Metta World Peace Hypothetically Puts James Harden to Sleep With an Elbow
Damn. Talk about an elbow…
The video below was posted on youtube by the always on time @jose3030… (his video was taken down)
Look, would this have been another play in the 80′s doled out by the likes of Barkley, Mahorn or Laimbeer? Hell yeah but this unfortunately is another day and the league is trying to save this fantasy that the NBA should be played in pink socks and flip flops. James harden was evaluated by the Lakers physician based on NBA protocol. ESPN’s Lisa Salters reports James Harden will not play in the second half after he showed signs of a concussion. Metta World Peace was ejected (flagrant 2).
At first thought, I thought the NBA would suspended MWP for the playoffs…mainly because of his rep (If Harden has a concussion I suspect the NBA will give him more games off then if not). He gave me a great interview when he was Ron Artest that referenced his thoughts on what happened in Detroit (we’ll hear about this far too much the next few days). My peers will be asked to write of this and comment publicly but while I agree he should be suspended, let’s not get all crazy and talk about “thugs” and the “state of the game” and “prisoners running the asylum”. Be rational…
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers game now seems a lot more chill after being potentially such an emotional affair coming in. I honestly don’t think it was a mistake but I also don’t believe he intentionally was trying to take Harden out. Remember when Kevin Love stomped on Luis Scola’s face? He got two games. What say you?
Fell asleep on the game, I woke up in time to see the 2nd OT. Just saw the replay of the elbow, you can’t deny that it was intentional. I can’t begin to even go inside his head on this one. But you’re gonna hear some keywords this week: Thug, Rehabilitated, Dirty Non-remorseful and Assault (yes, someone is gonna go there) along with his past episodes in Detroit and whatever else they dig up.
not intentional
Yo, Sun….that shit was dirty. Straight up dirty. That was some “Go git ur gun” B.S.
If you throw elbows like that under the glass in a rebounding situation, it’s all good. If you throw your bows like that out on the floor and hit someone behind the ear, you are a dirty dude — period.
You can’t bang a cat behind the ear in boxing and MMA — where everyone is actually trying to do WORLD CLASS DAMAGE.
In the old days, this would have led to a straight up brawl…and it would have looked a lot like that Giants-Dodgers brawl many moons ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgers–Giants_rivalry
I’m all about physical play and the “heat of the moment.” As a New Yorker, I’ve followed MWP since he was in high school and rooted for him every step of the way, but this is a bridge too far. If he was my son, I’d be whippin’ his ass right this minute.
That shit was foul.
Let me make this clear. I would never say or ridiculously think behind closed doors that elbow wasn’t foul. James Harden is very lucky to not be hurt badly.
MWP has played very well recently and became a factor in Kobe’s absence. I don’t get the cock back. I’ve watched him work out in the off season. He’s country strong born of the city. The bow was almost cartoon-ish. My first thought was Malone on Zeke. Dude received a 1 game suspension for that. I just don’t want the league to go overboard and over police the game so it becomes equipped with tissues on the scorer’s table. My saying that has nothing to do with what happened yesterday.
Malone’s play was just as dirty — and forever cemented him in the Coward’s Hall of Fame. He had to elbow Isiah because his boy Stockton could defend a single guard in the league. After Zeke was kept off the Olympic team and lit the Jazz up for 40-something points, Karl just couldn’t stand it.
Add that to his ignant-ass anti-scientific rants against Magic Johnson, and you have a player who is almost singularly responsible for phucking up the 90′s. I’m just glad his sorry ass got bumped in the first round an incredible 9 times in his career: what a phuckkkin’ bum that Malone.
Any — back to Ron Ron…I don’t really care about the league punishment. Why? MWP can afford a lawyer. He can afford to appeal. He can even afford to miss work. Phuck him…but can Harden afford to get concussed every time he plays the Lakers? Can he afford to lose his livelihood because MWP can’t keep it under wraps? Seriously…
MWP consequences will be whatever they are…and it won’t REALLY impact him in the least. He’s made his money and cemented his legacy. He has the loot and the rings and the ability to walk away. He’s not a victim here…and even if he were banned for 20 or 40 games, I’d probably feel the same way. Every day that he wakes up, he can choose to walk away. Every time he plays, he has an obligation to respect his competition and the game…whether he wants to or not…whether bitch-ass Karl Malone did or not…and whether or not Stern tried to embarrass Isiah by given Malone a slap on the wrist.
