Kevin Love: Timberwolves Superstar Does Not Deserve 2-Game Suspension

Kevin Love is receiving a two-game suspension for his alleged "face stomp" on Luis Scola in Saturday night's game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. Love does not deserve this suspension. 

The allegation is that he intentionally stomped on Scola's face, but the video does not show a clear indication of what his intentions are. In fact, they seem to fairly clearly show the opposite. 

Love is attempting to step over Scola. That in and of itself has been criticized by some, but stepping over players is hardly a unique or rare occurrence in basketball; it happens all the time. Players step over other players for various reasons, but I've never seen anyone criticized for it. 

So, the question is whether he deliberately stepped on Scola while he was attempting to step over Scola. As he lifts his foot up to step over Scola, the still frame clearly shows that Scola, who is raising his arm inadvertently, catches Love's foot. 

In attempt to keep from falling, Love shifts his weight back, and his foot lands on Scola's chest (not his face), as again shown by the still cap.

Clearly, this is a case of a player being tried and convicted in the media with intentions being measured out because of the coincidence that the same two players were involved in another inadvertent incident earlier in the week.  

Some have tried to equate this with the Ndamukong Suh stomp earlier this season, but this is a different set of circumstances with different players and different histories. Other than a superficial resemblance, these are not the same thing. 

Love does not have the history of being considered the dirtiest player in the game by his peers. Suh does. That has to be taken into account when you're looking at what a player intends to do. 

This was just an unfortunate accident, not an intentional foul. The reason the refs on the scene didn't whistle it as such was that it wasn't intentional. The only reason it's being done now is that the NBA is capitulating to the hype created by the misrepresentation of the "stomp" by the media.

Love is getting victimized here, not Scola.