It might as well have been a brick.
That was the message from Phoenix Suns president Jerry Colangelo Monday to forward Robert Horry, who was suspended without pay for two games for throwing a towel in coach Danny Ainge's face during a game Sunday night.Colangelo scolded Horry for his behavior and his recent play, saying he would have given Horry a more severe penalty if his hands weren't tied by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.
"I'm of the old school, so I would have taken much sterner action," Colangelo said. "We don't want the inmates running the asylum.
"My belief is that it was really frustration with his own play, because his play has been sporadic at best and is very disappointing, from my point of view," Colangelo added. "We're paying these people a lot of money to do a job, and I don't think it's asking too much for them to go out there and work for a few hours a day."
Horry, who has had made it clear he'd rather be elsewhere since being traded from the Houston Rockets during the offseason, will lose about $40,000 in salary for the two lost games. He also loses several thousand dollars in fines for the flareup during the fourth quarter of a game against the Celtics in Boston.
Colangelo discounted rumors that Horry's agent contacted the Suns about being traded and that the throwing in the towel was Horry's attempt to leave Phoenix.
Attempts to reach Horry through the team were unsuccessful. Messages left at the National Basketball Players Association's New York City office were not returned.
Horry will miss tonight's game in Atlanta and Wednesday's game at Washington. He will rejoin his team Friday in a matchup with Charlotte here.
The altercation occurred when Horry was pulled after an errant 3-point attempt. He screamed obscenities at Ainge and threw the towel before being restrained by teammates.
The Suns lost 109-102.
"I've always been a fighter ever since I was in high school and college," Horry said Sunday. "Sometimes when you have a lot of emotions you come back, even at coaches."
Horry, who helped the Rockets win two NBA titles, apologized to Ainge and the team.
"Players are entitled to display frustration, but there is a limit to what our staff will tolerate," Suns general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "Once the suspension is served, we will regard the issue as closed and forgotten."