D-League suspends Grizzlies' Stokes, Energy's Lucas for sideline fight
Brothers fight. So, too, do teammates on occasion. That reality is not enough to have kept the hammer from falling on a pair of D-Leaguers this week.
The D-League suspended Jarnell Stokes and Kalin Lucas of the Iowa Energy this week, with the former earning a three-game ban and the latter sitting out a pair. The teammates had gotten into a sideline altercation Tuesday that was caught on video (see story below) and resulted in each player being ejected from the game.
Stokes, on assignment from the Memphis Grizzlies, and Lucas, who played with the team for several short stints earlier in the year, are said to have since let cooler heads prevail.
"We talked to them," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. "Both guys are apologetic and contrite. I don't think it's the character of Jarnell and Kalin as individuals."
The reason for the skirmish remains unclear, and Wallace would not disclose whether there would be additional sanctions from the organization.
The Grizzlies made Stokes the No. 35 pick in June's draft and guaranteed his salary through 2015-16 but have used him sparingly, playing him for just 89 minutes over 16 games. In seven D-League games, the forward is averaging 14.1 points and 8.67 rebounds while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor.
Lucas, meanwhile, appeared in just one game for Memphis, impressing in his 25 games with Iowa by averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists.