Update: Montrezl Harrell has been suspended five games for the altercation leading to him shoving an official. He will be unable to be called up by the Houston Rockets until he has served the entire suspension.
Original post follows:
Houston Rockets rookie Montrezl Harrell has put himself in a terrible situation. The big-man has been assigned to the NBA D-League, playing for the Rockets’ affiliate Rio Grande Vipers.
On Monday, the former Louisville Cardinal was immersed in an altercation at the end of a close loss. While yelling and shoving opposing players, Harrell lost his cool, shoving down an official who was trying to calm him (about the 7 second mark of the video above).
The National Basketball Referees’ Association released the following statement after the incident:
“After carefully reviewing videotape and related evidence concerning this incident, we have reached the inescapable conclusion that Harrell committed a deliberate assault and battery against Referee Goldenberg. Anything less than a multiple game suspension would constitute a green light for violence against officials,” said Lee Seham, NBRA general counsel.
Clearly, this is a bad look for Harrell. As a rookie still trying to gain a consistent role in the NBA, this sort of mistake can be a huge question mark placed on him. Harrell is talented enough to continue getting looks from teams, including the Rockets, but he may have cost himself some future money by adding a tick on the “personality issues” check box.
The Rockets and Harrell have yet to release a statement and there has been no talk of a suspension, yet, though it should be expected.
