NBA’s suspension of Rodions Kurucs should be longer than Wilson Chandler’s

According to police sources and a criminal complaint, Nets second year forward Rodions Kurucs was accused of assaulting his girlfriend on June 27 at his apartment.

The incident turned ugly as the 21-year old allegedly choked his girlfriend, slapping her in the face and pushing her against the bed frame. Kurucs reportedly screamed, “I’m going to kill myself” before attacking his girlfriend.

The Nets have issued a statement on the matter essentially acknowledging that they’re aware of the situation and cooperating with authorities on the investigation. The team said they’ll have no further comment at this time.

If the allegations against Kurucs are valid, his suspension should exceed the length of Wilson Chandler’s suspension for PED use. Somewhere in the 40-50 game range would be a starting point if Kurucs is found to be guilty after the NBA investigation.

The NBA has a zero tolerance policy for domestic violence, so it will be interesting to see if the punishment for Kurucs is more severe than that of Chandler. For Chandler, he knowingly or unknowingly, depending on who you talk to, took a banned substance that landed him a PED suspension.

It’s one thing to skirt the rules in an effort to gain a competitive advantage and it’s another thing to do harm to another individual.

You’re essentially comparing apples and oranges between Kurucs’ scenario and Chandler, but unless the NBA levies significant fines and a lengthy suspension of Kurucs, it will be under great scrutiny for not instituting a punishment that fits the crime.