Rockets Report: (VIDEO) Montrezl Harrell Suspended For Five Games
The Houston Rockets took care of business and did their thing last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers!
With this team being down as much as by 19 points, they spent most of the second half playing catch-up and finally got themselves back in the fray.
This was as a result of heroics by James Harden, Michael Beasley, Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza.
The shots started falling and they actually played slightly tighter defense!
We beat the Cavs with LeBron James in the lineup last season so it didn’t really matter that he wasn’t playing.
No LeBron? No problem!
It goes to show that they can turn it up when they want to which I think we’d be a dangerous opponent when the playoffs start next month.
But I won’t put the cart before horse as there’s still work to do to get ourselves in but still thinking it’s highly likely.
But one things for sure, the Rockets’ holsters will be void of one their largest guns off the bench for a considerable stretch.
The Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck has confirmed that Montrezl Harrell has been suspended for five games without pay by the D-League:
Montrezl Harrell suspended 5 games w/out pay for shoving referee to the floor in a D-League game. pic.twitter.com/dK2zixfVRL
— @howardbeck.bsky.social (@HowardBeck) March 29, 2016
What did he do?
Harrell, who had been recently sent back down to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, was involved in a contest in a home game against the Bakersfield Jam this past Saturday.
He and forward Derek Cooke Jr. were involved in a shoving altercation immediately following the Vipers 119-115 loss.
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But here’s the kicker — in that process, a D-League referee who was trying to play peacemaker tried to jump in but got shoved ferociously to the floor by Harrell.
Now it’s tough to tell if what he did was intentional but here’s a clip of the video and YOU be the judge:
It looks as if he was extremely frustrated and I think he would’ve honestly took out anybody that was in his path.
This is quite surprising from a guy that’s normally even-keel when he steps out on to the court.
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So whatever Cooke said to him must’ve been pushed his buttons correctly and bada-boom, bada-bing…Harrell just plain loses it.
This suspension will cost Harrell about $45,000 in pay but will save the Rockets about $34,000 in luxury tax expense; because, as well all know, they’re over the cap for 2015-16.
It’s also important to note that Cooke has been suspended for one game as well.
Because of the suspension, the Rockets won’t be able to recall Harrell until it has been served so let’s just hope our bigs stay healthy.
I’m a big fan of Harrell — especially from his Louisville days — and I had a feeling he was going to outplay his 2nd-round draft status of this year and I’d even go as far to categorize him as a steal because he has been nothing but a boon for the Rockets since he got here!
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I don’t expect this to be a pattern but just boiling emotions from a guy that just lost a game on his home court.
Harrell, 22, has been averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 65.9 percent from the field through 38 games with the Rockets with one start in 2015-16.
Go Rockets.