NBA Makes Correct Call On Metta World Peace Suspension [NoeBrainer]

The NBA got it right by suspending Metta World Peace for seven games.  They did not consider World Peace's past to a fault.

The NBA officially announced on Tuesday that Metta World Peace would be suspended for seven games for the vicious elbow he threw at James Harden.  Metta World Peace knocked Harden to the floor with an unnecessary elbow during a 114-106 double overtime win by the Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The NBA did a good job of considering World Peace's past, specifically the Malice in the Palace, while not overreacting to the latest incident because of World Peace's track record.  While it makes sense to consider an individual's past when trying to dish out an appropriate punishment, it does not make sense to only consider an individual's track record while losing sight of the present incident.  The NBA considered World Peace's past, but they did not look at his track record solely.

It was the right move to make.  World Peace (aka Ron Artest) deserved to be suspended for throwing a vicious elbow.  However, he did not deserve to be suspended for the rest of the season.  James Harden has already been cleared to return.  Suspending Metta World Peace for as many as 29 games (1 regular-season game and potentially 28 playoff games) would've been extremely excessive.  Kevin Love and Jason Smith (both videos below) got tiny two-game suspensions for their violations earlier this season.  Suspending World Peace for six playoff games is an appropriate and reasonable punishment.

Brian Noe is the Program Director at 104.5 The Team, ESPN Radio in Albany, NY.  Brian also hosts “The Noe Show” weekdays from 1-3 pm ET on WTMM.