Bottom line — he shouldn’t play again before Harden does.
And if I wasn’t clear before Karl Malone AND John Stockton sucked. $@$!!# ‘em both. 9 first-round exits qualifies those 2 as the most mediocre post-season busters in league history.
And, the biggest difference between those two plays is that Harden catches it in the back of the head. I cannot remember a similar play in the league.
And to give you a sense of just how dangerous this all is: Rudy T got his face broken because he was in this area — running at Kermit Washington. Kermit sensed him and reacted with the force required to preserve himself. We are hard-wired to protect this very sensitive area…it’s our weakest area and it’s why its outlawed in combat sports. (Clearly, I blame Rudy T for that incident.)
Harden clearly didn’t EXPECT this from Metta. If he did, this would have been a very different event.
It didn’t look intentional, though I can see a tech/flagrant being called. OKC/LAL have been chippy for a minute. MWP just got carried away and not aware of his surroundings. This ain’t got nothing on last week’s Mia/Chi game…WTF?! A couple of games max…:/
No disagreements with anything you said sir. The bow was as vicious as anything I’ve seen. This was my response on twitter.
@ch555x, MWP took the time to rear back and land that bow with extra mustard. I can’t say whether or not his destination was Harden’s head but it was definitely thrown with bad intentions.
Here’s how you know it was intentional: World Peace did not appear surprised that he had made contact with another player. If the elbow had been inadvertent, MWP would have almost certainly recoiled. He continued running down the floor as if nothing unusual or unexpected had happened.
Mike —
It makes me sad overall. It’s why I mentioned that I’ve rooted for MWP since he was in high school. I know kids just like him. And if he was mine, I would be embarrassed and angry and I’d be very introspective about how I raised him. We’re all connected and we have to do better by one another.
James Harden deserves better.
I think it was intentional in the same way that DWade’s take down of Kobe Bryant during the All-Star game was intentional: i.e., dude meant to do it, but he didn’t mean to hurt him.
But unlike some of you here (and elsewhere), I don’t think this is the worst thing we have seen in the history of the league. In fact, I’d like to hear an argument on how this is worse than Kevin Love intentionally stepping on some dude’s face?
@Ron Glover
Yeah, I think his aim was off.
@TheLastPoet
I’m about 100% sure this isn’t the worst.
I think they’re both bad. In principal, the issue is the defenselessness of the other man. Neither Scola nor Harden were in much a position to defend themselves. As such, the actions of Love and MWP reflect cowardice more than courage….and frustration, because it both instances, either they or their team was gettin’ skoooooled.
However, if I had the choice of being in Scola’s shoes or Harden’s, I choose Scola’s every time. I saw the video — and at least Scola got his hands somewhere NEAR his face before catching Rubber Wreck. Harden didn’t have a chance. A power blow to the blindside ear hole is gonna trump a padded step to the noggin’ just about every time…now if Love was wearing Doc Martin’s and my head was on a curb, then we’re in a different conversation.
“It’s gotta be the shoes!” – Mars Blackmon.
I feel you, Temple, but that is also my point: Both Love and Artest intended to make contact. But you say Artest’s is worse because he caught dude behind the ear. Agreed. My point is: he didn’t mean to catch him behind the ear. He wanted to clock him, yes, but not behind the ear. Same as Love who wanted to step on dude’s face, but perhaps “allowed” dude to get up some measure of defense?
I don’t know. Then I think you imply that only one act engenders deadly retribution outside a basketball court: again, Artest’s act, because he hit behind the ear, is wrong in all times and places; whereas Love’s act is wrong outside the bball court (and on that level of unethical behavior) only if he’s reinacting a scene from American History X.
Again, I don’t know (and if I’ve misunderstood you, then correct me, of course). I think if you intend to stomp a dude in the face, then you are just as wrong as if you intend to punch him behind the ear, regardless of social setting. Further, I think if you DO NOT intend to punch a dude behind the ear (but only to punch him), then you are still wrong, but your intention is NOT as egregious than if you DO intend to stomp a dude in the face, and succeed in doing so (as did Love).
