DeLaWho? DeLaWhat? DeLaWhere?

As many people may already know, Pacers players Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal were given lengthy suspensions for their roles in the brawl in Detroit on Friday night. I actually saw the brawl live, after I woke up from a long nap after an academic sprint towards Thanksgiving break. As the events unfolded on Friday night, I was stunned. Stunned by the behavior of the fans and the behavior of the players, the entire situation seemed surreal. It is always said that a few bad apples ruin it for the entire group. Their were more than a few bad apples in that crowd at Detroit. While Artest's reaction was a bit rash, the behavior of the fans was inexcusable. While Artest and Jackson deserved their suspensions, O'Neal received a harsh punishment. The two other players attacked fans in the stands, O'Neal attacked the morons that came on the court. It's one thing for players to go into the stands, but for the fans to approach players on the court...they were asking for it. All three players, while they deserve their punishments, have very strong cases to file grievances with the NBA and the city of Detroit. Their exit should have been safe and protected from the chairs, bottles, and cups that were being thrown their way. You can't blame the players for everything...there has to be a way to punish the Detroit Pistons organization and the Detroit Pistons fans. Make them play 3 home games without paying fans or something. I have heard people talking about bringing up charges on the players...do you really think that they will be convicted? Bottomline: the Detroit fans played a huge role in the brawl and they as a group should be punished. Just because you pay 300 dollars for courtside tickets, it doesnt mean that you can throw beer and racial insults at players.