That's a Fine Mess
Posted January 20, 2006, 9:26 AM ET

David Stern is not messing around.

When the ugly Pistons-Pacers incident at Auburn Hills erupted into a free-for-all brawl in 2004, it left the NBA with a bigger image problem than normal.

The Commish laid down the law that no NBA player should ever be in the stands with John Q. Public regardless of the situation. If a player failed to recognize the point by Stern, then that player would suffer the consequences.

Wednesday night in Chicago, the NY Knicks' Antonio Davis saw something in the stands that concerned him. His wife looked like she needed some assistance or help from a fan and the arena security was sorting out the mess. So, Davis responded like any normal husband would, considering the circumstance. I think I should preface that statement by saying most husbands in a good, solid marriage would respond immediately....some guys might say, "screw it, that's her problem....she probably started the issue in the first place".

He jumped up and helped her out...the only problem is that Davis was wearing his road blue/orange/black Knicks uniform, and you can't do that with all and powerful Oz, err...Stern.

The next day, the NBA with all of their wisdom and insight decided to lay down the fine...and it was a hefty call. Antonio Davis was fined 5 games and around $770,000 for his brief visit to Section 101.

Stu Jackson, the NBA's VP of basketball operations, stated that the fine could have been higher, but the NBA took into account mitigating circumstances.

That's awfully kind of you, NBA.

As it turns out Davis has more issues ahead...not only is he out of $770,000 (not bad for 5 games work, huh?), but now he and his wife are being sued by the fan that sat behind Ms. Antonio Davis.

The fan's name is Michael Axelrod, and he wants a million bucks for the harrassment dished out by Kendra Davis. I think it is safe to assume that everybody saw this lawsuit coming....it is America, isn't it?

I can totally understand the NBA's over-the-line position, given how pathetic the Auburn Hills incident turned out. And I applaud a league taking steps to clean up its act and image...and God knows the NBA needs all the help it can get in that department.

But what really happened in this case? Were there any fights? Any damage? Alcohol-related problems? From where I'm sitting, I don't understand the problem other than the fact that an NBA player can't leave the bench and jump into the stands. If that was a hostile situation, you should have seen the stands this past weekend at Soldier Field during the Panthers-Bears playoff game.

The fan in question has claimed that Davis' wife ripped him for booing the refs (maybe they were showing NFL playoff highlights on the Jumbotron?) and then she repeatedly poked him in the face before getting into it with another fan.

Axelrod is also upset that he was labeled as being drunk, or drinking, and therefore is adding slander to his million dollar lawsuit against the NBA player and his wife. He said, "I don't drink at basketball games, I go to watch basketball."

Right. Nobody goes to a NBA game to watch basketball...plus, you were watching the Bulls and Knicks...that's not basketball! For crying out loud, they have a combined record of 29-47, and of the 15 teams in the East, only the Hawks, Bobcats and Raptors are worse...Who does this guy think he's fooling...the only way to watch these teams play is to drink!

But, back to Davis: the NBA has some bad apples, just like every other professional sports league, but Antonio Davis isn't one of those guys....nor is he a rookie that doesn't know the ropes.

Davis is a thirteen-year veteran that also happens to be the President of the players' union. He seems like a pretty smart, stand-up guy that understands the good and bad involved with the NBA.

As much as I applaud David Stern for wanting to clean up his league...I think this ruling was a bit overboard. I think Stern should reconsider his ruling before Antonio Davis' wife, Kendra, gets the news. He'd be better off watching the Bulls and Knicks than having to put up with that aggravation.