After his flagrant 2 foul and ejection in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs for elbowing Naz Reid, many fans and media members called for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama to be suspended.
“Well, I’m gonna tell you what, they better do it, and if they don’t, it’s gonna be a horrible look on Adam Silver and the NBA if they allow him to get away with this without suspending him for Game 5,” ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said on Monday.
“He looked Nas Reid in the eye and lined him up and hit him with a vicious elbow. That could have caused serious injuries to that man. And if they don’t suspend him, it’s going to tell a lot of fans what the NBA is about, because it can’t be about protecting players. It’s going to be about money, views, and stardom. And if you do that, you’re sending a horrible message.”
Ultimately, the league elected not to punish Wembanyama further, upholding his eligibility for Game 5 of the series on Tuesday night.
In a revelation that may come as a surprise to Perkins and others who wanted Wembanyama to be suspended, veteran point guard Mike Conley, one of the most respected players not only in Minnesota’s locker room but in the entire NBA, revealed that Minnesota didn’t want any suspension handed down.
“I don’t think we thought about it at all. Once the ruling came down, we expected that. Move forward. We don’t want guys to miss games. We want to play against the best,” Conley told reporters ahead of the pivotal Game 5.
It’s a great reminder that even amid all of the outside noise and calls for escalation, what matters most to the players is competing against the best.
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