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sports Diahuebs 11 November 2021

Jokic suspended 1 game by NBA, Morris and Butler fined

(AP) — After Denver’s Denver, one that prompted NBA player.
Nikola Jokic and Miami’s the brothers of the two play-
Markieff Morris hit one ers who had the starring roles “A stupid play,” Jokic conced-
another, the NBA hit back. in the dustup to take their an- ed. “I feel bad.”
ger to Twitter.
And the reigning MVP took It all adds up to an ugly mess
the worst of that. “It’s a situation that I think for the NBA, which surely
we’ll all learn from, not al- wasn’t thrilled by either foul
Jokic has been suspended lowing emotions to get the or any of the shenanigans
one game for shoving Mor- best of us,” Nuggets coach that followed, including a
ris in the back, the league an- Michael Malone said Tues- scene captured in a photo
nounced Tuesday night. That day, a few hours before the from the Denver Post that
means Jokic won’t play on decision by NBA President showed Heat players lined
Wednesday when the Nug- of League Operations Byron up outside their locker room
gets host Indiana. Spruell was announced. postgame, not far from the
Denver locker room. The
Morris won’t be playing on Emotions were clearly not newspaper reported that But-
Wednesday, either: The Heat under control Monday night. ler “yelled down the hallway,
said he has a neck injury, di- telling Nuggets players they stands. mother, Angel Morris.
agnosed as whiplash, and has It all started late in the Den- know where Miami’s bus was
been ruled out from Miami’s ver-Miami game, shortly parked.” They joined Twitter on Tues- “Momma said don’t talk on
matchup at the Los Angeles after the Heat ire was raised day, and their first tweet was social media no more! Well
Lakers. when no call was made after And then it became a family directed at Marcus Morris. There you have it. I love you
they thought Jokic fouled affair. momma,” Marcus Morris
Morris was fined $50,000 for Bam Adebayo. Morris “You should leave this the wrote.
his role in the mess, and Heat stopped play a few seconds “Waited till bro turned his way it is instead of publicly
forward Jimmy Butler drew later by intentionally crash- back smh. NOTED,” Mar- threatening our brother!Your That vow of Twitter silence
a $30,000 fine “for attempt- ing into Jokic from the side, cus Morris tweeted. brother made a dirty play lasted all of 47 minutes.
ing to escalate the altercation a foul that referees called fla- first . If you want to make a
and failing to comply with grant. Jokic has two older brothers, step further be sure we will Marcus Morris, responding
an NBA Security interview Strahinja and Nemanja Jokic. be waiting for you !! Jokic to a tweet from former NFL
as part of the review process Jokic then blindsided Morris They got attention during Brothers,” they tweeted. standout and current tele-
pertaining to an on-court with a hard shove from be- last season’s playoffs when vision commentator Shan-
matter,” the league said. hind. Heat players were livid matters between Jokic and The tweet went viral right non Sharpe defending Jokic,
at what they perceived to be a Phoenix’s Devin Booker got away, and a few hours later quickly returned to social
The NBA’s decision was the cheap shot from Jokic, and so heated; Jokic wound up get- Marcus Morris returned to media and told Sharpe to
last salvo in a wild day follow- was Marcus Morris — Mar- ting ejected and his brothers Twitter — apparently after “shut ... up.”
ing Monday night’s scuffle in kieff Morris’ twin and fellow had to be held back in the getting a talking-to from his

Baseball GMs move at usual, slow pace as lockout looms

(AP) — Used to the of- sport’s first work stoppage in distributed ahead of their Carlsbad for the union’s ses- million luxury tax threshold
ten glacial pace of base- 26 years. media availability. sions with player agents. The this year. Only the Los An-
ball free agency in recent sides were to meet as part of geles Dodgers and San Di-
winters, general managers “We’re going about business Until there’s an agreement, talks that have been ongoing ego were projected to be over
are treating the threat of a as usual and remaining opti- teams can’t be sure what lux- for months. People on both the threshold in 2021, pend-
work stoppage next month mistic that what we’ve seen ury tax levels will be in place sides said players and owners ing final payroll figures next
as not even a speedbump over essentially the last three for 2022. The current tax sys- are far apart on the big eco- month.
in the sport’s offseason. decades will hopefully con- tem sunsets with the expira- nomic issues.
tinue,” Chicago White Sox tion of the labor deal. “We’ve obviously put our-
While other sports launch a general manager Rick Hahn The percentage of free agents selves in a better position. We
free agent frenzy in the first said Tuesday on the first full “I think you can paralyze with completed agreements reset ourselves in the CBT,”
few days of their business day of Major League Base- yourself trying to plan for through the third week of Cashman said, referring to
seasons, front-line baseball ball’s first in-person GM every single one of them,” January fluctuated from the acronym for what is of-
free agents increasingly delay meetings in two years. Houston GM James Click about 25% in 2018 to 33% in ficially called the competitive
decisions until spring train- said of the many possibili- 2019, rose to approximately balance tax. “That was im-
ing approaches. Pretty much the exact same ties. “There are obviously a 55% in 2020, then sank to portant for us last year. That’s
words were repeated by base- lot of different ways the base- 17% last offseason. the big unknown. It’s busi-
A lockout is likely when base- ball operations executives of ball landscape could look in ness as usual as we’re going
ball’s labor contract expires other teams, making it sound a month or two. We’re op- “It really does depend on through our conversations
Dec. 1, which would be the like a common talking point timistic about it. Hopefully, each agency and then each thus far under the current
it’ll just be business as usual. individual and then where agreement, and if it changes
And we’ll try to plan for it as you are as a team and what we’ll adjust to those changes
best we can. But we’re deal- your particular strategy is,” whenever they both get on
ing with the economic world Toronto general manager the same page and find com-
that we have right now and Ross Atkins said. “It does mon ground.”
trying to plan for the poten- take a good bit of time to get
tial in the future.” 30 teams and X number of Seattle president of baseball
players and all of their repre- operations Jerry Dipoto in-
Deputy Commissioner Dan sentation prepared. And then sists he is not trying to pre-
Halem, management’s chief teams and agents and players dict where an agreement
negotiator, was in town for want to learn a little bit more winds up.
the GM meetings at the before they move, and this is
same time Bruce Meyer, the part of the learning process.” “All you’re doing is driving
union’s senior director of col- Yankees GM Brian Cashman yourself crazy,” he said. “Just
lective bargaining and legal, heads into 2022 knowing focus on what you can con-
was at a neighboring hotel in New York got under the $210 trol and stay disciplined.”