Metta World Peace Does Not Deserve 7-Game Suspension and Should Appeal

The NBA finally lowered the hammer on the Lakers' Metta World Peace for throwing a hard elbow into Oklahoma City Thunder sixth man James Harden. I'll set the stage:

Metta World Peace, one of the strongest players in the NBA, just used the “Euro two-step” to finish with a left-handed dunk on Serge Ibaka. Metta is well past his prime, so this dunk clearly excited him.

James Harden, who is notorious for talking trash and acting tough, walked toward the sideline to “inbound the ball.” (Here's where you need to pay attention.) As Harden walked over to the sideline to “inbound the ball,” he became aggressive with Metta. Watch his body language in slow motion.

Harden shuffles two steps to the side, much more than necessary. Then, he crosses he arms and makes the first contact with World Peace. Metta didn't know who was behind him; all he knew was that someone was bumping him.

Keep watching. Harden doesn't make contact and bounce off like he accidentally hit him. Instead, Harden keeps pushing Metta.

So, did Harden deserve to get hit? No. Nobody deserves to get hit. But does Metta deserve a seven-game suspension, as NBA.com reports? No.

Last week, Dwyane Wade hit Richard "Rip" Hamilton, knocking him to the ground. Wade was looking right at Hamilton and knew what he was doing. That was premeditated. What happened? A technical foul. That's it.

The Timberwolves' Kevin Love stomped on Luis Scola's face and got a two-game suspension. It's clear that Love turns around and intentionally steps on the defenseless man on the ground.

Jason Smith straight-up tackled Blake Griffin. He lowered his shoulder, looked away and ran right into Griffin.

Andrew Bynum, with possibly the most senseless, potentially harmful foul in recent history, knocked J.J. Barea from midair with a stiff arm. He received a five-game suspension.

So, I ask you, does Metta World Peace deserve a seven-game suspension for an act that was not intended to directly target Harden? Simply, no.

Does he deserve to be suspended? Yes. Of course. There's no way you can even say what he did was okay, no matter how you dissect it. Also, even considering his history of violence, there's no way that Metta's actions deserve more severe discipline than Bynum's annihilation of Barea. Metta's elbow doesn't warrant a seven-game suspension.

What Metta's suspension has done is draw attention to the fact that the NBA needs to set precedents. At this point, it's a bit like the NCAA, handing out punishments that they think fit the crime, but there's no continuity between them.

Metta's punishment has shed light on a problem that's far greater than any unfair seven-game suspension, and I hope he appeals it.