J.B. Bickerstaff further defended Stewart and Jalen Duren from the negative narratives that were created following the Pistons-Hornets fight.
J.B. Bickerstaff finally broke his silence about the NBA's punishment of both Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren.
Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren
MIN: 27.68
PTS: 17.66 (66.57%)
REB: 10.41
AS: 1.75
ST: 0.91
BL: 0.77
TO: 1.89
GM: 44
While he acknowledged the league office's decision, the Detroit Pistons head coach revealed he had hoped Stewart's absence would be less.
"I mean, after obviously having a ton of conversation and listening, kind of understanding the math of how we ended up here with the numbers that we ended up with, I guess you can kind of understand it from their perspective, from the league’s perspective," Bickerstaff said ahead of their Wednesday matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
"This is just my personal opinion — I would have liked to see Stew's number being less, obviously. But as a group, we’ve kind of accepted it for what it is."
The NBA announced harsh punishments for both Pistons big men. While Duren will be unavailable for four games, Stewart will meanwhile be inactive for seven games due to his repeated unsportsmanlike conduct.
The two played major roles in the Pistons' infamous brawl with the Charlotte Hornets, as they went after Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate for heated altercations.
Bickerstaff further defended Stewart and Duren from the negative perception that was created following the fiasco, noting that the two only acted out of safety.
"The narrative that's out there that we react to everything, every time, is a disappointing one, to be honest with you," Bickerstaff argued.
"You're hearing all this stuff about what our guys are and it's completely inaccurate. If they reacted to everything that happened to them, we would never have a basketball game. To highlight the rare moments and make that the story is disrespectful to our guys as basketball players."
The suspensions will cost Stewart $724,138 and Duren $89,423.
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