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Reactions: Joe Smith

The punishment does not fit the crime

Joe Smith is now a free agent as a result of the stiff penalty handed down to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Otto Greule Jr/Allsport

NBA commissioner David Stern dropped the hammer on the Minnesota Timberwolves for making an under-the-table deal with Joe Smith. The T'wolves were fined $3.5 million, stripped of their next five first-round draft picks and the Smith contract was voided, making the former Maryland Terrapin a free agent. We asked CNNSI.com users if they thought the punishment was too harsh, and judging by the responses we received, most of you think that it is. Here's a sample:

The Timberwolves were punished much too severely by commissioner David Stern. The loss of five future first-round draft picks could cripple a franchise that is already mediocre.
Brian Matthews, Syracuse, N.Y.

The NBA was too harsh in this decision. You know other teams like the Knicks, the Mavericks and the Blazers with Paul Allen's fat pockets all do these "secret" deals. Yes, punish the Timberwolves for the crime, but please do not destroy the entire franchise for the next 5 years. The punishment does not fit the crime. Try investigating the large-market franchises and see what they are doing!
Vinnie Lee, Diamond Bar, Calif.

It is not the T'wolves or Joe Smith that were punished. Rather, as usual, it was the fans. Smith will still make his millions, the Wolves are still worth a lot of money, but the people who can't afford the ridiculous ticket prices, but supported their team anyway, now have to suffer through years of bad teams because Stern wanted to make a point. Do you think he would have taken away five No. 1s from the Knicks or Lakers? No chance.
Greg, Minneapolis

Yes, I believe that they deserve it, because it simply implies that they don't respect the NBA, and specially Mr. David Stern, by making the secret deal. This would be a lesson for all the teams.
Adrian, Manila, Philippines

Punishments should always be handed down in proportion to the severity of the crime committed. It is unethical to punish a team with the additional intent to make an example of them. That is just what David Stern did in this case.
Basketball Fan, Washington, D.C.

The NBA was right in punishing Minnesota for what they did, but taking away their next five first-round picks is ridiculous. They might as well have just taken away their franchise.
Paul, Colorado Springs, Colo.

I believe that Minnesota got what they deserve. If a team is going to cheat, and they get caught, I believe that they should be punished to the maximum. It doesn't matter if it is the Lakers, the Knicks or Seattle. You cheat, you pay.
Loran Fiander, Seattle, Wash.

This is a fair punishment (as will be the suspensions for Taylor/McHale) except for the Bird rights issue, which exceeds Stern's authority here. Commissioners typically think they're God, and this is a perfect example of that. The plain fact is that the arbitration decision is a binding legal decision. Stern naturally would prefer to pretend otherwise, but in voiding deals that went beyond the arbitration finding, he went too far. If the players' union and Smith opt to challenge Stern on voiding the Bird rights -- and doing so would be in both parties' best interest -- they will probably beat him like a drum.
Don St. John, Amherst, Mass.

I can't recall ever reading about a situation like this before in the NBA, so I wouldn't know how it should be handled. My question to you guys is, how come no mention of Kevin McHale's name? You guys know he's in the middle of this mess, yet you give us Joe Smith's name. What ever happens to the Wolves is definitely the fault of McHale because he's in charge of basketball operations. You always want to blame the player like he thought of this scam.
Dwayne Nailon, Cincinnati, Ohio

What the T'wolves did was wrong, but can you blame them? Losing Tom Gugliotta and being forced to trade Stephan Marbury really hurt this franchise. Glen Taylor was simply attempting to sign a good player/person to stay around for a while. David Stern locked out the players to get the salary cap rules that prevented to T'wolves from legally signing Smith in the first place. I think it's too bad that a team gets punished the way Minnesota has for trying to build a model franchise. McHale has assembled one of the best groups of players in the entire NBA. No more Laettner. No more Rider. The T'wolves brought in good people, and Stern punishes the team and the fans for that.
Steve Johnston, St. Cloud, Minn.

I feel the Timberwolves deserve the to be fined. They have once again gone ahead of the NBA rules and the last one caused a strike, which all the NBA players and fans are the only losers in the end. Timberwolves are a great team and I wish them all the best, but we need all the NBA teams to follow the NBA rulings and not make up there own. David Stern, NBA commissioner is quite right to make an example of them. Two thumbs up for David Stern.
Maxine Mason, Stanton, Calif.

Obviously, secret deals are allowed only for big-market teams. Small-market teams that try to keep up by doing the same things will receive the death penalty. Obviously, "competition" to the NBA means exactly the same thing as it does to the WWF.
Paul Wickre, Madison, Wis.

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