OT: JR Smith unties Marion's shoe during a FT

I double knot, I am unprankable.

 

I think the elephant in the room is clearly that players should be required to play in heels. Then there wouldn't be an instances of this shoelace-tomfoolery.

 

So? Why is Marion's opinion relevant? He doesn't make the rules and he doesn't enforce the rules. I know it's a long shot, but if Marion would have been injured by Smith's prank, I doubt if he would have considered it "just joyful play".

The NBA is obligated to protect it's players from unnecessary risk of injury. That's why the NBA has rules against flagrant fouls. That's why any player that leaves the bench during a brawl is automatically suspended, even though most of them act as peacemakers and try to pull fighting players apart. Yes, those cases are more likely to result in a severe injury if things escalate. The rules are preventative - they are intended to prevent escalation and the resulting potential for injuries. Fining JR Smith for untying Shawn Marion's shoelace is also preventative. It's designed to prevent the possibility of injury. It's always better to prevent injuries before they happen than to wait for someone to get hurt before doing anything.

Plus, it just improves the quality of the game. These men are highly paid professionals. This isn't some pick-up game at the Y. If I want to watch shenanigans, I'll get tickets to the Globetrotters.

BNM

 

I agree it should have been a technical foul, but I think it should have been for unsportsmanlike conduct (attempting to gain an unfair competitive advantage) - and a fine to discourage Smith, and others, from doing it in the future.

The fan's word doesn't matter, neither does Marion's. The league fined him. So, obviously they didn't like what he did and punished him for it as they saw fit.

BNM

 

My only point is that it was unsportsmanlike, it was during the game, and he deserved a Tech for it. After all of this meaningless debate,
these 3 things hold true. I think the fine was a bit heavy but the league wants to set a precedent that Bush League things like this aren't going to be tolerated. I applaud them for it.

 

Obviously, the reprimand did not get his attention. So, they upped the punishment to something more substantial than a scolding. But, they do agree that untying an opponents shoelace is unsportsmanlike conduct - which was my point.

BNM

 

Glad you caught that, too. Denny basically defeated his own argument.

 

enjoyed this article from Grantland today, particulary this image:

 

Dyslexics, UNTIE!

 

The only actually funny prank I've seen in basketball was when J.R. Rider had the ball, pretended to have twisted his ankle and then drove past his man and scored. Of course he and Sheed were cracking up.

 

so if a guy reaches down and unties the shoe for a prank. he should be suspended for a year ? fined ? so I guess if we see children with untied shoes we should take them away from their parents because obviously their intent is malicious. :MARIS61:
And seriously equating 2 guys pulling a gun on each other to the untying of a shoelace?
This really has become a football helmut /bubblewrap society

 

I can't believe I never saw or heard about that. That sounds like a veteran sheed move, classic.

 

I always loved it when Andre Miller would dribble to the side line and hitch up like he was going to call a timeout with a few seconds left, then if the defender bit he'd blow by them for a score. Team's wised up after a few of those.