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(associated press). carmelo get hardest fine for brawl.
NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games Monday and six other players
were penalized as commissioner David Stern came down hard on both teams after the Nuggets
and Knicks brawled at Madison Square Garden.
The Nuggets upset the Washington Wizards 117-108 Monday night as 3-point home underdogs,
while New York pulled off a 97-96 win over Utah. Books had the Knicks listed as 7 1/2-point
dogs.
Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith each got 10 games, and four other players also were suspended.
Stern fined each organization $500,000. But there was no separate penalty for Knicks coach
Isiah Thomas, who had warned Anthony not to go into the lane before the mayhem started
Saturday night.
The NBA and its players represent a game of extraordinary skill, athleticism and grace,
and, for good or bad, set an example for the entire basketball world, on and off the
court, Stern said in a statement.
Mardy Collins, whose hard foul on Smith sparked the fighting, was suspended six games and
Knicks teammate Jared Jeffries will miss four. Also, the Knicks` Jerome James and Denver`s
Nene were both penalized one game for leaving the bench area during the chaos.
Ten players were ejected after the fight, which started with 1:15 left in Denver`s 123-100
victory. It was the NBA`s scariest scene since the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons
fans in Detroit two years ago.
There was speculation Thomas would be penalized for his comments to Anthony. Stern
acknowledged hearing about it, but said he relied only on definitive information when
handing out punishments.
Stern said the fines to the organizations are meant to show he is serious about cleaning up
the game.
It`s a more general message that I`m going to start holding our teams accountable,
Stern said.
Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to
the floor. Smith rose and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in
to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson away, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into
the front row while fighting.
Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored
Collins, and New York`s Jared Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an
effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.
By the time security had finally contained Smith, they were nearly at the opposite end of
the court from where the fighting started.
I was very disappointed, Stern said. Clearly, we`re not getting through or players in
certain circumstances just don`t want to be restrained. I would suggest that those players
will not have long careers in the NBA.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): miami pulls out of iverson talks.
Cross Miami off the list of potential landing spots for Allen Iverson.
Heat coach Pat Riley said Monday that the defending NBA champions have pulled out of the
running for the disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers superstar, who is out of action and on the
sidelines while awaiting to be traded.
Pinnaclesports.com has listed the Heat at +1177 to repeat as NBA champions.
Miami had been mentioned as a possible destination for Iverson, but Riley squashed any hope
of a deal that would have brought one of the NBA`s leading scorers to South Florida.
We are out of the Allen Iverson conversation, Riley said Monday before the Heat played
the New Orleans Hornets. This isn`t going to move forward. We have discussed every
scenario. It never became formal offers.
It`s time for us to move on.
Riley said he was aware that Philadelphia contacted 28 of the 30 NBA teams. Talks between
the Heat and Sixers never turned into serious offers or specific scenarios, he said.
I thought it was in the best interest of the franchise to at least explore it, Riley
said. As of today, we`re done with it.
Riley pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade two summers ago that brought All-Star
center Shaquille O`Neal. Teamed with guard Dwyane Wade, the Heat reached the Eastern
Conference Finals and then won the franchise`s first NBA title last season.
Adding Iverson to the mix would have created a dazzling backcourt and given the Heat a
much-needed scoring boost while O`Neal recovers from a knee injury.
It won`t happen, though.
Scenarios and discussions always turn into offers, Riley said. When you have 28 teams
talking, it can get complicated, and then you start trying to match up the dollars. We just
decided to move out.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): mavs send top draft pick ager in developmental league.
The Dallas Mavericks assigned first-round draft pick Maurice Ager to their developmental
league team Monday.
Ager, the 28th pick out of Michigan State, appeared to have a chance to get playing time as
a rookie, the same way Josh Howard did three years ago when he was drafted in a similar
spot and became a starter. But he was squeezed out of the rotation in part by the signings
of Devean George and Greg Buckner.
Ager played in 16 of Dallas` first 24 games this season and averaged just 4.3 minutes and
1.5 points per game.
