Knicks-Bulls game

[bodoyle]

I tried to post this last night when I was watching the game, but apparently it didn't work.

Antonio Davis went into the United Center stands, 10 rows up last night in overtime because he thought his wife was being threatened, and there was no time for him to alert secuurity. No punches were thrown and he calmly walked back onto the court. I tried to post this last night as I was watching the game, but guess it didn't post.

Listening to the local (Chicago) radio a gentleman called who was sitting behind the altercation said that Antonio Davis' wife bent over "as if to tell the guy to kiss her ass". During the Knicks run in OT her son was standing up and people were asking him to sit down, and she was defending her son (big kid, in high school, I would say 6'5"). Her son apparently called for security, but by that time Antonio was entering the stands.

Argument for both sides:

Yes - a rule is a rule, he broke the rule he should be suspended for a game.

No - it's his family, and his he thought his wife was being threatened. Family comes first. If I were him I would have done the same thing, and would do it again.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/media/thumbnails/story/2006-01/21504640.jpg

The son is in the yellow sleeved leather jacket (Waubonise Valley HS jacket), and Antonio Davis' wife is to his left.

I dont think he should be, but I understand if he does get a small suspension. I hear it might be 2 games - inside source that used to be head of security with the Bulls.

[AppGuy04]

He should get suspended for going into the stands, a rule is a rule, but I don't blame him for doing so. I think just about anyone would have done the same thing.

[jwfgeol]

I don't blame him for going, but I think he should be suspended. The precedent was set last year, albeit in an entirely different situation. Players do not go into the stands. I think it will be much longer than two games, but then again, I don't have an inside source.

[bodoyle]

I am just going off what I was told. My "source" might be completely wrong, but it is pretty reliable.

[bodoyle]

The NBA will announced before the Knicks game tonight. Will probably suspend him for tonights game, and then factor in everything to see if they need to add anything on. Will cost him $126,000 in salary.

[SoCon Din]

One of those times you have to do what you gotta do, even if his wife was inciting alot of it. Somehow I doubt it if the guy(s) in question were a bit inebriated.

Take the fine, let it make a small dent in your checkbook, and enjoy all that lovin' your wife will give you for defending her so bravely :hurray:

[bodoyle]

From what I hear, she is a total tool.

[jwfgeol]

There is a link to the video on this page.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=2298108

[goasu984Life]

He'll probably be suspended for a game or two, but I don't think he should. Anyone would have done the same thing he did. I know I probably would have done it if I were in the situation.

[HiHiYikas]

So what if his wife had actually been assaulted? Or what if that's a player's dad up there watching from the stands and he has a heart attack?


"I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned later to be intoxicated," Davis said in a statement issued after the game. "I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn't react. There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly."

What? If an intoxicated stranger threatens and touches my wife, and I run over to confront him, it's pretty unlikely that I'd say "I should not have acted the way I did," afterwards. I can only guess that Davis' statement is an effort to lighten the coming suspension. EPSN's Chris Sheridan is calling for 8 games.

[bodoyle]

His wife is a tool, and has a history of this happening. She got into a fight with Sprewell before when he didn't know who she was.

[kardplayer]

There should be no suspension here or fine for that matter. He went into the stands, but in the video I saw he literally just walked in, no fists, no menace, just protecting the Mrs...

The NBA is a joke for the 5 game suspension.

On top of that, the kid's lawyer said he's suing the Davis' for $1mm+ for slander and battery.

(Before anyone gets any ideas about "Homerism" - I hate the Knicks)

[SU Jag]

There should be no suspension here or fine for that matter. He went into the stands, but in the video I saw he literally just walked in, no fists, no menace, just protecting the Mrs...

The NBA is a joke for the 5 game suspension.

On top of that, the kid's lawyer said he's suing the Davis' for $1mm+ for slander and battery.

(Before anyone gets any ideas about "Homerism" - I hate the Knicks)

I agree! I'm glad that Davis didn't go in swinging, like many og us would have if that was our wife or mother! The NBA dropped the ball in this one.

[bandl]

There should be no suspension here or fine for that matter. He went into the stands, but in the video I saw he literally just walked in, no fists, no menace, just protecting the Mrs...

The NBA is a joke for the 5 game suspension.

