P's Didn't Know About Harrison

[FlavaDave]

From TrueHoop:

According to Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star, the NBA drug policy leaves teams in the dark: "When the NBA office called Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird the other day, the news was as shocking as it was disheartening. The Pacers' underachieving and monumentally disappointing young center, David Harrison, had tested positive for marijuana for the third time in his career, drawing a five-game suspension. Turns out, Bird and the Pacers organization had no idea that Harrison had tested positive for anything. Ever. That's league policy as it relates to marijuana. And that's ridiculous."

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-29-60/First-Cup--Thursday.html

[Unclebuck]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Obviously the Pacers didn't know that harrison has tested positve twice before. But I would think they have to suspect certain players enjoy a little weed from time to time.

[Bball]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Where's Ike? Has he appeared since Harrison's suspension?

-Bball

[JayRedd]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Obviously the Pacers didn't know that harrison has tested positve twice before. But I would think they have to suspect certain players enjoy a little weed from time to time.

Yeah...I'm pretty sure they were aware of the blunts Sam Perkins used to smoke at half-time.

[Shack80]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

David just can't do anything to help himself. I really don't find smoking weed to be a high crime or really care, but it is against league rules and its simple to just not do it. David needs to grow up quick before he pisses away what could have been a decent NBA career.

[Los Angeles]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

It doesn't matter if the team knew or not. I'm more interested in knowing if Harrison knew himself. If he knew that he already had 2 strikes and smoked during the season anyway, then shame on him.

[JayRedd]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

David needs to grow up quick before he pisses away what could have been a decent NBA career.

Literally.

[Bball]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

It doesn't matter if the team knew or not. I'm more interested in knowing if Harrison knew himself. If he knew that he already had 2 strikes and smoked during the season anyway, then shame on him.

How could he not know? Doesn't each infraction carry an escalating penalty that would've had to have been levied?

-Bball

[Kraft]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

I'm not sure about the letter of the law, but this seems ridiculous. Does the league stand by while Team X hands out an extension to Pot Smoker Y? That reeks of the ludicrous.

That said, I'm sure teams mostly know about their players antics. But if the Pacers gave Goodie Twoshoes a new deal only to watch him get suspended for doing the one-hitter a third time ... well, I'd cry foul.

[Doddage]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Where's Ike? Has he appeared since Harrison's suspension?

-Bball

He's fallen out of the rotation.

[Haggard]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

The hole idea that a player can test positive three times before any action is insane. Not only is the pot illegal it is a clear violation of league rules.

Its quite simple really, Either you play sport or you don't do drugs. I had a brother who played Australian Rules at a state level and he wasn't even allowed to take cold & flu tablets as they breached the league drug policy (not too sure why, i think an ingredient in them is used as a masking agent for performance enhancers). But thats the breaks of playing sport at an elite. But then again. if you got caught just once you got punished. Thats probably what is lacking in the NBA.

[McKeyFan]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Literally.

[McKeyFan]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

How could he not know? Doesn't each infraction carry an escalating penalty that would've had to have been levied?

-Bball

I think he's saying the real point is that Harrison knew himself, not questioning if he did.

I think.

[BillS]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

The hole idea that a player can test positive three times before any action is insane. Not only is the pot illegal it is a clear violation of league rules.

That's not what happens. The league imposes specific actions on the player for each infraction but doesn't notify the team until the third infraction.

[Naptown_Seth]

Re: P's Didn't Know About Harrison

Yeah, it's odd that the team wouldn't be in the loop as it developed. I guess that was worked out in the CBA to help players, give them a little breathing room to get their own act together without getting an instant rep.

Who knows how many players are out there with a 1 time failure. Nash, Duncan and Lebron could be on that list and we (and their teams) might never know.