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Perth Wildcats big man Jesse Wagstaff has been surprisingly suspended for an innocuous collision with Melbourne United’s Lachie Barker.
The incident occurred in United’s upset 84-81 win over the Wildcats on Friday.
Late in the first quarter Wagstaff blocked Barker with a physical screen, allowing his Perth teammate to dribble the ball out of the back-court.
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Wagstaff slightly dropped his shoulder and it made contact with Barker right on his chin, sending him falling to the ground in obvious pain.
On Monday the NBL charged Wagstaff with “unduly rough play” and the incident was assessed as a two-game suspension, reduced to a one-game suspension with an early guilty plea. The panel deemed the incident as careless, high impact and high contact.
Wagstaff has until Wednesday at 6pm AEDT to take the early plea or appeal the decision to a Single Member Tribunal.
Basketball fans and pundits were stunned the NBL had sanctioned Wagstaff for a fairly standard screen.
“He just dropped the shoulder ever so slightly but that’s when you’re trying to protect yourself,” Andrew Gaze said in commentary on ESPN.
“There is no malice. He wasn’t trying to hurt him in anyway.”
Responding to a video of the incident on Twitter, Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson said: “That’s a suspension? Hmmmm – I would have been suspended quite a few times!”
ESPN’s Kane Pitman said: “A truly surprising verdict here. Was not expecting this.”
Former West Coast Eagles player Will Schofield joked: “2 weeks down to 1 with an early guilty plea… sounds like the AFL match review panel has crossed codes to the NBL in the off-season. Result over action.”
Sports reporter Roy Ward added: “I can’t accept this is a suspension or accept the argument that his shoulder movement was reckless conduct.
“Barker was always going to collide at a horrible angle, was blind to the screen. I’m disappointed Perth didn’t challenge this. It doesn’t pass the pub test.”
The three-point win was crucial for Melbourne United and moves them to sixth on the ladder with a 2-2 record.
Round 3 of the NBL season wraps up on Monday night with the Illawarra Hawks taking on the New Zealand Breakers.
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