But World Peace also has shown that he is a player prone to emotional outbursts that have virtually no bounds and whose potential damage to the game is immeasurable. Whether he likes it or not, that is his reputation.
Personally, I thought World Peace got off easy. He should have gotten 10 games based on the intent and his track record. But that’s a discussion for another day.
Here’s today’s discussion: If Sacramento Kings forward Thomas Robinson wasn’t a rookie playing his fifth game and still devoid of a reputation, how many games would his suspension have been?
On Wednesday, Robinson cold-cocked Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko in an incident that had some similarities to World Peace’s assault of Harden. It didn’t happen in the flow of the game. There was time to line up the blow and maximize the effect. And it clearly was intentional.
The result was similar, too. Jerebko crumpled to the floor from the unexpected shot, which found his throat. And Robinson was immediately ejected.
On Thursday, the NBA suspended Robinson for two games. Given the intent, the violence of the act, Jerebko’s vulnerability and the fact that it occurred after a whistle had stopped play, it sure seems like Robinson got off easy with just a two-game ban.
Before dropping Jerebko, Robinson’s reputation – established in college – was merely that he was a physical player who wasn’t afraid to mix it up within the framework of the game.
But you can bet the next time Robinson is involved in one of these incidents, the suspension will be more than two games. Because whether he likes it or not, in the eyes of the NBA, he now has a reputation, too.