« 'Incredibly athletic' Bobcats? Kobe's wrong | Main | Wallace has collapsed lung, broken rib »
January 28, 2009
Bynum foul on Wallace was dirty
After 21 years of covering the NBA, I think I know the difference between rugged and dirty.
What Andrew Bynum did to Gerald Wallace Tuesday was dirty.
Bynum, a gigantic athlete for the Los Angeles Lakers, threw a blatant elbw and hip-check to keep Wallace from reaching the basket in the fourth quarter. I get it that every play in that quarter mattered – it did go to overtime, after all – but there were many things Bynum could have done to avert Wallace dunking. Most of them would not have involved Wallace going to the hospital.
Hopefully, this was about youthful indiscretion, not malicious intent. Because as talented as Bynum is, I’d hate to think his destiny is to end up a hockey goon.
Posted by Observer staff on January 28, 2009 at 06:09 AM | Permalink
Comments
Youthful indiscretion or not, a suspension is appropriate. Now lets see if the commissioner will suspend the LA Laker's emerging center.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 28, 2009 7:01:22 AM
Bynum should be suspended.
Posted by: D Ruff | Jan 28, 2009 7:11:25 AM
You'd think at 7'0+ the guy would have at least attempted to block the shot. That was just a lazy, dirty play.
Posted by: Josh | Jan 28, 2009 8:41:16 AM
How long does it take to recover from a collapsed lung? Don't know much about NBA suspensions, but what about 2 to 3 games for Bynum?
Posted by: question | Jan 28, 2009 8:41:43 AM
No chance they suspend Bynum (a Laker) for his hit on Wallace (a Bobcat). I was actually surprised they called a flagrant on Bynum (again, a Laker); those refs are going to get an ear full from Stern for letting us beat them.
Posted by: SCB | Jan 28, 2009 8:43:34 AM
It's basketball - not Hockey. I would hate to see goons become part of the NBA.
Posted by: Musson | Jan 28, 2009 8:43:55 AM
That's the textbook example of a cheap shot. Not even an attempt to really try to stop Wallace from shooting.
Posted by: Pirate1974 | Jan 28, 2009 8:49:17 AM
they should suspend him twice as long as wallace is out. fine him 3x wallaces salary for the time also and give half to wallace. annother flagerant and ban him for life. no questions.
Posted by: ben | Jan 28, 2009 8:53:43 AM
That was less a hip check and more of close-line -- an elbow that was thrown into Wallace's leaping midsection.
A multi-game suspension does not seem out of the question.
JAT
Posted by: JAT | Jan 28, 2009 8:56:31 AM
Does not look flagrant to me - lazy play, yes, but flagrant no.
Posted by: Gene | Jan 28, 2009 8:58:09 AM
Does not look flagrant to me - lazy play, yes, but flagrant no.
Posted by: Gene | Jan 28, 2009 8:58:09 AM
SCB, what the hell are you talking about?
Posted by: Zach | Jan 28, 2009 8:59:50 AM
Have any of you guys ever played a realtime Professional game? Nope. Yeah Bynum should have just put his arms up but he didn't. That's due to his inexperience, not his ill intent. He just doesn't seem like the one to cause serious injury to anyone. Unless he's dunking on you and hurts your feelings! Bobcats aren't going to the playoffs anyways. The Lakers just have trouble with these guys. One win doesn't mean they have a playoff run in them!!!
Posted by: Wes | Jan 28, 2009 9:01:20 AM
It amazes me that, like Eval Kneival and Robbie, Gerald is willing to come back and do the same high wire act after every wreck. His brain is missing the gene for self-preservation. I think the LALA's got a taste of a young team that is totally committed to giving it up for a win. Look for a winning percentage of about .550 the rest of the way. Hope Adam doesn't get crushed on one of his high flyiing swoops to the tin:)
Posted by: biggidee | Jan 28, 2009 9:01:47 AM
This was by far a Flgrant foul. If they were able to call Morrison's flagrant foul to Gasol, this is by far a flgrant. If it was dirty yes, Wallace was CRUSHING the Lakers, he had 10 pts in the first quarter. This game would have never go to OT if this foul didn't take place. That was cheap, you can call it inexperience or howver you want to call it, but that was very dirty and he should be suspended.
