CJ McCollum Says NBA 'Didn't Have to Suspend' Him for Season Opener

While CJ McCollum acknowledges he broke a rule by leaving the bench in an on-court altercation during Wednesday's preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, he believes the NBA could have used discretion and not suspended him for their regular-season opener.

"They could have suspended me for the preseason game," McCollum said, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. "They could have fined me more money and allowed me to play in the regular-season game. It's the intent and it's usually up to them; it's to their discretion. So they had a choice. They didn't have to suspend me."

McCollum, 26, will sit out Wednesday's opener in Phoenix for briefly stepping away from the bench during the fracas. He only left the designated area for a brief time before returning to the bench but still broke a longstanding NBA rule, which led to the one-game ban. 

"I thought CJ was at the level where you don't get in trouble for that," teammate Evan Turner said. "I was going to walk on the court, but I was like, 'No. They're not messing around—they would cancel the whole year if I was on the court.' I just figured (with) CJ, they would just let it go."

The NBA's implementation of the rule, which is an attempt to curb players from escalating potential physical altercations, has long been inconsistent. The Washington Wizards' Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris were not suspended during a playoff matchup with the Atlanta Hawks last season despite leaving the bench in a similar manner.

While some could argue there's a difference between a major difference between a playoff game and one regular-season contest, McCollum was clearly aware of the history. 

"I think it's interesting that...there's a rule in place, but it hasn't always been enforced," McCollum said. "Obviously, I wasn't trying to escalate the situation. I was trying to look out for a teammate. But they decided to suspend me."