Gone are the days of Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, and Dennis Rodman when players could swing a few fists and get away with it. The league has changed but the swinging still lives on through Isaiah Stewart. Remember his bloody charge against LeBron James in 2021? It took at least 10 people to hold him back that day. 3-years down the line and he is still the same old Isaiah Stewart. To prove that again, the Pistons star went off the rails against the Pacers recently. But the NBA is not having any of it.

No matter how much the fans demand the good old fighting and roughing, the league isn’t going back to those dark days. And to crack those who make a scene on the court, Adam Silver is always ready. That’s why executive VP, Joe Dumars issued a statement about Stewart, and now he’s suspended without pay. But the Pistons fans shouldn’t be too concerned as their bad boy is only getting a game suspension. Oh yes, to double the trouble, there’s also a $50,000 fine.

The NBA PR statement perfectly described the scenes from the game leading to the ejection. “Stewart, who entered Wednesday’s game with four Flagrant Foul points, received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter of the Pistons’ 133-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 29. Stewart will serve his suspension tonight when the Pistons host the Dallas Mavericks at Little Caesars Arena,” as per the announcement.

Stewart already had 4 points in the Flagrant Foul point system. Any player exceeding the 4-point mark faces automatic suspensions depending on the accumulated points. In case the point is at 5 or 6 and a flagrant foul 2 is committed after that, the player gets a two-game suspension. Isaiah Stewart for now will serve a game ban as well as the monetary loss. The $50K slashing was due to “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” following the ejection. While he was heading towards the locker room, Stewart nonchalantly waved that particular finger to get into this mess.

While all this unfolds in the aftermath of the on-court altercation, the Pistons ownership have their own headache. Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the city to receive a WNBA franchise, to revive the Detroit Shock’s legacy. The WNBA team won 3 championships between 2003 and 2008 before moving to Tulsa as the Dallas Wings. This surely is big news for the Motor City residents.

However the current scenario of the Pistons is also hopeful for the fans. They have already eclipsed last season’s record and are sitting 8th on the Eastern Conference table. That could’ve been better if the Pistons won their bout against the Pacers but Stewart’s ejection ruined those plans. No matter how unhinged he became, once the order was restored, Stewart came to his senses.

Isaiah Stewart takes an apologetic stance following his ejection

The Pacers won 133-119 on Wednesday. Had Stewart’s presence remained on the hardwood, the result could’ve been different. And he knows it all too well. After the game, the 6’8″ center confessed that he “slipped up” and “fell for the trap,” letting his teammates down. “I have to be better at not letting those words allow me to affect the team,” Stewart said to the media. “I know my squad could have used me out there tonight.”

His HC, J.B. Bickerstaff also defended the actions and said, “There’s things that happen on the basketball court that you have to deal with. Then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball. When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself.” While no indication was given about what was said to Stewart that prompted the reaction, it probably wasn’t something too jolly. Stewart will be back in action against the Bulls on Saturday night and for the sake of their record, he better steer clear of any trouble thrown at his way.