Washington Wizards’ Dejuan Blair, Nene, Daniel Orton and Xavier Silas were each suspended for the first game of the 2014-15 NBA regular season, for leaving the bench during an in-game altercation involving their teammate, Paul Pierce and Chicago Bulls center, Joakim Noah.
The NBA League rules clearly states that players who leave the bench during any altercation are automatically subjected to a one-game suspension. It is then up to the discretion of the league to determine whether players had violated the spirit of the rule.
Pierce and Noah were slapped with a $15,000 dollar fine each for their roles in instigating the scuffle. The incident, which happened early in the first quarter of Washington’s 85-81 win, saw Noah first shoving Pierce, to which he retaliated with a poke to the head.
According to reports, the altercation took place largely due to Noah’s unhappiness with an earlier a foul on his team-mate, Jimmy Butler.
The Wizards open their regular-season slate on October 29th against the Miami Heat. The four suspended players will be eligible to return for October 30th’s game against Orlando Magic, though its still unclear if Orton or Silas will still be on the roster, having signed training-camp contracts this Fall.
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