I’m sure that was as clear as mud lol! Sorry.
Finally, I’m sorry Mike T, but something must be said about your girl Jemele Hill, and I am the only one who can say it: I’m sick and fucking tired of Ms. Hill doing her best new jack city “rock-a-bye, baby” impersonation every single fucking time a Black athlete runs afoul of her master’s moral code. Recently, its included criticism of Dwight Howard (not that it’s wrong to be mad at Dwight, but she couldn’t manage to refrain from the same wayward arguments about “quitting on his team,” etc that you rightly countered in your excellent piece, in fact, she was very much responsible for the perpetuation and exploitation of this errant bit of “news”). Now Ms. Jemima is calling for a 10 game suspension for Mr. Artest? Really? Also a “5 on 5″ discussion from sportswriters at ESPN on this topic, as well as everywhere else on the interwebs, whitefolk and their usual black lackies are morally outraged over Artest’s behavior? Meanwhile, when Love stomped on dude, there wasn’t a peep from nobody, and the NBA handed out it’s 2 game suspension in complete and deafening silence from the mainstream media? But Artest gotta get 10 games? Word? Its because, they say, Mr. Artest has a “history?” For true? Yes, he won a citizenship award and donates big dollars to charity. But if that history is mentioned at all, it is just as quickly dismissed in favor of Artest’s “other” history – and we already know what that is. It’s a strange fucking world we live in. But for me, I don’t want to hear shit from Kizzy about the transgressions of her negro charges, whether blatant or indirect, until she can find one – just one – unkind thing to say about the Love’s of the world who every now and then happen to fuck up, too.
End of rant.
Rock-a-bye, baby!” – security chick from New Jack City =)
Amen LP…………agreed on everything you said. Or like the young folks say +1000.
Anyway I really can’t add anything to this convo since you have said it all with the artest incident. Artest did it on purpose but I don’t think he meant to knock Harden the “fuccc out” (*Redman voice).
Love action was just as wrong but Scola was quick enough and aware enough to cover his face (because if that foot hit his face completely his teeth would have been knocked out and his head would have hit the court floor) as Love did his rendition of the Geto Boys classic (with Willie Dee doing the rappin) Read These Nikes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1iY5a1D3zs
And what more can I add about ESPNs version of the Help staring Ms. Hill, Steppin A and Magic I love to pander to white folks so I say Larry Bird’s name as much as possible. I tell you folks sell their soul for so little.
Last LP you think any of them slave catchers gonna call out these red neck MFers for once again throwing the old lazy / entitled BS at another high draft pick black QB????
Ain’t been 5 minutes and they trying to lazy kneegrowfy (if that is actually a word) RG3.
Anyway Artest gets a 10 games suspension because the media and the fans just won’t let shit go from when he and Steven Jackson jumped in the stands and brought flash backs of Nat Turner mixed in with a touch of the movie Spook who sat by the door.
Doesn’t matter I said at the start of this season it would be Heat vs Lakers in the Finals. The 2 or 3 now (with Artest) of the top 5 most hated black men in America. A series with Kobe, Lebron and Artest playing. All that will be missing is Obama and Tiger in the audience and America could have an orgasm of black hate.
America won’t know who to cheer for……might not be even enough hate to go around.
I roll completely with Temples perspective.
for a minute there MWP lost control and revealed himself for all to see.
that was a destructive thing to do to another player.
I suppose the book will be thrown at MWP. Justice in my way of looking at it
MWP is going to get suspended for at least 10 games, that was a dirty as hell and he meant to cold- cock Harden and “put him to sleep”. Whatever trash was said on the court is no excuse to that.
From the interview I did with MWP when he was then RA: “It must be noted Ron does an amazing amount of charity work in communities all over the nation. He doesn’t want it all publicized, but it’s criminal that almost none of it gets any media shine.”
I can’t remember the exact number of charities but, and it’s somewhere in the interview, I know it’s at least 100 that MWP gives to.
