Basketball On The Internet.

NOT going to get into the rights or wrongs about the NBL Tribunal’s one-game suspension of Josh Childress for his hit on Jesse Wagstaff in last week’s Perth-Sydney fixture.

For the record, one game and a hefty fine – maybe $7,500 is not truly that hefty for ex-NBAer Josh, but it would be to most other NBL players – is how the league likes to play these things at the best of times.

The NBL has “form”.

If it is possible, it does not willingly want to deny fans the chance to see our league’s best players in action, as Cairns fans now will be deprived this week through the one-game penalty.

It would rather hit a player’s hip pocket because for the average player pulling, say $60-$80K, a $7,500 hit is substantial.

As recently as March during the NBL semi finals, then-36ers guard Gary Ervin was found guilty of attempting to knee Tigers guard Chris Goulding in the groin.

Ervin was suspended for one game, fined $7,500 and additionally still has a suspended two-game ban AND a suspended $10,000 fine over his head if he transcends during the next two years.

The Childress incident was bad, but how much worse than the Ervin incident?

Or hit this link and re-live this incident from the 2009 NBL Grand Finals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0oT4Oc6ShU&app=desktop

Chris Anstey’s penalty after being found guilty of striking Rhys Carter?

It was a one-game ban, suspended for one year!

Yes. Effectively nothing.

Marcus Connor, independent chairman (Senior Solicitor), Michael Klooster (Sports Law Barrister) and Anthony Leicht (Associate Professor) comprised the NBL Tribunal.

In suspending Childress for one game, hitting him with two fines of $3,750 (one as part of the penalty, the other for bringing the game into disrepute) and adding an additional one-game suspended sentence for the rest of the season, all they did was maintain a long-established status quo.

It’s surprising anyone was surprised.