With the swing of one elbow, basketball fans have been smacked with memories of the player that was known as Ron Artest, not Metta World Peace. In the first half of last Sunday’s Lakers-Thunder game, World Peace not only knocked Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden out with a concussion, but he possibly knocked out the Lakers’ title hopes as well.
As Laker fans wait for the inevitable suspension that is on the horizon, two questions have come to the forefront: How many games should World Peace be suspended for? And should his history of violent behavior play a role in the decision made by the NBA?
Quite simply, a concussion-causing elbow to the head is bad enough, but an elbow to the head from a player that has already been suspended 13 times in his NBA career is completely unacceptable. The league definitely needs to consider his history and dole out a hard punishment for World Peace.
When the 6’7″ forward was known as Artest, he was also known as a player with a quick trigger and a hot temper ready to blow at any minute. It seemed like every other month a fight was initiated or escalated by Artest.
All of those altercations seem miniscule, however, compared to the most disgraceful moment in Artest’s career – the 2004 brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons which has come to be known as “The Malice in the Palace.”
The brawl resulted in the suspension of nine players, five of which were charged with assault, and five fans faced criminal charges and were banned from attending Pistons home games for life. Artest ignited this horrible display which some have called the most embarrassing moment in NBA history.
There is no way the NBA can simply overlook that horrendous day as well as World Peace’s other altercations when deciding his punishment.
Yes, World Peace has made great strides in the past couple of years towards improving his image. He even won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award last season.
However, a few years of good behavior does not wipe the slate clean, especially when a player suffers a concussion due to getting an elbow to the head.
As James Harden hit the hardwood during Sunday’s game, doubts of World Peace’s on-court character were once again reignited.
The countless fights, numerous suspensions, and immature behavior all came flying back with a fury into the minds of NBA fans. And if the memories came back for fans, the memories definitely should have come back for the NBA officials who have dealt out suspensions for all these years.
If the league’s front offices want to keep any shred of credibility, they need to hand down a very harsh punishment.
Metta World Peace’s elbow could possibly end up knocking two franchises out of their title hopes. If that happens, the league needs to learn from their mistakes.
Lawrence Maybir is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