There are many significant quotes from the interview:
“MT: During this interview, you’ve come across as very contrite. Are you truly sorry for your mistakes or is it just a façade to get in better graces?
RA: People don’t understand that after the brawl happened, in my first public appearance, I said that I was sorry.
I said I was sorry.
I didn’t know the affect it had on the league corporate wise. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted the league to make money so all of us can keep making money. Life is not about making money, but this is my job so I want to make as much as I can so my family‘s family can be secure.
People have to put themselves in my shoes and understand that the brawl was not ENTIRELY my fault. How many people are going to let somebody push them under any circumstance? I did. I let somebody push me. I showed a lot of restraint. What about that? How many people are going to let someone throw beer in their face from rows high off the floor? There are going to be people that disagree with that.
All my mistakes? I’m definitely sorry. People that look up to me, I want them to see me doing something that’s right. I see kids doing stuff in my neighborhood like drink and other stuff and I wonder what kind of affect did I have on them. I’m at a point where I don’t want to have a negative effect on anyone. When stuff was publicized, I used to say to myself that I now have to go out and do stuff double time in communities and give them a different side of me.
If I get a chance to talk to people like you–reporting the right things–then I definitely want to affect people in a positive way.”
Thank you for the reminder, Mike.
Origin, calling Johnson, Hill, and Smith “The Help” had me laughing in my sleep!
And you’re right, no way there can be a Lakers – Heat final… I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks made a finals run, with the great Jeremy Lin waking through the tunnel Willis Reed – style, can you imagine the dollars to be made?
To the others, if you didn’t want 10 games for Love, then you can’t have 10 games for Artest.
@LP — I don’t think I was being thorough in my response — as in cross-referencing every sentiment. I clearly agree that getting stomped on the court in the real world could lead to gun play. No question. And I think we agree that these events (with respect to perception) were mitigated (and mediated) not merely by race, but by outcome.
If Scola’s face is busted up and he misses a week with a concussion and a mouth full of chunks (Treach – Five Deadly Venomz!!!!), then we’re probably in a parallel universe. As it stands, racism and the societal acceptance of white male violence as normative and ESSENTIAL is clear. I also understand that Black male violence is perceived as pathologic and CRITICAL. Clear about all that…but it doesn’t get Harden off the floor.
I agree there is a double standard. I agree that Jemele tends to play the morality game with Black folk. We’ve lit into her on several occasions before. Frankly, I haven’t read her column in about a year. I tend to flatly reject morality pleas involving Black folk because I’m clear about the duplicity of this Arch Deceiver. Exhibit 7,129,244,578,233,874.3: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/long-island-rail-road-experimenting-a-booze-ban-late-night-weekend-trains-article-1.1066375
You can buy booze on the commuter railroad in NYC and get hammered en route to your suburban home. You can even beat up and berate employees — and none of that leads to the type of over-reactive policy that would accompany a transgression by Black folk. So, I’m with you on that. But, it doesn’t get Harden off the floor. Some significant censure is due Harden to ensure a sense of justice.
As to the particulars, I was speaking of my personal preference as imaginary victim (painful as that might be). From a pain standpoint, I’d rather get my head bounced on the “hardwood” than get ear-holed by an elbow.
I can’t speak on Metta’s specific intent…elbow to the face vs. elbow to the ear. I can’t call it. Either way, elbows are forceful tools for inflicting harm.
Temple,
I’m not sure why I’m splitting hairs with you (of all people lol) because we are clearly much more in agreement than not. In fact, I can no longer see where we disagree at all.
I certainly do not want to excuse Artest’s behavior or even defend it. He was wrong and should be punished. But the extent to which our world will excuse white male violence (via Kevon Love in this instance) while black male violence is sensationalized and attacked is wrong, too. Even moreso, in my opinion. And THAT is what I want us to be careful about here (not jsut you and me, but all of here at TSF), as we discuss this latest incident with Artest. A two game suspension for Kevin Love means a two game suspension for Ron Artest to me. Anything more would speak mainly to clearly established racial discrepancies, as well as offering proof that one player (Artest) is expendable as far as the business of professional basketball is concerned, whereas the other player (Love) is not.