The Mavs next play in Seattle on Wednesday. Oddsmakers have not released a line for this
game.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (associated press): nba power rankings as of 12/19/06.
1
(13-9-1) 0.500 -10.50 Phoenix
After starting the season at 1-5, the Suns have gone a remarkable 16-1 since. What's even
more shocking is that they've held four of their last five opponents to less than 100
points.
2
(15-10-0) 0.484 -10.00 San Antonio
They may have the most wins in the association, but something just doesn't seem right with
this year's edition. Perhaps it's the three home losses they've suffered already?
3
(13-11-0) 0.511 -9.75 Dallas
After getting blasted at Utah, the Mavericks rebounded to win three straight and hold each
of its last two opponents under the 90-point plateau. Don't get too excited however as the
feat was only accomplished against Philly and New Orleans.
4
(14-10-0) 0.597 -9.75 Utah
An almost perfect week that included wins over Dallas, and on the road over the Pacers and
Clippers was spoiled by a one-point home loss to the Kings.
5
(13-10-0) 0.413 -8.25 Detroit
If defense still wins championships than these Pistons have just a good a shot as anybody
at hoisting the trophy come season's end. At least the Eastern Conference trophy.
6
(14-9-1) 0.715 -8.00 L.A. Lakers
Back-to-back overtime games followed by a five-game trip to the east coast will have me
watching this Lakers team from afar. I suggest you do the same.
7
(11-12-1) 0.355 -7.00 Chicago
Their current 11-1 run may have been overdue, but buyer beware as the betting public is now
on board. The Bulls have covered in just two of their last six victories.
8
(11-13-0) 0.489 -6.50 Houston
The Rockets went just 1-3 last week without T-Mac in the lineup. Yao might have big
shoulders, but I don't think they're big enough to carry this team on his own.
9
(11-15-0) 0.392 -6.25 Orlando
The Magic are allowing just 92.3 PPG, good for fourth in the league. The problem is they
only answer with 92.8 PPG of their own, making them the 27th ranked offense.
10
(11-11-1) 0.500 -5.50 Washington
The Wizards have finally found some magic, putting together a perfect 3-0, 2-0-1 ATS week.
They've outscored eight of their last 10 opponents, and the over is 8-2 during the stretch.
11
(13-8-0) 0.830 -5.00 Minnesota
The road loss at San Antonio is acceptable; probably even expected. However, allowing 108
to the Bucks will not get this team to the next level.
12
(9-14-0) 0.319 -3.25 Cleveland
The Cavs have just one road win in their last seven tries, and quite simply that stinks.
13
(15-11-0) 0.588 -3.25 Indiana
So long as the Pacers remember what it is that makes them successful, they'll be fine. To
date they're just 2-10 when yielding 100 or more.
14
(7-16-0) 0.722 -3.00 L.A. Clippers
What happened to this Clippers team who looked so promising last season? I mean besides the
1-8 road mark.
15
(15-10-0) 0.772 -2.75 Golden State
You must be able to win on the road to be considered good in the NBA. With that said, these
Warriors aren't good yet.
16
(13-9-0) 0.366 -2.50 Denver
After watching 'Melo perform in Saturday night's brawl I can't help but wonder if he played
a little defensive back in highschool; 'cause he can back-peddle with the best of them.
17
(12-10-1) 0.477 -2.50 Miami
How long can Dwayne Wade keep this team from completely tanking? My guess is not very.
18
(12-13-0) 0.452 -1.75 Portland
Their 4-0 SU and ATS run has other teams around the league taking notice. The fact that
they've stepped it up on the defensive end has under bettors taking notice of a 67-percent
streak.
19
(10-12-0) 0.861 -1.50 Sacramento
Remember when the Kings were virtually unbeatable at Arco? Well forget that as they've now
dropped three of four in front of the faithful.
