Other Sneaker Drops

Responding to the most violent incident in NBA history, Commissioner David Stern handed down its harshest sentence ever Sunday, suspending Ron Artest for the rest of the season and two Indiana teammates until mid-January.

Artest’s suspension amounts to 73 games for his role in the melee during Friday’s Pacer-Detroit Piston game at Auburn Hills, Mich. Artest went after fans after having been hit by a cup.

Stephen Jackson, who followed Artest into the stands, where both men were seen punching furiously away, was suspended for 30 games, which will put him out until Jan. 22.

Jermaine O’Neal, who didn’t go into the stands but slugged a fan who had come out on the court, was suspended for 25 games, until Jan. 14.

That makes three of Indiana’s starters, including two All-Stars. It all but ends the season for the Pacers, who were one of the favorites in the East and had started 7-2.

Detroit’s Ben Wallace, whose shove of Artest after a hard foul preceded the incident with the fans, was suspended for six games.

All suspensions are without pay, so Artest will lose $5.3 million. O’Neal will lose $4 million, Jackson $1.9 million and Wallace $500,000. The Pacers’ Anthony Johnson, who was suspended five games, will lose $134,000.

“The actions of the players involved wildly exceeded the professionalism and self-control that should fairly be expected from NBA players,” said Stern.

“We must affirm that the NBA will strive to exemplify the best that can be offered by professional sports and not allow our sport to be debased by what seem to be declining expectations for behavior of fans and athletes alike.”

Police in Auburn Hills, Mich., have made no arrests and are still investigating. Nine people were treated for injuries in the wake of the incident.

Nevertheless, Stern is not going to be able to apologize, mete out punishment and put this behind him. His announcement is just the first shot in what promises to be a long, adversarial series of appeals.

The players union announced Sunday it will appeal the suspensions of Artest, O’Neal and Jackson. It also issued a release from Artest, who apologized but protested his suspension.

“It’s very important to me that people understand that I didn’t mean for the situation to turn out like it did,” he said. “... I also regret and apologize to fans who were upset by what happened. ... I have total respect for all the players who play the game, and I respect David Stern but I don’t think he has been fair with me in this situation.”

At issue is who will hear the appeal. The collective bargaining agreement gives Stern great power to decide punishments on the basketball court.

Union sources say it will contend the incident took place in the stands, not on the court.The players will also contend the Pistons were negligent in providing security, which could result in lawsuits.

In 1997, Stern suspended Latrell Sprewell for a calendar year, until Dec. 1, 1998, for choking Golden State Coach P.J. Carlesimo. Since it happened off the court, the appeal went to an independent arbitrator, who cut the suspension to 68 games, freeing Sprewell to start the 1997-98 season.

Said a rueful Stern at the time: “You cannot choke your boss and keep your job unless you are an NBA player. But this is arbitration.”

At issue, if not this fall, then next summer when the collective bargaining agreement runs out, will also be the wide powers given to Stern. The union asked for limits in previous negotiations but always dropped it to concentrate on money. “Now,” said a union source, “this just became the big blood issue in the next round of negotiating.”

O’Neal’s agent, Arn Tellem, also issued a statement, asserting Stern “singled out Jermaine O’Neal in an arbitrary and capricious way” and saying they will “vigorously contest the NBA’s outrageous decision and demand that his side of the story be heard.”

Pacer co-owner Herb Simon issued a statement saying, “We believe there was a rush to judgment.... We will vigorously support our players in any available appeal process.”

Stern took the unusual step of announcing the suspensions at Madison Square Garden before the Knick-Cavalier game, noting the melee represented the worst game he has presided over in more than 20 years as commissioner.

“To watch the out-of-control fans in the stands was disgusting,” Stern said, “but it doesn’t excuse our players going into the stands.”

Stern talked to union head Billy Hunter several times over the weekend but made the decision by himself.

“It was unanimous, one to nothing,” Stern said. “I did not strike from my mind the fact that Ron Artest had been suspended on previous conditions for loss of self-control....

“Mr. Jackson was well into the stands and certainly anyone who watched any television this weekend understood he wasn’t going in as a peacemaker.

“Jermaine, I think it’s fair to say, exceeded any bounds of peacemaking with the altercation with the fan.... His penalty actually would have been harsher if he had succeeded in getting into the stands, which he tried to do but was restrained from.”

Stern also promised a broad review encompassing such issues as security procedures and alcohol sales at arenas.

He said the league must “redefine the covenant between players and fans” and “redefine the bounds of acceptable conduct for fans attending our games and resolve to permanently exclude those who overstep those bounds.”

Artest has been suspended without pay eight times since the start of the 2002-03 season, seven times by the league and once by the Pacers.

He had just returned from a two-game suspension with pay by the Pacers for creating a series of distractions, including his request to take a month off to promote an album.

In 2002, a New York judge ordered him to undergo anger-management counseling after he was accused of striking a former girlfriend, the mother of two of his three children.

Four more players were suspended one game apiece: Indiana’s Reggie Miller and Detroit’s Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman. All are already eligible to come back.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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ALSO SUSPENDED

Four other players were suspended for a game for the incident in Detroit:

* Reggie Miller, Indiana

* Chauncey Billups, Detroit

* Elden Campbell, Detroit

* Derrick Coleman, Detroit

LONGEST SUSPENSIONS

Longest NBA suspensions, in games, for on-court incidents:

* 73 -- Ron Artest, Indiana, for fighting with fans in final minute of game at Detroit on Nov. 19, 2004.

* 68 -- Latrell Sprewell, Golden State, after “physically assaulting” Coach P.J. Carlesimo during a practice, Dec. 4, 1997. Original one-year penalty was later reduced to five months.

* 30 -- Stephen Jackson, Indiana, for Detroit fight with fans on Nov. 19, 2004.

* 26 -- Kermit Washington, Lakers, (60 days) for punching Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich, 1977.