Suspension Time

So, the NBA finally acted on the altercation between the Suns and Rockets on Tuesday. Took them long enough. Anyway, end result. Alston and Barnes suspended 2 games each, presumably because they're the ones that started it in the first place. Nash is suspended 1 game, presumably for escalating the conflict. Shaq and T-Mac just got fines.

Overall, I think it was a bit harsh. IMHO, it should just be Alston and Barnes 1 game each, rest just fines. And if Nash got 1 game, I think T-Mac should have gotten 1 game as well. T-Mac's shove of Nash escalated the situation as much as Nash entering in the first place. But ah wells, it's not like the Suns aren't used to BS suspensions from the NBA front office.

And on a related, but sad front, Barbosa will also be missing some games due to the death of his mother. So tonight we'll really get to see what Dragic is all about. He's been pretty disappointing for most of the season so far, but he's looked a bit better in his last two games (at least shooting wise), so I'm tentatively hopeful for a breakout game.

On the fantasy front... Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has taken over Charlie V's starting job in Milwaukee and I'd strongly consider him a pickup in deeper leagues. Also JaVale McGee is popping up on my radar. He's quietly had 3 solid outings, posting avgs. of 11.3 pts, 9 rebs, and 1.67 blks over his last 3, on excellent percentages. With how weak WAS's front is, keep an eye on McGee. He's definitely worth a play if he can keep getting his minutes. If he can maintain it, a 12/9, 2 blk guy is definitely worth playing.

I don't have any funnies to close this post, but here's a little trivia game. We can all probably name lots of coaches and players in the league, but what about owners? How many can you name off the top of your head? To make it easier, I've listed all 30 teams in the league for you. Highlight the blank space to see the owner's name. FWIW, I got 10/30 before I gave up (~5 min.) The ones that I got right are in bold italicized.

Franchise	Owner
Atlanta Hawks	Michael Gearon Jr.
Boston Celtics	Wyc Grousbeck
Charlotte Bobcats	Robert L. Johnson
Chicago Bulls	Jerry Reinsdorf
Cleveland Cavaliers	Dan Gilbert
Dallas Mavericks	Mark Cuban
Denver Nuggets	Stan Kroenke
Detroit Pistons	William Davidson
Golden State Warriors	Chris Cohan
Houston Rockets	Leslie Alexander
Indiana Pacers	Herb Simon
Los Angeles Clippers	Donald Sterling
Los Angeles Lakers	Jerry Buss
Memphis Grizzlies	Michael Heisley
Miami Heat	Micky Arison
Milwaukee Bucks	Herb Kohl
Minnesota Timberwolves	Glen Taylor
New Jersey Nets	Bruce Ratner
New Orleans Hornets	George Shinn
New York Knicks	James Dolan
Oklahoma City Thunder	Clayton Bennett
Orlando Magic	Richard DeVos
Philadelphia 76ers	Ed Snider
Phoenix Suns	Robert Sarver
Portland Trail Blazers	Paul Allen
Sacramento Kings	Maloof family
San Antonio Spurs	Peter Holt
Toronto Raptors	Tanenbaum Peddie
Utah Jazz	Larry H. Miller
Washington Wizards	Abe Pollin