The NBA suspends Nuggets’ Facundo Campazzo for Game 1 of Warriors series
Critics will argue that Campazzo isn’t essential, but as they head into their clash with the Warriors, the Nuggets will need all hands on deck
After a brief period of deliberation, the league decided that the Nuggets’ point guard had to pay the price for his actions
Facundo Campazzo suspended for Game 1 of NBA playoffs
The Denver Nuggets are in the middle of preparation for their first-round playoff series with the Golden State Warriors, which starts on Saturday. They are doing so, however, with the knowledge that one of their players, Facundo Campazzo will be suspended for Game 1. Indeed, the NBA announced will have to serve a one-game suspension following an altercation that he was part of during Denver’s final game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time, Facundo was seen to forcefully push Lakers’ guard Wayne Ellington from behind. It should be said that Ellington himself was also issued a $20,000 fine for apparently escalating the incident, after he posted threatening comments on social media after the game.
What exactly happened between Campazzo and Ellington?
It was during the second quarter of the game on April 10th, when Campazzo body checked Ellington using his forearm after missing a layup. How exactly did it go down? After missing his attempt, Campazzo appeared to stumble out of bounds. At that point Ellington started to get in position, evidently preparing to box out any player, when Campazzo came back into the court and aggressively shoved him from behind, which in turn sent him flying to the ground. Campazzo was immediately penalized with a flagrant foul and ejected from the game.
After the game, Ellington took to social media where he stated, “When I see you, I’m putting my hands on you,” in a clear sign of intent towards Campazzo who pushed him to the ground. Understandably, the league took issue with Ellington’s stance and proceeded to penalize him with a fine.
Facundo Campazzo’s suspension sucks, but does it matter?
Losing a player under any circumstances never helps a team’s cause and even less so when it’s time to push for a title, but on the flip side it could be argued that Campazzo has not been critical to the cause where the Nuggets are concerned this year. Some will even point to the fact that Campazzo actually went eight consecutive games without minutes towards the end of the season, a clear sign that he is not necessarily first choice in the lineup.
There is, however, another factor to consider and that’s injuries. Indeed, the Nuggets are now set to be without two of their central players in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., which definitely changes things. Whether one can make a point about Campazzo’s declining shot efficiency or not, if the Nuggets are to get the better of the Warriors who may yet see the return of Stephen Curry in the near future, they are going to need all the help they can get.