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John Wall rips officials, demands respect after his second straight ejection

Ben Rohrbach
Senior NBA writer

Just before his Washington Wizards suited up for a second home game in three nights, John Wall was hit with a $25,000 fine for what the NBA front office dubbed “inappropriate interaction with a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection” in the final minute of Monday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. So, what did the All-Star point guard do for an encore?

Why, he got ejected again, of course.

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Midway through the fourth quarter of a game his team led by 20 points, Wall leveled Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart with a clothesline in the backcourt that the officials ruled a Flagrant Foul 2.

Wall’s unnecessary contact resulted in an automatic ejection and could come with another fine or even a suspension, pending a league review, which occurs following a flagrant foul of any nature. Even if he avoids suspension for his second ejection in as many games, he is now halfway to the six flagrant points that automatically trigger a one-game ban after also picking up a Flagrant Foul 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies two weeks earlier. Keep in mind, the Wizards are just seven games into the season.

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The larger question is what could possibly possess a player to go out of his way to commit such a foolish foul 60 feet from the basket with a 118-93 win well in hand. Afterwards, Wall was unapologetic about the incident, telling reporters he kept quiet about a series of perceived missed calls throughout the game and “just got frustrated at the end” of a game in which he attempted seven free throws.

“Just getting frustrated,” added Wall, via CSN Mid-Atlantic. “My finger was bleeding the whole game. Got stepped on on purpose. Drove to the basket a couple times, didn’t get calls,” Wall said of being tossed with 5:24 left and the Wizards ahead 106-86. “The play before I (drove) and got smacked right across the face. On my ear. So I just let my frustration get the best of me.”

By blatantly hitting someone else across the head. If you think his coach is concerned, think again, as Scott Brooks said of Wall’s second straight ejection, “You can’t fault them for continuing to compete. … That’s what good players and good teams do.” Needless to say, Smart a different take on the matter.

John Wall and Marcus Smart exchange words after Wall's Flagrant Foul 2. (AP)
John Wall and Marcus Smart exchange words after Wall’s Flagrant Foul 2. (AP)

“He made a hard foul and I didn’t take too fond of it,” said Smart, via MassLive.com. “So I let him know what I had to say. I ain’t backing down from nobody and that’s going to be understood from here on out. I don’t know what he thought but I think he got the message.”

As for Wall’s message, his “They’ll find time to respect me” diatribe seemed to be a request for more whistles. Although, taking his frustration out on officials and opponents is an odd way to go about it.

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For the record, Wall’s 6.3 free throw attempts per game ranks seventh among the league’s 185 guards. His backcourt mate ranks 20th on that list. Only three other backcourt combinations attempt more foul shots per contest than Wall and Beal (10.4 combined): Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry (14.3), Denver’s Will Barton and Emmanuel Mudiay (12.6) and Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker (11.6). The Wizards duo attempts fewer field goals in the paint (a combined 14.5 per game), where most contact takes place, than each of those combinations except for Barton and Mudiay (14.4).

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!