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Thursday, April 19, 2001
Wallace threw towel at Sabonis in loss to Lakers
Associated Press
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TUALATIN, Ore. – Rasheed Wallace was suspended for one game
by the Portland Trail Blazers for throwing a towel into the face of
teammate Arvydas Sabonis during an argument in a loss to the
Lakers.
Wallace will be suspended for Tuesday's regular-season finale
against San Antonio for "conduct detrimental to the success of the
team," coach Mike Dunleavy said Monday.
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| Sabonis |
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| Wallace |
It was the second time this season Wallace has been suspended by
Dunleavy.
Wallace will rejoin the Blazers on Wednesday as they prepare for
their first-round playoff opponent, likely to be the Lakers. Asked
whether Wallace can be a productive member of the team in the
playoffs, Dunleavy said, "The answer to that really depends on
Rasheed."
"As far as all parties are concerned, hopefully we come to
practice on Wednesday and you basically bury the hatchet," he
added.
Wallace also was suspended two games by the NBA in early
February for throwing a towel that grazed the cheek of referee Gary
Benson, who had ejected him.
While Wallace's tantrums over officiating have become notorious,
he never had publicly feuded with a teammate before Sunday.
During the third quarter of a 105-100 loss to the Lakers,
Sabonis was shoved out of the way by Shaquille O'Neal, who was
going for a rebound. Sabonis, trying to draw a foul, flailed his
arms, and his left hand smacked Wallace in the face.
Wallace, who had his left eye blackened by Sabonis' elbow during
another inadvertent hit at Golden State on April 6, doubled over.
He yelled at Sabonis as the teams went to their benches for a
time-out. Still furious, Wallace threw a small, white towel into
Sabonis' face, then walked away. The 7-foot-3 Lithuanian center sat
red-faced, as teammates Will Perdue and Scottie Pippen stared after
Wallace in disbelief.
Dunleavy said there was some miscommunication on the part of
both players, but that it didn't excuse Wallace's action.
"The reaction wasn't, I don't think, fair, as far as being
warranted. But there is another side to the story," Dunleavy said.
Asked what most disappointed him about the incident, Dunleavy
said: "Just the fact that it's two teammates getting into it, and
you need to be more understanding of each other.
"Sure, it was heat of the moment, but it's something that has
to be, I'm sure, worked out somewhat over time. But we'll get it
behind us."
Neither Wallace nor Sabonis would comment following the game.
The team said the players would not be made available for
interviews on Monday.
Wallace has been ejected seven times this season and has racked
up 41 technical fouls, breaking the league record of 38 he set last
season. But he seemed to calm down after getting thrown out of a
home loss to Minnesota on April 1.
Dunleavy, making good on a warning to Wallace the last time he
had been ejected, suspended Wallace for a game at Denver on April
3. He got just one technical foul in his next five games.
He scored 28 points on Sunday and hit several big shots in the
second half to keep the Blazers close. But the Lakers outscored
them 6-0 in the final 1:59 to win.
The Blazers have lost 13 of 21 games, including five straight
against playoff-bound teams from the Western Conference. A win by
Phoenix on Monday night will make Portland the seventh-seeded team
in the playoffs and pit the Blazers against the second-seeded
Lakers.
"If you've got the strength and the character and the mindset
that, `Hey, the most important thing is to win and play as a
group,' then we can get it done," Dunleavy said.
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