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"This is not the process we use at the NBA," Stu Jackson, executive vice president of player operations, said of Bryant's request during a conference call on Tuesday evening. "Certainly in theory, given the fact that the Lakers were in New York, we could have heard an appeal, but we never have. That's not our process."</div> What kind of crap is this? Since when has it been the NBA's process to suspend a player for inadvertent contact?
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What kind of crap is this? Since when has it been the NBA's process to suspend a player for inadvertent contact?</div> Does it matter? Everyone hates Kobe. Let's pick on him for every little mistake he makes.
I know this is just another stupid Stern move, but this is just idiotic. It was almost like a tap coming down from the shot.
What's ironic is the fact Odom's elbow to Gerald Wallace's face a game ago, was far worse than this one and he wasn't suspended.
<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Does it matter? Everyone hates Kobe. Let's pick on him for every little mistake he makes.</div> No, not everyone has some vendetta against Kobe, so quit being so melodramatic. I do think this suspension is crap though. Bowen is allowed to consistently stick his feet under jump-shooters, and we don't hear a peep from Stu, but when Kobe catches Manu (a notorious flopper) he gets a game? That's crap. There was no evidence that the contact was intentional, and it looked more like it was a reaction to try and box out Manu to get the loose ball after he saw his shot was blocked. It's hard to tell from that video though.
this is just BS, but at least we can say Kobe gave out the beating this time instead of recieving it *cough* "chris childs" *cough* *cough*
I saw the Spurs game and it did look completely unintentional, but I can't say I'm disappointed. Hopefully Sasha Vujacic makes up for Kobe's production
<div class="quote_poster">THE DREAM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">this is just BS, but at least we can say Kobe gave out the beating this time instead of recieving it *cough* "chris childs" *cough* *cough*</div> The next time Deke throws an *cough* unintentional *cough* elbow, hold your breath.
I got the impression that the NBA's trying to address the accusations that more lenient officiating is given to superstar guards, by targeting one of the more villified stars in the league. The explanation, in particular, was pretty ridiculous: <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Stu Jackson:</div><div class="quote_post">"Some of the determining factors were the fact that there was contact made with Ginobili above the shoulders and the fact that this particular action by Kobe was an unnatural basketball motion. Following a shot, he drove a stiff arm in a backward motion and struck Ginobili in the head," Jackson said. "We did not view this as an inadvertent action." No foul was called on the play. "This blow was so swift in real time that it's understandable why, in fact, an official would have missed the contact," Jackson said. "In our view, this was not an attempt to draw a foul." </div>
I agree whit you rafy 100%, the lakers gone to new york only 1 time in the entire year too see the best and now whit a bs decision they can see the man of the moment ahh and one more thing i bet my life if the person was Wade or Lebron we dont have this discussion.
i am pretty upset right now... spent three hundred on tickets... bought a plane ticket to new york... and they suspend kobe for what!? i could not be more pissed right now
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe has more than enough body control to not let his arm sweep across Manu like that. seems hard to tell if it was intentional or not but my opinion is it looks like a sneaky shot</div> I think that says it best. The suspension is bs however, I definitely don't think it warrants a game suspension. If anything he's unlucky that it happened at the end of the game and they showed the replay enough times to draw attention to it.