And you’re right: anything less than a two game suspension doesn’t get James Harden up off the court. But, in my view, anything more than that knocks us all “the fuck out” (as Origin reported, lol I’m diggin all the movies quotes!)…
Now a final word on Jemele Hill: it is interesting (read: sad) to note that knowledgeable intelligent Black people of the sort that frequent websites like this one, and of the sort who are desperate for some sensible commentary from Black sportswriters in the mainstream media, simply REFUSE to read what’s written by the majority of Black sportswriters today. Yet the racists and bigots who frequent those websites find much to enjoy there in the works of Ms. Hill and others whenever they’re writing their “open letters” to Black athletes.
MIKE T, since you know this woman and have her ear, can you explain to her that she is alienating the very same community of Black people who would really really rather support her and take pride in her many accomplishments? Does she even care? I mean, got-damn, what does a six-figure salary pay for, really?
…and just so y’all know, when Marse Stern does come down with the 20-game suspension for Mr. Artest, ya boy the Poet finna Cry Racism, finna Cry Freedom, finna Cry The Beloved Country, alla dat lol! Finna cry er’thang except the Crying Game got-dammit!
Just so ya know! =)
It’s all good, bruh.
We definitely agree that everything has a context…and that piling on MWP is not the point. It is not the point because we know from experience and empirical study that demonizing people leads to real world consequences and actions. Stereotyping and character assassination are preludes to real assassinations…and the folks pouring the Kool Aid are all “white supremacists” regardless of their hue or their proximity to the spigot.
Conceptually, though, these incidents should tell us all just how psychically segregated we are. White America decided long ago to glamorize their violence and come down lightly on their offenders. Policing data suggests precisely the same thing (hence my previous post re: alchohol on the LIRR). Whites, as a criminal collective, are under-policed precisely because a great deal of their criminality has historically involved non-whites. This predilection for passing the buck did not hold in Europe where relatively homogenous populations (excluding class) reveled in torture, ordeals, oaths, and duels as the path to justice.
Damn LP…I might have to write this up.
if we take into consideration the principle of human growth based on experience and security what does that say about Metta?
when does he reflect his mayerial position in life in his behavior, especially on the basketbakk court, his place of work..or when does his perceived reality at this time begin to be reflected in his behavior?
by this I mean he came up from hard conditions? battled his way through and is now secure financially in life. a great part of inseurity…financial.. is removed from his life, he is now older, and both those factors permits or should permit an ease of mind that can deal with events more reasoned, calmer etc.
aututomatic response by anger and violence is supposed to be sufficiuently mitigated by now, to prevent such a reflect elbow as on sunday. by now such calmer response should be as autmatic on Mettas on the court..as a violent one may once have been
consciousness of what causes unwanted trouble in the work place for sure ought to be as automatica helpoing to mitigate behavior positively for eg., that there are cameras all over the place and anything at all anyone does on the court is recored, for review if necessary.
and by now it should be clear to Metta that as a blac man, especially one who has earned something to protect, far less the guys on the streets… that in a racist society it is best never to get oneself into situiations in which others must judge you..others not of your own kind ..who can be bad enough themselves in situations of dispensing justice on their own.
no matter the fact of Mettas charities, all his reasonings on what has gone on in his life, it appears to me that adequate lessons have not been learned and the total street warrior is still evindent and are atrill reflex in his general behavior.
in american life in general I dont have a clue as to whether that is good or bad.
on the basketball court as it was reflected on sunday it seems to me not good at all ..especially against one of your own, who has done nothing to you, is on his own way up to where you already have arrived… hopefully..
on the basketball court at least, by now Metta World Peace should have achieved some peace of his own…and calm… to assure controlled play and proportionate responses to events he must deal with there..period. he has been around for 10 years at least and experience should have had its way with him by now
I mean he has expereienced losing many times before. what was so special about sunday that triggered such a response?
Metta shud go to Harden when the time is right and bond in peace.
and Metta must expand himself intellectually, emotionally, as much as he can..to see life beyond the experience that shaped him. there is more in the world..to the world.. that can bring that personal experience into perspective…bring calm enough to mitigate automatic warrior response that can lead to disaster
Its 7 games guys……………more later.