Here's my theory: David Stern had no choice but to suspend Stoudemire & Diaw because if he had used his own discretionary judgment, the union would've taken advantage. Imagine if Stern had said, "Ok, we'll let it go this time. You guys will get off with a small fine." Then the next time players jump off the bench and get suspended, they will say, "No fair! You let Stoudemire & Diaw off the hook. Why should we be punished?" Then it would get crazy and silly because it would get down to how many feet you walked away from the bench and whether or not you 'intended' to get into scuffle. Everything would be judged on a case-by-case basis and the union would fight every suspension tooth & nail - even if it was justified. Stern probably thought about all this and felt it was just a lot easier and sensible just to have one rule for all occasions. It only makes sense. The most important job for Stern is to protect the integrity of the game and to stop fights from breaking out.
2007-05-21
00:34:09
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8 answers
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asked by
ok4u2bfree
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➔ Basketball