Written by Dan Devine at YahooSports.com
The NBA Development League on Tuesday suspended Houston Rockets forward Montrezl Harrell, now on assignment with the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, five games without pay for pushing an official to the floor during a post-game altercation with Bakersfield Jam forward Derek Cooke Jr., a move that the union representing referees has called “a deliberate assault and battery” against the ref.
Cooke, an undrafted forward out of Wyoming, received a one-game ban for pushing Harrell during the fracas.
The incident occurred following Saturday’s game between the Vipers, the Rockets’ D-League affiliate, and the Jam, the Phoenix Suns’ affiliate. After the Jam finished off a 119-115 win behind 62 points from the duo of Askia Booker and Terrico White, Harrell, whom Houston drafted out of Louisville with the second pick of the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, found himself face to face with Cooke, an undrafted forward out of Wyoming, who had grabbed the rebound on the final shot of the game right in front of Harrell.
The two big men jawed for a moment, and then Cooke shoved Harrell backward. Referee Jason Goldenberg stepped in front of Harrell to prevent him from retaliating; Harrell promptly deposited him on the deck. Cooler heads soon prevailed, as Cooke was escorted off the court, the players dispersed and everyone headed their separate ways. Harrell finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting, 13 rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes. Cooke scored three points with nine rebounds and a block in 24 minutes for the winners.
Harrell declined to speak to media after the game, according to Dennis Silva II of The Monitor:
“I haven’t seen the video, but I saw Montrezl and someone get into it,” Vipers coach Matt Brase said. “I saw Montrezl get pushed. We’ll look at it and see what really happened.”
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