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| Camby |
NEW YORK -- Knicks center Marcus Camby was suspended for
five games and will lose about $345,000 for throwing a wild sucker
punch at San Antonio's Danny Ferry.
The punishment angered the Knicks, especially coach Jeff Van
Gundy, whose head collided with Camby's while he stepped between
the players. Van Gundy needed more than a dozen stitches to close
the cut over his left eye.
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Wed., Jan. 17
I don't remember a player getting a five-game
suspension for landing a blow, and Marcus Camby didn't
land the punch on Danny Ferry. I thought Camby might
get a one-game suspension because of the continuation
of the incident after the game, when Camby was waiting
for Ferry outside the locker room and then near the
Spurs' team bus. If Camby had just walked to his own
locker room and put his feelings aside, he wouldn't have
gotten the five-game suspension.
I don't really know how important that aftermath was in
determining his penalty. But If he got suspended five
games for a punch that didn't land, that's excessive. Had
he landed the punch, there would have been big
probledms. Coming out the next day and saying he was
sorry should have helped his cause, but it's too bad he
didn't say that immediately after throwing the punch.
Camby's absence will have a big impact on the Knicks,
who play at Detroit, home against Indiana, at Milwaukee,
at Charlotte, and home against the Lakers in the five
games he will miss. Those are significant games in
which the Knicks would need him if they hope to play at their best. The Knicks will have
to get more minutes from Luc Longley and Kurt Thomas and hope they are capable. But
they will miss Camby, who was playing well.
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"I'm not here to try to defend Marcus, what he did was wrong
and he admitted that, but clearly the punishment doesn't fit his
actions. It hurts us, and it hurts our chances of winning," Van
Gundy said.
Camby will miss games against Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee,
Charlotte, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Super Bowl Sunday. Kurt
Thomas will start in his place, and Luc Longley and Travis Knight
will back up Thomas.
Camby, who also was fined $25,000, will be eligible to return
Feb. 1 against Philadelphia.
Ferry drew a one-game suspension and $7,500 fine for his actions
leading up to the altercation.
Van Gundy's eye remained black and blue Wednesday, 48 hours
after he had had to be helped off the court with blood dripping
down his face.
"When I saw the picture on page one of The New York Times,
above the fold, I thought it might be more than one game, but I'm
surprised it's five," Knicks general manager Scott Layden said.
"But we have to abide by these decisions, and good teams find a
way to play through these things."
In announcing the penalty, NBA vice president of operations Stu
Jackson said Camby was only being penalized for his actions on the
court. A league investigation found that Camby did not try to
initiate a fight with Ferry after the game.
Camby, who makes $5.75 million this season, will lose almost
$320,000 in salary.
"I'm going to talk to my representatives today and take
whatever action needs to be taken," said Camby, who filed an
appeal through the players' union. A hearing will not be held until
after Camby serves his five-game suspension, so the best he can
hope for is recovering some of his lost salary, according to Rick
Kaplan, one of Camby's representatives.
Van Gundy noted that Toronto's Charles Oakley was suspended for
only three games after hitting Jeff McInnis of the Los Angeles
Clippers earlier this season.
Chris Childs and Thomas of the Knicks were each suspended two
games earlier in their careers for landing punches during on-court
fights.
"He (Camby) got five games for not hitting a guy," Van Gundy
said. "Nobody's ever gotten five games for that kind of thing."
Camby's outburst occurred after Ferry hit him the eye while he
and Ferry jostled for rebounding position in the fourth quarter of
New York's 104-82 victory Monday.
After being restrained by one referee and speaking with another,
Camby dabbed at his eye, saw blood and bolted toward Ferry near the
scorer's table.
Camby wound up with scrapes above both his eyes -- one from being
poked by Ferry, one from colliding with his coach.
As Camby left the court, he grabbed a folding chair before a
security official took it away from him. He stood outside the
Spurs' locker room before being persuaded by Knicks officials and
security guards to leave, then spent another 20 minutes in a tunnel
near where the Spurs' team bus was idling.
Camby said he couldn't leave because his car was blocked and he
wasn't looking for more trouble, but security officials kept Ferry
in the Spurs locker room for nearly an hour until they were certain
Camby had left the building.
Ferry will serve his one-game suspension Wednesday night when
the Spurs play at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Camby is averaging 10.6 points and 11.1 rebounds as the starting
center for the Knicks, who have won nine of their last 10 games.
"I just think it's unfair," teammate Latrell Sprewell said.
"I can mention names of guys who have been in fights, and they
haven't been fined that severely. I just thought it was a little
harsh, a little unfair -- not just to Marcus, but to our team. He's
a big part of our success.
"The bottom line is he didn't he hit the guy, and they didn't
take into account he was elbowed twice," Sprewell said. "I think
they have to look at the total picture here. And if you look at the
total picture, you don't come up with a five-game suspension."
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Marcus Camby throws a punch at Danny Ferry, but ends up head-butting Jeff Van Gundy.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Marcus Camby reacts to the length of his suspension.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jeff Van Gundy wonders what would have happened if Camby connected.
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Marcus Camby knows he was "in the wrong."
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Danny Ferry never saw Marcus Camby's punch coming.
wav: 388 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jeff Van Gundy talks about his role of mediator when it comes to fighting.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's David Aldridge and Tony Kornheiser weigh in on the Marcus Camby situation.
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