Kevin Garnett Suspended 1 Game, Dwight Howard Fined $15K After Altercation
Brooklyn Nets big man Kevin Garnett has been suspended one game for head-butting Houston Rockets star Dwight Howard, who was fined $15,000 for his role in the altercation.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports passed along the news:
Garnett was ejected from Monday's contest for his ridiculous behavior, the kind of conduct a 38-year-old veteran ought to be above at this point in his career.
After the Rockets' 113-99 victory, Howard shared his thoughts about what transpired.
"Every time I play him [Garnett], he's always talking trash," said Howard, via ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo. "He'll have you so upset by the end of the game. ... Most of the time, he's just talking to himself, but you just think he's talking to you, so it's crazy."
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders had an interesting observation in his take on the situation:
Monday night's altercation wasn't Howard's first run-in with another player this season; the big man had spats with Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant prior to Monday's incident.
As for Garnett, given his diminished skills, perhaps a night out of the Brooklyn lineup may present an opportunity for coach Lionel Hollins to experiment with the rotation.
The Nets need some sort of change to spark their squad, which is well below .500 and barely in the meager Eastern Conference's playoff picture. Playing Garnett for approximately half of the game is a bit of a detriment, as it takes minutes away from a promising player in Mirza Teletovic.
A losing team and the absence of veteran leadership besides Garnett don't bode well for Brooklyn's outlook in 2014-15. When Garnett returns, it likely won't make much of an impact either way.
