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Edited by shrrshrr

Can you understand Antonio Davis' reasoning for charging into the stands because he thought his wife were being heckled by a drunken patron? Obviously, yes. Should he be suspended for it? Just as obviously, yes.

What exactly happened in the stands is a matter of some confusion. The fan in question has vehemently denied heckling Davis' wife, instead claiming that she heckled him, and he is currently preparing a $1 million lawsuit against the Davises. Other eye-witnesses seem to support the fan’s view.

Ultimately, though, Davis’ claimed reason for going into the stands is inconsequential. After  the melee at Auburn Hills, the NBA, and rightly so, have taken a harsh view on players entering the stands. This is not another Auburn Hills, and Davis is not Ron Artest - he did not throw a punch at anyone, and by all accounts, Davis is a respectable player and human being. But what would have happened if the fan or someone else thought Davis was going into the stands to cause a brawl, and because of that, took a swing at him? In an already charged atmosphere due to it being Eddy Curry's first game back in Chicago after his controversial trade to the Knicks this off-season, we could easily have had another Auburn Hills on our hands.

So whether or not something happened to Davis' wife does not really matter. What matters is that Davis broke a vital rule of conduct for professional athletes – regardless of justification, you do not ever confront the fans. They are the ones paying your exorbitant salaries, after all. No, that does not give them carte-blanche to do what they want, and if you think someone is being unpleasant, you can – and must - point them out to security. Yes, that might be unsatisfying, but security, much like Davis, is there to do a job. For Davis to do it for them, however understandable it is, cannot be justified.

Despite the fact that 68% of respondents in an ESPN.com poll stated that Davis should not be suspended, it was always clear that Davis would get suspended by the league office. In my view, however, the five-game suspension Davis got was on the lenient side. Ron Artest got a season-long suspension for his role in the Auburn Hills' melee. As Davis did not throw a punch, this is not that serious - it could have been a lot worse. Nevertheless, I feel five games is about five too few. To me, anything less then a ten-game suspension for Davis would tell players like Ron Artest that the next time he wants to, well…pull a Ron Artest, he could just make up a bogus excuse about his family being threatened. After Auburn Hills, that is a dangerous road for professional sports to travel.