Arron Afflalo was ejected from last night’s game against the Utah Jazz, resulting in a win for the Denver Nuggets. He was ejected for a flagrant foul, hitting Alec Burks in the head while going for a layup. If you have missed the foul, here is the play:
It was a really bad hit to the head, and when your airborne like Alec Burks was, it is just a very dangerous situation. Arron Afflalo commented on the situation after the game.
“I was trying to go for a block, pretty much,” Afflalo said. “I’m not trying to be a tough guy, not trying to commit a hard foul. Things that ensue after that is all verbal in front of the refs and a lot of people. To me that means nothing. Honestly I just thought I committed a hard foul and he finished the game so he was OK.”
He’s right, it is really obvious Arron is just going for the block, but the thing is sometimes the referees take into consideration the impact it has on the player as well, and Alec Burks was on the ground for a while, leading to a flagrant 2 foul.
Afflalo’s Coach Brain Shaw shared similar views saying ““I understand the flagrant because it was a strike to the head, but I thought that the hit to the head happened because he ducked on the layup. Arron was trying to swipe, trying to make a play at the ball. … Those things happen. It was a hard foul. Arron’s not a dirty player, so it wasn’t intentional by any means.”
Hopefully no fines, or suspensions occur as the Denver Nuggets try to stay relevant in the western conference.