NBA players are not allowed to go into the stands...period. There is a reason for this rule (i.e., "The Brawl"). Luckily, nothing happened in the stands in this incident. But what if one of the fans was a little too drunk and took his actions as a threat, then started swinging? His suspension is way too long (it should be 1 game, IMO) but rules are rules. The rule is in place to protect the players AND the fans.

Aside....the NBA IS a joke. :boring:

[blueballs]

Antonio Davis has been in the NBA for about 10 years, so he is w/o a doubt a multi-millionaire.

My question to Davis is this... why are you allowing your wife to sit in the stands 15-20 rows from the floor in an opponent's building and not in a luxury box?

You know good and well the other team's fans will be consuming alcohol and will be shouting at you and your teammates. You also know from past experience that your old lady is somewhat combustible. You also know what happened in Detroit in Nov. 2004.

So instead of protecting your family by putting them in a nice secure area, you put your family in a location where trouble is likely and then come running into the stands like a so called chivalrous man you pretend to be which may, based on very recent history, even add to the instability of the situation.

He deserves whatever monetary punishment, which is pittance, he gets and at least 10 games. Players can't be allowed to bum rush the paying customers and start brawls when there is paid security in place. They also can't be allowed to exercise poor judgement in putting their families in a position where trouble is more likely.

What an idiot...

[bodoyle]

She has a history of doing it in the past with more then one occasion!

[Ivytalk]

Aside....the NBA IS a joke. :boring:

I agree with THAT!! Give me the college game any day.

[bandl]

Antonio Davis has been in the NBA for about 10 years, so he is w/o a doubt a multi-millionaire.

My question to Davis is this... why are you allowing your wife to sit in the stands 15-20 rows from the floor in an opponent's building and not in a luxury box?

You know good and well the other team's fans will be consuming alcohol and will be shouting at you and your teammates. You also know from past experience that your old lady is somewhat combustible. You also know what happened in Detroit in Nov. 2004.

So instead of protecting your family by putting them in a nice secure area, you put your family in a location where trouble is likely and then come running into the stands like a so called chivalrous man you pretend to be which may, based on very recent history, even add to the instability of the situation.


Better yet...DON'T BUY TIX FOR HER TO ATTEND AN AWAY GAME. :rotateh:

[blueballs]

So I guess you would just let your wife get manhandled? Man, please. They were the VISITORS. They have no control of the opposing teams stadium, hell they don't have any control of their HOME stadium. Visiting players have to BUY tickets, just like anyone else. The drunken idiot had no right to acost Kendra Davis. In fact, that same drunk is lucky Antonio Davis is such a nice man. Had it been me, I wouldn't be looking at a suspension, I'd be looking at some time. Anybody messes with my family, and its frontier justice time.

I agree with you about protecting your family.

However, the easiest way to protect your family is to not put them in dangerous situations. Kinda like what I tell my wife when we go to the beach- I'll never be bitten by a shark. Why? Because I'm not swimming in anything other than a pool. I refuse to PUT MYSELF (in this case my family) IN A POSITION where I can be bitten.

Any reasonable assessment would lead to the conclusion that the odds of an ugly incident are almost zero in a luxury suite as opposed to putting your family among "the great unwashed" especially in an opponent's arena. The point I made about his being a multi-millionaire was only to illustrate that he could afford the luxury suite seats, regardless of the cost; and that cost should be no object when ensuring the safety of my loved ones.

Now it is coming out that the "drunken idiot" didn't accost Mrs. Davis and that in fact the opposite may have occured. And if that is the case what happens if the paying customer has a weapon? What happens if Mrs. Davis verbally assaults the paying customer and Antonio Davis, who doesn't really know what's going on, comes running to the "rescue" and physically assaults him. Guess who gets sued... that's right, the Knicks, the Bulls, the NBA, the Davis family, and the arena ownership.

And the bottom line of all this is really simple. If you're an opposing player don't put your family in a bad spot. Either put them in a luxury box or put them in a place where there is extra security where nothing can happen. It's really not that difficult...

[Third and Long]

Players can't be allowed to bum rush the paying customers and start brawls when there is paid security in place.
I did not see any security around until they realized a player was in the stands. Heck I do not know if they even realized then. It took the security to long!!

[Go...gate]

Davis should have been suspended, but five games is too many. One game should have been enough with an additional adminition or penalty to the fan who got out of control. I think I would have done the same thing if my wife were getting grief like that.