It was a scary moment, watching the burly biceps of Lakers forward Metta World Peace come down, hard, on the back of James Harden’s head, leaving Harden down on the count, with a concussion. For all the time he has spent in the last few years attempting to remake his image, the league’s suspension showed that a flowery name change can’t cover up one’s past misdeeds.
Today, World Peace learned his punishment—his suspension will run seven games. That’s more severe than the five games that seemed possible at minimum, but not nearly as harsh as some of the calls that would have sent him out for the entire postseason. If it had been anyone but MWP tossing that elbow, the suspension probably would have been three games, maybe four. But the league office is all too aware of what Ron Artest has done in the past, no matter what he calls himself now.
“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”
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