Tweet
Jermaine O'Neal won a 10-game reduction Wednesday in his suspension for fighting with fans during the Nov. 19 Pacers-Pistons brawl, but an arbitrator upheld NBA commissioner David Stern's suspensions for Ron Artest and two other Indiana players.
Arbitrator Roger Kaplan's decision makes O'Neal eligible to return Saturday, when the Pacers host the Pistons in the teams' first matchup since one of the most violent melees in NBA history.
But it was unclear whether the NBA would recognize Kaplan's authority to intervene. The league refused to participate in the arbitration hearing Kaplan conducted Dec. 9.
The NBA had no immediate comment.
O'Neal had been suspended for 25 games, Artest for the rest of the season. Two other Pacers players also appealed their suspensions: Stephen Jackson was banned for 30 games, and Anthony Johnson for five.
Source: AP
Arbitrator Roger Kaplan's decision makes O'Neal eligible to return Saturday, when the Pacers host the Pistons in the teams' first matchup since one of the most violent melees in NBA history.
But it was unclear whether the NBA would recognize Kaplan's authority to intervene. The league refused to participate in the arbitration hearing Kaplan conducted Dec. 9.
The NBA had no immediate comment.
O'Neal had been suspended for 25 games, Artest for the rest of the season. Two other Pacers players also appealed their suspensions: Stephen Jackson was banned for 30 games, and Anthony Johnson for five.
Source: AP