The Thug

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NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been suspended for two games without pay for by the NBA for elbowing Memphis' Mike Miller in the throat, Stu Jackson, the league's senior vice president of basketball operations, announced.


Bryant

Bryant was given a flagrant foul I penalty for the incident, which occurred with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 100-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at the Staples Center. The league decided to upgrade the call to a flagrant foul II, which is assessed for "unnecessary and excessive contact."

Bryant will serve his suspension Sunday, when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz, and Tuesday at Utah.

Bryant sustained an inch-long cut near his left eye early in the third quarter Wednesday night after taking an elbow from a driving Miller.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Bryant as shouting, "I'll be back" as he left the court for treatment. In the fourth quarter, when Miller drove down the lane, Bryant drilled Miller with an elbow.

"Any player that was going to come down the lane at that particular time, I was going to let them know that they just can't walk through here," Bryant told reporters after the game. "I think we as a team have to do a better job of establishing that, and me as the leader of the ballclub, I have to take initiative to do that.

"Hopefully everybody else will see that, especially this being our home court. People come here and think it's Hollywood and all this other stuff, and they'll come down and look pretty and shoot jump shots and dunk the ball and stand over the ball and all this other cute stuff. We've got to stop that."

Bryant will lose $144,971.59 in salary for each game he sits out.

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I'm glad he has to sit out a few games, but I don't know if I wouldn't have done the same thing.

he also about got into a fight with Lamar Odom. He is sucha class act. i have absolutly no respect for him

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was suspended for two games without pay Friday for elbowing Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies in the throat.


Bryant

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher reported Friday that according to Bryant's agent, Bryant will appeal the suspension.

Bryant was called for a flagrant foul for elbowing Miller with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter in Wednesday night's 100-99 overtime loss to the Grizzlies. He is scheduled to serve his suspension Sunday, when the Lakers host Utah, and Tuesday, when Los Angeles plays at the Jazz.

"Very surprised. Shocked, actually. Very, very surprised," Bryant said after practice Friday. "Angry and frustrated. I've been hit with a couple of flagrant fouls already this year. I've been hit with a clothesline and no suspensions come of that. And I get two games for this?"

After Wednesday's game, Bryant was unapologetic. He was cut over his left eye early in the third quarter when Miller elbowed him while driving to the basket. Bryant left the game briefly, and took three stitches to close the wound.

"Any player that was going to come down the lane at that point in time, I was going to let him know that he just can't walk through there," Bryant said after the game. "I think we as a team have to do a better job of establishing that. And me, as a leader of the ballclub, I've got to take the initiative to do that -- and hopefully, everybody will see that.

"This being our home court, people come here and think it's Hollywood and all sorts of stuff, so they think they'll come down [the lane] and look pretty and shoot jump shots and dunk the ball and finger-roll the ball and do all sorts of cute stuff. And we've got to stop that."

Bryant said his postgame comments were "no different than what everybody else says."

"Somebody comes down the lane, you've got to hit him," he said Friday. "You can't let them come down the lane and just finger roll and get easy baskets. Nothing to hurt anybody like that. That's just basic NBA basketball."

" Somebody comes down the lane, you've got to hit him. "?
"? Kobe Bryant

Bryant also said he didn't think the elbow from Miller was intentional.

"You look at the replay, my face was nowhere near him," Bryant said. "My face was nowhere near his arm.

"I wish I could go back in time and take that foul back knowing what I know now, getting two games for it. But no way in my mind did I think it was going to be a suspension for something like that. No way."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he thought Bryant's postgame comments were a factor in the suspension.

"I think that contributed to it somewhat," Jackson said. "So we live with that decision."

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak took issue with the suspension.

"We understand that the league has a job to do in enforcing disciplinary action, but we disagree with and are disappointed with their ruling," Kupchak said in a statement.

Can't stand the guy either, but I need his stats on my fantasy teams. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Love the Lakers but wish they had kept Shaq and gotten rid of Kobe.

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This being our home court, people come here and think it's Hollywood and all sorts of stuff, so they think they'll come down [the lane] and look pretty and shoot jump shots and dunk the ball and finger-roll the ball and do all sorts of cute stuff. And we've got to stop that."



[/ QUOTE ] The game of basketball ain't what it should be. If you had some refs that would take control of the games, some folks would have to learn to play. It goes all the way back to having to figure a way to stop Jabbar, and just deciding to pound him to death. Wilt the Stilt, too. The game needs a little space.

Where has the jump shot gone in basketball? The high school kids can't hit it, the college kids can't hit it, and the pro's can't seem to hit it. Basketball is about shooting 30 3 pointers and dunking the ball.

well i hope when Kobe comes back after his suspension and someone cleans his clock real good and i would love for it to be Shaq or one of my boys from Detroit.

"one of my boys from Detroit." Your boys? Funny....didn't hear too many Pistons fans on here till they won the championship.

Kurt Rambis would be a good choice for an enforcer.

Im still a Kobe fan. Everything is just going all down hill for him now.

Just saw the elbow he threw at Miller. Definitely a dirty shot and in the throat area too. He should have gotten more than 2 games.

He has been targeted for flagarent fouls on more than one occasion and those players havent been suspended. I think the suspension is ridiculous. I like it when players show some intensity and make it a point to show other players that they are not going to take any $hit.

It would have been different if he had pulled down a rebound or was going for a loose ball and swung an elbow to create space, but to just throw a forearm into another players throat is dirty. If you want to show intensity and protect your goal a clean hard foul while making a play on the ball is effective.

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He has been targeted for flagarent fouls on more than one occasion and those players havent been suspended.

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I like it when players show some intensity and make it a point to show other players that they are not going to take any $hit.

[/ QUOTE ] Yeah, I heard the ACC is gonna issue brass knuckles so the less talented can still stun the other team and score some. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Its not like he actually swung his elbow violently and hit the guy, he kind of just put it out there and let him run into it... [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Basketball is a game where, if reffed right Kobe , should never have to hack anyone in the throat with an elbow. It ain't like he is an excited high school kid, he does this for a living. "I got tired of the drillman not bolting to suit me so I left a coupla rocks hangin' for him" - the game should never be allowed to get this sloppy. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I was listening to the ESPN Radio yesterday and they aired an interview with Bryant and he never showed any remorse, said that he would do it again, with or without the suspension. He also concentrated his entire effort of the interview to tell the reporter that he had been clotheslined once in the lane, no foul being called and no suspension, and that he felt the league had singled him out for this one infraction.

Yep, I never really said anything about Kobe, other than the fact he talks like he is defending his "turf" in the lane. The hammering has been going on for years, it just seems that some teams make a living out of pounding on folks. If Jordan hadn't been out in open court more , he would never have survived the beating. I don't watch that much pro ball, just don't care for the slugfest, if it was basketball, the fouls would be called and the game would still be more of a game. Excessive fouls should go with something like an automatic toss for the game and removing an additional player also. Limit the number of fouls and you will find that guys and coaches will learn to play again.

Beating on people is how the Detroit Pistons used to win championships. Bill Lambier (no idea how to spell), Dennis Rodman, and Isaia Thomas used to be some of the nasiest players around. I think you have to have a mean streak sometimes in basketball especially if you are not the most talented guy on the court.

Sure [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]and if you don't make much money- rob a bank. Sometimes you might have to face the fact someone is better than you at something and LOSE, if ya think we all are equal, then this is Russia, before the wall came down. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Obviously that is not the case, Charles Barkley was only 6'5" and chubby. He couldnt jump or run and played against surperior athletes every night, but he played physical and mean, and live to box out and rebound.