20
(11-12-0) 0.245 -1.00 Boston
A 5-0 SU and ATS run sees the C's bolt all the way to the top of the Atlantic Division, but
only to the No. 20 spot in our rankings. Remember it is the worst division in basketball
we're talking about here.
21
(13-11-1) 0.842 -0.50 Seattle
The injury to Ray Allen finally caught up to the Sonics, who on a four-game losing skid
failed to score at least 94 points.
22
(14-10-0) 0.589 -0.25 Toronto
The Raptors have proven that they can win without Bosh, three straight to be exact, and
their backers are presently benefitting from a 7-2 ATS run put forth by this improving
squad.
23
(11-13-0) 0.463 0.05 Milwaukee
Lack of defense and inconsistent road play is again proving to be the demise of this team.
24
(12-11-0) 0.382 1.00 Atlanta
They're young and green, however in the Southeast Division that might not matter much.
25
(9-12-1) 0.604 1.25 New Orleans
A 4-0, 8-3 start turned into a disaster for this Hornets team who has lost any sting it may
have had in its offense. They've failed to go over 85 points now in eight of their last 11
games.
26
(8-14-1) 0.359 1.75 New Jersey
They're getting older, they have no bench, and Vince Carter has to be relied on heavily for
this team to win. 'Nuff said.
27
(10-14-0) 0.351 3.00 Memphis
Should Gasol really have hurried back to this?
28
(8-15-0) 0.640 3.00 Charlotte
Young and promising? Sure, but still a long way away from being considered a good team.
29
(11-15-0) 0.348 3.50 New York
Last week I mentioned that the Knicks were a mess of a franchise, and that was before this
past weekend's brawl.
30
(12-11-0) 0.467 5.50 Philadelphia
Things have gotten so bad in Philadelphia that the Sixers are quickly becoming a good bet.
They've now covered two in a row amidst the very public turmoil.
NBA PLAYOFFS- (covers.com): ats records as of 12/19/2006.
1 SA
2 DEN
3 LAL
4 MIN
5 IND
6 GS
7 PHO
8 TOR
9 UTA
10 DET
NBA PLAYOFFS- (espn.com): bulls forward brown apologizes for trade talk.
His minutes were down, his name came up in trade talks and he was struggling to fit into a
new system. P.J. Brown responded by saying he wouldn't mind leaving the Bulls. But now he
wishes he would have stayed quiet.
"You'd like to be [happy]," Brown told reporters. "But it goes back to the old saying you
don't have any control. Everybody is going to have to wait and see. I want to focus on P.J.
Brown and my teammates and helping my team win. We're playing well right now. I want to
keep winning and keep us going in the right direction.
"My comments were a little bit inappropriate for the timing. I was a little bit frustrated,
a little bit emotional after reading what everybody else read. I definitely apologized to
my teammates and the Bulls organization. It just wasn't the right time for that. We're
moving on."
Brown was sidelined Saturday for the third straight game with a strained plantar fascia in
his right foot, but before that he saw his minutes plummet to 16.5 a game -- nearly half
his 31.9 minute per game career average.
Recently his name came up in a three-way trade that would send Allen Iverson to the Denver
Nuggets, Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers and Marcus Camby to the Bulls. The Tribune
reported that Denver shot down that deal.
That does not mean that Brown and his expiring contract will now be a good match in
Chicago.
"John [Paxson] and I will continue to evaluate things around the league to see if there is
something that works for everyone," Mark Bartelstein, Brown's longtime agent, said,
according to The Chicago Tribune. "In the meantime, P.J. will continue to be the best
player and teammate he can be."
Bulls coach Scott Skiles, for one, doesn't seem to have a problem with the 6-foot-11 big
man.
"I read that 'P.J. wants out,' but then when I read the article, I heard a guy saying,
'Hey, if they want to move me, I'd rather it was sooner than later,'" Skiles said,
according to The Tribune. "I didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. I
didn't take it as P.J. demanding to be traded.
"He read an article where his name was mentioned in a trade. He simply responded. ... I
didn't think it was that big of a deal."
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