It would have been pretty funny if Westbrook was suspended and OKC won game 5 easily with PG and Carmelo having big games. Then in game 6 Westbrook comes back and shoots like 40 shots and they lose by 30.
Yes, you are absolutely wrong. I was always taught that you may not enter the game until a referee waves you in. I just checked the official NBA rule book and here's the exact wording: b. The substitute shall remain in the Substitution Box until he is beckoned onto the court by an official. If the ball is about to become live, the beckoning signal shall be withheld. So, unless an official had specifically beckoned Westbrook into the game, he should have been suspended. He wasn't. Total double standard, but fuck it. I'd rather see Westbrook choke away another 4th quarter lead to add to his legacy as one of the NBA's all time chokers. BNM
@HCP for 1st team all defense! He defends Westbrook better than Westbrook defends the player he is "guarding". BNM
In that video clip did we see whether or not they waved him in? The camera shots I saw was a tight shot on Gobert.
No, but in the post game interview Westbrook didn't mention anything about the official waving him into the game. He said he heard the horn blow and that was his signal to enter the game. He is wrong. It signals a stoppage of play, but does not allow him to enter the game, not according to the NBA rule book. "Westbrook, for his part, says he heard the horn -- which lets him know he can enter the court -- blow before the incident happened." The league refused to let any of the officials comment on the matter, because if they had said they hadn't beckoned Westbrook in the game the NBA would have had to either suspend Westbrook or admitted to a double standard. So much for transparency. Let the officials answer the reporter's question. Was Westbrook beckoned into the game? "A pool reporter request to the game officials to ask them about the play was initiated, but the NBA indicated that the officials wouldn't comment on the matter because it would be reviewed by the league's disciplinary committee." BNM
He wasn't in the game, because he had not been beckoned into the game by an official. Here is another video that shows the entire altercation from multiple angles. Two of the officials are trying to break up the scuffle. The third official is holding the ball with his back to Westbrook when Russ charges onto the court and takes a swipe at Gobert. Pay close attention to the comments starting around the 3 minute mark. They specifically say Westbrook had not been motioned into the game by an official. From the NBA rule book: "During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000." In the video Richard Jefferson calls it a "gray area" and says it didn't effect the outcome of the game. I disagree, the rules are very clear. A player may not enter the game until beckoned in by an official. Therefore, Westbrook was not participating in the game. As a player not participating in the game, he did not remain in the vicinity of his team's bench and, according to the rules, should have been suspended. Again, no gray area. Jefferson's comments are complete bullshit. Did C.J. taking one step onto the court during a preseason game effect the outcome of the game? Of course not, but it didn't matter then and it shouldn't matter now. Not only did Westbrook rush into the court, he took a cheap shot at a player who had been hit in the nuts. He was not participating in the game, but he most certainly participated in the altercation. BNM
But its all good. OKC is going to lose this series and I'd prefer Westbrook be on the floor when it happens. BNM
It's all dependent on if the ref let him in. You've seen before where they wont let someone in after the 1st free throw. If he wasn't let in, then he's still "on the bench". And judging solely off of the NBA not letting the refs speak, I suspect that he was not let in.
Watch the video I posted above. Listen to Matt Winer's comments starting at the 3 minute mark. "Well, he hadn't been called into the game. So, that part of it is not gray. He was on the sideline and he's supposed to stay there until he is called into the game." BNM
No. Until the referee beckons you in, you aren't in the game. He is a substitute until he is beckoned in.
The rule you quoted says they must "remain" in the immediate vicinity of their bench. However, Westbrook wasn't already in the immediate vicinity of his bench--he was at the scorer's table--so he couldn't "remain" there. The rule doesn't state that players at the scorer's table must remain at the scorer's table or return to their bench. Therefore, gray area. Also, I'd like to state that since the rule only says "immediate vicinity of the bench" and doesn't precisely define the term (eg, "not stepping onto the in-bounds area of the court"), it was arguable that CJ who took one step forward and then immediately went back never really left the "immediate vicinity" and shouldn't have been suspended back in the beginning of the season--but that's old news...
I said the same thing: Either a Tech or a Delay of Game. Then soon after, there was a similar situation and another Pelican player did the same damn thing, just not as egregiously.
