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The NBA decided on Thursday to hit a couple of Los Angeles Lakers players for their roles in the fight that broke out with the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Despite not being involved with the fight, Talen Horton-Tucker got suspended. Montrezl Harrell was the other Laker who got in trouble as he was fined $20,000.
While it’s not a surprise that some players got in trouble, many are not happy that Harrell was fined. He believes that he was just defending his teammate Dennis Schroder after he picked up and dropped by OG Anunoby. Jared Dudley was one of the Lakers to come out and blast the NBA for fining the center.
Obviously, the NBA would prefer it if players don’t start fighting on the court. However, Harrell saw his teammate get picked up and slammed to the ground. That could’ve caused Schroder a serious injury. Harrell was the closest teammate to the situation and he wasn’t going to let that go. A slap on the wrist makes sense but the fine was probably too steep for what he did.
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Schroder Going to Pay Harrell’s Fine?
One positive thing that has come from the fight is that Schroder and Harrell appear closer than ever. The veteran guard couldn’t praise Harrell enough for defending him. He wasn’t initially aware that his teammate got fined but Schroder seemed to suggest that he’ll be paying the fine.
“Who got fined? Trezz?” Schroder asked after Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat. “Oh, yeah we’re going to take care of that. He had my back, so we’re going to take care of that for sure.”
Schroder is making $15.5 million this season compared to Harrell’s $9.7 million. It’s a very nice gesture that he’d be willing to pay his fine. Harrell is definitely the type of player who would respect that.
Harrell Responded to Dudley’s Comments
Harrell and Dudley are two of the most outspoken Lakers. They love to give their opinions on social media and when talking to the media. In fact, Harrell has already stated that he didn’t think he did anything wrong when he defended Schroder.
“I didn’t get an explanation,” Harrell said Tuesday. “I went over there to defend my teammate, just like I would do any other time. I’d do it for any other player or if it was to happen again. That’s not the way you do things. He literally grabbed his leg and dropped him right on his back. … It’s wrong and I don’t think I did anything wrong to be ejected, but it is what it is.”
Those comments came before the fine news dropped. He took note of what Dudley said on Twitter and told the NBA to give him his money back.
Harrell will likely appeal the decision but it remains to be seen if anything will come from it. Despite many not seeing anything wrong with what he did, the NBA clearly wasn’t a fan.
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