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Could Rockets-Heat Melee Lead To NHL-Like Fighting Penalties?

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Houston Rockets and Miami Heat players break up a fight between Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) and Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the fourth quarter

In the aftermath of the melee that ensued towards the end of the Houston Rockets loss to the Miami Heat, multiple players are expected to be suspended. At least one, Rockets two-way playmaker Amen Thompson, almost certainly will. After getting tied up with Miami’s All-Star hopeful during an inbounds pass, the second-year pro swiftly slammed Tyler Herro on the ground.

Heat veteran Terry Rozier immediately rushed the 21-year-old, prompting Rockets star Jalen Green to defend his teammate. As the bodies piled up, Herro was circling, his pride seeming to tear him in different directions. Thompson came up unscathed, firing a few choice words at the Kentucky product. Heat defender Haywood Highsmith and Rockets rising star Alperen Sengun were also incensed and had to be restrained.

Could Rockets-Heat Melee Lead To NHL-Like Fighting Penalties?

Following the mix-up, Thompson and Herro were both ejected for fighting infractions. Green and Rozier were ejected for escalating the situation. Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan was also ejected due to crew chief Mark Davis taking exception to his language towards him.

It was a wild ending to Sunday night’s slate of games but one that leaves a serious question.

With NBA players fighting with increasing frequency, how should the league respond?

Former NBA commissioner David Stern would’ve probably instituted draconian rules in order to curb the violence. Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants the game to be clean as well, so much so that players are fined for using expletives during live television interviews.

However, when considering the discourse around NBA ratings, perhaps allowing more of that physicality (and drama) should be considered without necessarily being encouraged. One way to accomplish this could be to institute a hockey-style penalty system.

NBA Penalty Box?

In a league like the NHL, players are often sent to the penalty box for their adverse reactions.

Minor penalties lead to players being put in the box for two minutes. Major penalties, such as fighting, are all but guaranteed to have them spending five minutes in the box. Misconduct penalties, which are for particularly egregious offenses, call for 10 minutes in the penalty box. Players are only ejected for game misconduct penalties, which usually occur when an opponent is injured by their actions or if they receive two misconduct penalties.

There’s no need for the NBA to affix a glass box to the bench to adapt these rules. Of course, they could if they want to. However, players could also simply be sent to the bench or locker room for their penalty minutes.

In the fight that occurred between the Rockets and Heat, players wouldn’t have been ejected. Nonetheless, with so little time left in the game, their penalties would’ve essentially forced them out of the game. These type of scenarios could help players keep their tempers in check without fear of being severely for a momentary lapse in judgment.

Ratings Booster

Instituting a NHL-style rule system might also get fans more get fired up, no matter where they’re at. When players involved in a scuffle come back to the court, the tension will add electricity to the atmosphere. Those types of incidents can also lead to team rivalries, which are also good for a ratings boost.

There’s a fine line between chaos and control that the NBA will need to be conscious of. However, if the league can walk that line as well as hockey skates on it, what’s not to like

The best argument would be that it sets the wrong example of how the game should be played. Yet, frustration and catharsis are part of human nature. Severely punishing players for fighting might not be as worthwhile a message as allowing them to be human but creating rules of engagement when tempers flare.

The post Could Rockets-Heat Melee Lead To NHL-Like Fighting Penalties? appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.