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Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
The NBA continues to investigate Bruce Bowen's role in the injury of New York guard Steve Francis, but, for now, has no plans to punish Knicks coach Isiah Thomas for the threats he made Saturday night, a league spokesman said Sunday.
Thomas accused Bowen of stepping under Knicks guard Jamal Crawford in Saturday's first quarter and was overheard yelling at his players to "break his (expletive) foot!" Bowen said after the game that Thomas also threatened to have the Knicks break his neck.
The incident came five days after Francis sprained his left ankle when he landed on Bowen's foot after a shot attempt. A foul wasn't called on the play and league officials initially said Bowen wouldn't be suspended or fined.
However, Stu Jackson, who handles disciplinary issues as the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, has since decided to give the incident a more thorough review. A league spokesman said Sunday the case remains "active."
The same spokesman also said that, as of Sunday afternoon, Jackson didn't expect to discipline Thomas.
Spurs officials said the league has yet to contact them about the play involving Francis. They declined comment when asked whether Thomas should be punished.
Thomas said after the game he was merely trying to protect Crawford and motivate his team, which looked listless for much of the first quarter.
"Jamal went up to take the shot and as he was coming down, Bruce's foot was under him," Thomas said. "He would've come down on his foot. He could've broke his ankle, sprained his ankle and been out like Francis and everybody else.
"What (Bowen's) doing when his foot is under another player in the air, that can end somebody's career. I really don't think it's intentional, but it definitely has hurt one of our guys and I didn't want (him) to hurt a second (player)."
Bowen and Thomas each received technicals. Thomas and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also had a heated, but brief, exchange on the sideline with Popovich yelling, "Don't talk to my player," and Thomas shouting, "Tell your player not to keep sticking his foot under my players."
The two coaches smiled and shook hands after the game. Popovich downplayed the incident and compared it to the talk-show frenzy Cleveland's LeBron James created last week when he started to leave the court before the end of a game.
"LeBron walked to the end of the court and all of a sudden it's like he's a traitor to his country the way the stories go," Popovich said. "It's no big deal."
This was far from the first time a coach has yelled at an opposing player. But the tone of Thomas' comments — and the fact they were made one day after he told reporters in Houston he would "murder" any player who put his foot under him — could merit a review.
NBA commissioner David Stern has made it a priority to improve the on-court decorum of the league's players.
"Bruce didn't do anything," said Tim Duncan, who criticized Thomas' actions. "Bruce defends people and people get frustrated. It was unfortunate what happened last time with (Francis) and you can ask (him) personally. He knows there's not anybody out there trying to hurt anybody.
"We're all basketball players and none of us want to be hurt. It's our intention to play as hard as we can and as well as we can."
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