Pat Riley fined $20,000 for criticizing officials

MIAMI (AP) – Pat Riley, fined by the NBA for the second time this season Tuesday, joked that his complaints about officials have taken a toll on his wife and daughter.

How much?

“About three trips to Saks Fifth Avenue, so enough’s enough,” Riley said. “I may have to bite my tongue.”

The Miami Heat coach was fined $20,000 Tuesday for criticizing the officials following a loss to Portland last week. He was hit with a $50,000 fine in December.

Riley admitted that his complaints reflect the frustration of coaching a team that’s last in the Atlantic Division.

“I absolutely hate losing,” he said. “I despise it. I do everything I can not to lose. So anybody who’s got any brains at all knows that if you’re somebody who hates to lose, and you’re losing, that somewhere you get frustrated. …

“But I’m not complaining. I’m just fighting as much as I can to get what I can get.”

In the wake of NBA commissioner David Stern’s warning last week that he has had enough of gripes about referees, Riley said he wasn’t surprised by the latest fine.

-Associated Press

NBA suspends Kemp for violating anti-drug program

By Fred Goodall

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Orlando Magic center Shawn Kemp was suspended without pay by the NBA on Tuesday, the third time he has violated the terms of the league’s anti-drug policy.

Kemp’s suspension began with Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Nets, and will continue until he has resumed full compliance with his treatment program.

Orlando coach Doc Rivers received word of the suspension from general manager John Gabriel when he was getting into to his car to drive to the arena for the game.

“We don’t know whether the program was violated or he just missed a test. You just hope things work out for him,” Rivers said. “The basketball side of it with him I could honestly care less. He’s not a bad guy at all.”

Kemp practiced Monday and participated in the Magic’s Tuesday morning shootaround at the TD Waterhouse Center. Gabriel spoke with him by telephone in the afternoon, but did not shed any light on why the 13th-year pro was suspended.

“I have no reaction because it’s not clear what we would be reacting to,” Gabriel said.

Asked how Kemp responded, Gabriel said: “He’s just disappointed at the news. I can’t elaborate.”

A year ago, when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6-foot-10 Kemp was suspended for five games for violating the policy. He sat out from Feb. 22 through March 4 and lost $141,889 of his $12.77 million salary for each game he missed.