If NBA suspended Jason Smith for 2 games, Wade should get at least 1

There isn’t an argument that can be made that can justify giving Jason Smith of the New Orleans Hornets a 2 game suspension for tackling Blake Griffin in the open court and not giving Dwayne Wade a suspension for a similar football like hit on Darren Collison in yesterday’s game against the Pacers.

Dwayne Wade runs down the court and lays a hard forearm shiver on a much smaller Darren Collison that knocks him down to the floor. The foul being both a non basketball play and excessive he rightfully gets called for the flagrant foul. However, the refs got it wrong because they deemed it only a flagrant 1 foul and not a 2 which would have also gotten Wade ejected from the game. Jason Smith was not as fortunate to have the same benefit of the doubt as Wade did in last night’s game.

Do you see any difference in the two plays? If anything, the Wade foul on Collison is more vicious. Of course there is a difference but not in the play itself but the status of the player involved that is committing the hard foul and the time that the foul is being committed. Dwayne Wade is a superstar player and is currently playing in the high stakes of a playoff game. Jason Smith is a marginal NBA player with a common name that plays on bad team and committed the foul in a relatively meaningless game.

If the NBA is to be fair, they have to suspend Dwayne Wade for the hard and unnecessary foul on Darren Collison last night. The foul is almost identical to the one placed on Blake Griffin by Jason Smith so there is precedence. The only adjustment I would make in this case is that it only be a 1 game suspension as playoff games should be considered more important than regular season games, therefore, a shorter suspension than the one handed down to Jason Smith is justifiable. But, a suspension is necessary if the NBA wants the fans of the game to take this league seriously and not continue to have this belief that stars get preferential treatment from the refs.

– Fern Rea “@fullcourtfern”