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As expected Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey was on the defensive at Thursday’s practice protecting his star player from the indefensible in the wake of DeMar DeRozan‘s humiliating ejection and flagrant foul on Bojan Bogdanovic in Wednesday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
“I don’t think DeMar intended to hit him or hurt him,” Casey stated. “I don’t even know if he hit [him] that hard, I think he [Bogdanovic] was trying to sell it to the officials. You don’t want anybody to come into your gym and show you up and you don’t want to take your frustration out and the possibility of being suspended.”
DeRozan threw a brutal blindside bodycheck on Bogdanovic, a hit that would make any NHL enforcer proud, as his opponent cut for a layup in the closing minutes of the Raptors’ 109-93 loss at The Air Canada Centre. The hard foul was completely unexpected from DeRozan, known more for his skill and finesse, and appeared to be a stupid reaction borne out of frustration in the closing minutes of his team’s second straight loss.
Sure, DeRozan’s meltdown could be explained by the fact that he has struggled both physically and mentally since making his return to the lineup on January 14 after missing nearly seven weeks recovering from a groin injury.
It’s also important to note that the Raptors and Nets are fierce rivals that can trace their recent hostilities back to last year’s heated opening-round playoff series when the Raptors were eliminated in seven games. Toronto gutted out an overtime win in Brooklyn last Friday and the Nets were clearly out for revenge in Wednesday’s rematch, a feisty and physical affair from the opening jump.
Brooklyn’s bench were up on their feet for most of the game and wildly celebrated every point as they began to dominate and eventually pull away from the Raptors. DeRozan snapped with only 1:02 remaining in the fourth quarter as Bogdanovic cut to the basket for what appeared to be an easy basket and further rub salt in Toronto’s wounds.
“It was just a hard foul,” DeRozan told the Toronto Star. “They had it going and they were ruling like they were the number one team in the East. I just wasn’t going to let them get anything easy.”
Like it or not We The North, DeRozan deserves to be suspended for the foul because it could have easily led to a serious injury for his opponent. Given the lack of affection between the two teams his punk move could have also caused both benches to empty. For those reasons DeRozan should pay the price with a fine or single-game ban.
I recently criticized Detroit Pistons forward Andre Drummond for his hockey-style body check on Raptors forward James Johnson on December 19, calling for his suspension because it jeopardized player safety. DeRozan should also be disciplined because his foul was also completely intentional. He couldn’t deal with the loss and his unpleasant numbers of just 13 points and three costly turnovers. But dealing with setbacks and having superior self control is what separates professional athletes from the amateurs.
Unfortunately, as with Drummond’s foul, it is doubtful the league office will take any further action on DeRozan. By choosing to do nothing on flagrant fouls like DeRozan’s, the NBA is sending the wrong message to other players, not to mention the millions of young fans worldwide.
Peter Mallett is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RedCardTheRef1 like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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