Posted by: RobC | Jan 28, 2009 9:13:32 AM
did Wes see the replay? Bynum "inexperienced" his elbow through Geraldd's ribcage. Oops, his bad.
Posted by: biggidee | Jan 28, 2009 9:41:29 AM
This did not look to me like an "intentional" flagrant. He was way too late on the help and just tried to make sure Wallace didn't get the ball off for a possible 3-pt. play. He was reaching out with the arm and did not seem to throw the elbow. Wallace was just coming in way too fast for it not to be a collision. Bad play by Bynum, no doubt, but didn't seem malicious.
Posted by: hknemo | Jan 28, 2009 9:59:42 AM
At first I didn't think it looked incredibly bad, but look at the final angle they show at the end of the video. Bynum clearly puts his elbow up and hits Wallace intentionally. Punching, pushing, or hitting another player is an automatic flagrant and usually results in an ejection.
Posted by: Elijah | Jan 28, 2009 10:15:36 AM
A flagrant foul is charged when the contact is "unnecessary and excessive" and usually when the player makes no attempt at the ball. Bynum did all of those things. It was definitely a flagrant foul.
http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_12.html?nav=ArticleList
Posted by: Zach | Jan 28, 2009 10:19:43 AM
Zach, I'm just talking about the huge conspiracy that is the NBA. The best players and the best teams get the calls. Stern & Co. coddle the superstars and turn them into the babies most of them are.
Wes, I would agree with you that it's just one win but the Pheonix game was also just one win, as were the Detroit, Boston, Portland, and even the SA game (even though SA was a loss). All of those "just one game" games translate to 5 wins and a solid showing against some of the better teams in the league. The Cats 8-4 record in their last 12 games is pretty darn impressive if you ask me.
Posted by: SCB | Jan 28, 2009 10:24:34 AM
This sounds a lot like the argument about Gerald Henderson's elbow finding Tyler Hansbrough's nose - it's all about intent. I agree, the action is happening fast, but I saw too much in that play, and the replays, to tell me that it qualifies as a flagrant, but Bynum never meant to inflict an injury that severe. He should be suspended though, because we're without a star player for who knows how long because of Bynum's lack of professionalism.
Posted by: Scott | Jan 28, 2009 10:32:48 AM
I don't know if Bynum is a dirty player or not. I don't think he was trying to injure Wallace, but he clearly was trying to make him pay for blowing past his man for an easy basket. There was no attempt to go for the ball. Just from my experience playing pick-up basketball; I have been on the end of an elbow just like Wallace. That's the one of the worst things you can do to an opposing player; to take a shot at him when he's clearly exposed. The other is taking a player's legs out. It seems he was sending a message that if you bring it in the paint, you're going to get smacked in the mouth. It's a good question to ask if Okafor had did the same to Kobe would he'd been automatically ejected and suspended a game for rough play? Refs sometimes don't give young teams the right calls. Let's just hope Wallace will be fine and can come back soon. We're starting to jell as a team and can seriously get to the 7 or 8 spot. If so; anything can happen.
Posted by: Tyrone | Jan 28, 2009 10:43:38 AM
If you take a look around the league; the Bobcats starters are playing just as well as any team. If the bench can step up, they can really get it done.
Posted by: Tyrone | Jan 28, 2009 10:45:52 AM
Reverse roles, if Diop did the exact same thing to Kobe and Kobe was laying in a hospital today how many games would Diop be suspended? He would've been ejected from the game immediately.
You think if Kobe was going to miss a couple of weeks, Diop wouldn't be suspended too? Let's treat everyone equal and give Bynum his punishment.
The NBA needs to be proactive, injuries happen in the NBA everyday, but this was intentional flagrant foul where Bynum's actions were more focused on inflicting pain (not necessarily injury) and no intent to go after the ball, or break the players fall.
Posted by: BlockParty | Jan 28, 2009 11:03:23 AM
What does that play have to do with hockey, there's no goons in other sports? Bruce Bowen isn't a goon? Karate kicking Wally World, trying to break everyone's ankles coming down from shots, hockey isn't the only sport with dirty player, I think that's a little unfair.
Posted by: Sterling | Jan 28, 2009 11:09:57 AM
Post a comment
Advertisements
