Earlier this week Wellington Saints forward Tohi Smith-Milner was suspended for one game and fined $500 for his on-court actions against the Otago Nuggets in round 10.
The one-game suspension was for elbowing Nuggets guard Darcy Knox on the top of the head. The fine was for the shoulder-charged guard Michael Harris as he was trying to get to his feet, having taken a tumble.
The elbow was a particularly nasty blow. Knox immediately clutched his head with both hands and doubled over in pain.
Both incidents were referred to the game review panel of Iain Potter and Dillon Boucher, who issued the suspension and fine in accordance with the tribunal policy.
The Nuggets management has declined to comment publicly about whether they considered the one-game suspension too lenient.
But there has been plenty of disquiet among the basketball community in the region.
A prominent member of the Otago basketball community, who wanted to remain anonymous, felt the sanction did not send a strong enough message or go far enough to address player safety.
"I’ve looked at the incident multiple times and I feel the league isn’t looking after its players because an elbow to the top of the head warrants more."
Taylor, however, said "safety was paramount ... in the National Basketball League (NBL)" and defended the length of the ban.
"We have a tribunal policy which is specific to incidents that happen, so we essentially just follow that process and just work through that. So, I do think we have a good process in place for that."
Asked if the policy needed to be reviewed and strengthened, Taylor said "we do look at what needs to be reviewed and changed" at the end of each season.
Suspensions appear to be rare in the NBL. In 2020 former Tall Black Leon Henry coped a two-game suspension for grabbing Derone Raukawa by the throat.
That suspension would be in line with the one dished out to Smith-Milner.
But NBL is out of step with the way rugby would deal with similar incidents.
Striking a player in the head with an elbow carries a minimum suspension of six weeks and up to 52 weeks in rugby.
MMA, a combat sport which just about everything is left the table, has outlawed 12-six elbow strikes. That is a move where, and imagine a clock, you bring your elbow down from 12 to six on your opponent.
The ban was introduced because of the possibility of serious injury.
By taking what some perceive as a soft stance on acts of foul play, the NBL runs the risk of reputational damage.
Parents watching a game, where an elbow strike to the head is dealt with by a one-game suspension, may wonder whether little Johnny would not be better off playing another game.
"We want to make sure players are safe. But also we don’t want to deter any kids or families away from the sport because basketball can offer a lot of things for the kids, especially around wellbeing and keeping active.
"But I’m sure we’ll get some feedback post season around our policies to see what we need to change."
