Not only won’t the NBA suspend Knicks guard J.R. Smith but it has downgraded his infraction that occurred with 10 seconds left in their loss in Indiana on Tuesday when he threw Leandro Barbosa to the floor, causing his ejection.
According to an NBA source, the league downgraded Smith’s foul on Barbosa from a Flagrant 2 to a Flagrant 1, essentially ruling he didn’t need to be ejected.
A flagrant foul 2, according to the rulebook, is “unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent. It is an unsportsmanlike act and the offender is ejected following confirmation by instant replay review. The offender will be subject to a fine not exceeding $50,000 and/or suspension by the Commissioner.’’
Though Mike Woodson could be seen having a talk with Smith after Wednesday’s practice in Orlando, the Knicks coach was supportive of Smith’s act that occurred after he threw away an inbounds pass for an easy Pacers dunk. On the way back upcourt, Smith appeared to be intentionally bumping Barbosa. A few seconds later, when the two became entangled underneath, Smith threw him down.
Woodson called it unprofessional last night but softened his stance.
“I didn’t see the play and when I went back and watched it, I didn’t think anything was wrong with it,” Woodson said. “The call [the referee] made should’ve been a double foul. The kid (Barbosa) had him locked up. He just threw him off of him. Maybe he did it out of frustration. I probably would’ve done the same thing, I don’t know.’’
The NBA fined Smith $25,000 last month for posting a photo of a partially naked woman in his Milwaukee hotel room on his Twitter feed.
Smith was a participant in the Knicks-Nuggets brawl in 2006 while with Denver.