10 players were rejected and got fined from brawl

Carmelo Anthony's Denver has the NBA's leading scorer. Sometime Monday, the Nuggets should learn how long they have to make do without him.

And the New York Knicks were expected to be told of their penalties as well from Saturday's brawl -- including if the league thinks coach Isiah Thomas had any role in triggering it.

The NBA's policy is to announce suspensions before a team plays its next game, and both Denver and New York are in action Monday night. The Nuggets host Washington, and the Knicks are back at Madison Square Garden to face Utah.

And with the league still working to repair its image after the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans two years ago, it could come down hard on many of the 10 players who were ejected after the melee at the Garden.

"I'm saddened to see it happen, but it will be dealt with and there will be some severe penalties," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's unfortunate when things like that happen." It could be especially tough for the Nuggets, who could be facing at least five games without

Anthony and his 31.6-point scoring average. He and J.R. Smith, who combine for 48.3 per game, joined New York's Nate Robinson in taking part in the most disturbing images of the brawl.

Anthony, who dropped Mardy Collins with a punch, said Sunday he was sorry his emotions got the best of him.

"Last night's altercation with the Knicks escalated further than it should have. I take full responsibility for my actions in the matter," Anthony said in a statement. He apologized to fans, the Nuggets, the NBA, his own family -- and to Collins and his family.

"My actions were inexcusable, and I am sorry for making this an even more embarrassing situation," Anthony said.

Thomas said he told Anthony that he and Marcus Camby shouldn't have been in the game after it was decided. A source in the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation into the brawl, said that Thomas also advised Anthony not to go near the basket shortly before the hard foul occurred.

It the league believes that, it sets up another embarrassment for the Knicks, who already came off looking childish by blaming the Nuggets for still having their starters in with a 19-point lead and only 1:15 to play.

What caused the meltdown? It seems to come down to this: The Knicks felt dissed.
"The score, period, and the guys that they had in," Robinson said after the game.
The Knicks (9-17) didn't practice Sunday and weren't commenting further. Another starter, Andre Miller, was also on the floor when Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to the floor.

Smith rose and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson away, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into the front row while fighting.

Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored Collins, and New York's Jared Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.

By the time security had finally contained Smith, they were nearly at the opposite end of the court from where the altercation started, making it the NBA's scariest scene since the brawl at Auburn Hills, Mich.

"Without being there, I can tell you the power of emotions can be an underrated thing in our game," Carlisle said.

Nuggets coach George Karl had just dispatched three players to the scorer's table to check in while the Knicks brought the ball up the floor. But before play stopped so they could check in, New York turned it over, starting Smith's fast break.

Three minutes earlier, Smith had thrown down a reverse dunk on the break, as both he and Anthony seemed to be trying to impress their group of fans. Smith is from New Jersey, and Anthony, who scored 23 points in the second half, is a New York native.

The Knicks weren't enjoying the show.

Robinson said the Knicks were "just trying to fight, come back from the deficit and they got their star players still in. It's a slap in the face to us as a franchise."

One of many this year.

It's been a miserable season for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, where they have been routinely booed while compiling a 4-10 record. And they were in the midst of their second straight beating -- Collins, in fact, committed a flagrant foul at the tail end of a 112-96 loss at Indiana on Friday night. The final score on Saturday was 123-100, Nuggets.

But while there is no excuse for their actions Saturday, nor is there any reason why Anthony should have had such a prominent role. Before the game, Karl was talking about his maturation as a player and a person, and Anthony was one of the captains of the U.S. team in the world championships.

The NBA has taken numerous steps to clean up its image after the fiasco in Detroit, implementing a dress code and its community relations initiative NBA Cares last season, and trying to eliminate excessive complaints to officials this season.

With Anthony appearing in marketing campaigns to promote the NBA, the league can't have him participating in an incident that's sure to trigger more discussions about all that is still wrong with its players.

"I'm sure there's going to be some pretty stiff suspensions," said Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, suspended for his role in the Detroit brawl.

"That's the negative, too, because they're going to start comparing it ... to our fight, so you'll hear about our brawl a little bit more. But it's bad. I hope they suspend all the guys."