McCollum: NBA 'didn't have to suspend me' using inconsistently enforced rule

After initially expressing remorse, C.J. McCollum aired out his frustrations over the punishment he received from the NBA.

The Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard was suspended without pay for Wednesday's season opener because he left the bench to hold back a teammate during a preseason altercation.

McCollum, who'll lose $165,000 as a result, vented about the severity of the penalty.

"They could have suspended me for the preseason game," he said Sunday, as quoted by OregonLive's Joe Freeman. "They could have fined me more money and allowed me to play in the regular-season game. It's the intent and it's usually up to them, it's to their discretion. So they had a choice. They didn't have to suspend me."

McCollum added he believes the rule about leaving the bench isn't enforced consistently across the league.

"I think it's interesting that ... there's a rule in place, but it hasn't always been enforced," McCollum said, pointing to an incident during the 2014 playoffs when Paul George and Rasual Butler, both Pacers at the time, stepped on the court during an altercation but got off scot-free.

The 2016 Most Improved Player - whose only previous crime was breaking too many ankles - sarcastically added:

"I should have known that they were going to suspend me. It cost me a lot of money and the first game of the season. But I should have known better with my history of violence on the court that I would be suspended."

Though McCollum resolved to learn from the fiasco, he doesn't think it was fair at all.

"I'm getting a harsher punishment than the people actually involved in the event," he said. "And I'm losing money. And I'm not playing. Would that bother you?"