Add another chapter to Roy Tarpley's rocky history with the Dallas Mavericks. This time, though, it was Tarpley's mouth that landed him in trouble.
Tarpley was suspended without pay Tuesday night for insubordination after a halftime blowup with coach Dick Motta.The night turned into a total loss for the Mavericks when Nick Van Exel matched a career high with 35 points, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their eighth consecutive victory over Dallas, 115-108.
Motta, club owner Donald Carter and personnel director Keith Grant were to meet with Tarpley today to determine the length of the suspension.
Tarpley drew Motta's ire in the second quarter when the power forward expressed his displeasure at being removed from the game. Tarpley glared at Motta and complained loudly as he walked to the bench, and the coach responded at halftime with the suspension.
"He tried to kick me out of the locker room," said Tarpley, who had four points in seven minutes. "He told me not to challenge him or he would get rid of me. I'm disapppointed and frustrated. I'm just here to play basketball."
Tarpley was reinstated this season after missing three seasons following his dismissal from the NBA for picking up his third violation of the league's anti-drug agreement. Tarpley, who played for the Mavericks from 1986-91, had been Dallas' most effective player off the bench in the early going, averaging 12.4 points in 11 games.
"I can't get into another person's head," Motta said. "I thought his actions were detrimental to our team. I don't think anybody's interested in the game right now and that's sad. I compliment our players for not being distracted."
Carter said he would support Motta, even though the owner was directly responsible for Tarpley's return to the team after he had played the past two seasons in Greece.
While the Mavericks were concerned with off-the-court matters, Van Exel was taking care of business from 3-point range. Van Exel, who also had 10 assists, went 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to their fourth victory in their last five games.
Vlade Divac's three-point play with 6:45 remaining snapped a 96-96 tie, then Van Exel connected for 3-pointers on successive possessions to push the lead to 107-102 with 3:57 left. Backup point guard Sedale Threatt added another 3-pointer with 3:23 to play.
Jamal Mashburn had 32 points and Jim Jackson added 28 for the Mavericks. Popeye Jones had a career-high 21 points, and Jones and Mashburn had 11 rebounds each.