What's weird about Vicodin is, I have had it prescribed on a couple of occasions, and it has never worked for me. Nada. Zilch. Didn't affect the pain, didn't wipe me out, didn't do squat that I could ever tell. Now, Demerol, THAT'S a painkiller!! Try being in the hospital sometime for a kidney stone, and let them give you a shot of THAT wonderful little drug, you will forget all about the pain almost instantly On the other hand, don't try getting a kidney stone.. it sucks A$$. never felt a worse pain in all my life.. and that includes knee ligament damage.. By the way, I was also wondering something.. *IF* MoT's violation actually had something to do with illegal drug use, wouldn't the league have suspended him for a heck of a lot longer than 10 games? It sure seems like they would have, if it had been a serious violation.. that's what leads me to also believe that this is more of a 'technical' violation, and the reason they are being so vociferous about their protestations..
Hey, I'm still skeptical myself. I'm still a bit skeptical about this inside info as well, but I'm having an open-minded skepticism.
I've seen both Odom and Taylor hold press conferences to admit they had used pot. I think MoT and the Players' Union are waiting to see how the appeal goes. If the League doesn't cooperate, it would be funny to see Mo hold a press conference and admit to the world he took 2 more Vicodin pills than his doctor told him to. David Stern will come out looking like the assclown he is to basketball fans from coast to coast.
LOL. The same people who'll be bashing someone for giving info will be begging later. Don't worry about them.
Thanks for the info, Eric. And for the stuff about Rudy before. For those who don't know, this guy's real. Ready2Go: Grouper's not a bum. He's usually pretty alright. Just weirdly attached to his original take on this particular issue. Keep the info coming when you're able. It's appreciated. Nero: Damn right about kidney stones. Worst pain I've ever experienced -- and I didn't even need to pass mine. It broke up before it came to that. But the abdominal pain was excruciating.
Unfortunately, I had a separated shoulder in a biking accident. It is extremely painful, to the point of making you want to lose your cookies. I also had a few bouts of kidney stones, and the pain is comparable, at least for the first few weeks. If MO took some extra vicodin, we should have some compassion. He was pushing himself in therapy to get back onto the court, and it sounds like he was pushing through the pain. That takes a tough person. Actually, we ought to admire him for all of this, not the other way around. Mo has had a very different attitude this year, and he doesn't deserve this. I hope they restore his pay, and give him some type of exhonoration. I'm not in any way justifying his previous or even current drug use (if he is), but this is NOT the same thing. I do believe he shouldn't be playing while he's still using the vicodin, though. He could easily re-injure himself.
I sure hope you are right about Mo. He is one of my favorite Rockets to see interviewed. He had a wonderful game right before this incident. He was really looking good and has obviously gotten in great shape. Mr. Clutch's unreasonableness aside, taking a few too many vicodin should not be held against anybody who is truly in pain.
Many doctors tell their patients it is ok to take more pain medication if they need it. It is not uncommon. Just for what it's worth, this sounds very much like what I heard recently from a friend of a friend of a friend (seriously, as weird as that sounds ). There is a fairly good chance the suspension could be rescinded, however, their grievance process doesn't allow a hearing for 15 days meaning Mo will miss at least 6 games. If this is true and it was a prescribed pain killer given to him to combat an injury - even if Mo took enough to trigger the suspension - the NBA needs to re-think their policy of automatic suspensions without a hearing. If a doctor gives you the meds and doesn't give you any restriction on their usage - other than within reason - losing a player to suspension in this way is unacceptable.
Agreed. I just got in a nasty wreck last week, and the pain pills prescribed hardly even help. If that's the case, I'm pretty pissed about this suspension.
Mo is in trouble for overusage of a painkiller or similar.............. If he is in the first stage of the Drugs of Abuse Program and has been following the requirements prescribed by the Medical Director, then why does the NBA want to impose a ten game suspension?
THere is a loophole in the NBA CBA (check about 10 pages in or so on the now locked Mo-T suspended thread for the full text, I think I posted it sometime on Saturday) that allows players who have entered the mar1juana program to be given two 5-game suspensions; not exactly sure if Mo fits this definition, but I read and re-read the CBA and that was the only way I could see it working.
Sam, I found your posts about this and I agree that the Steroid Section is the part that has a ten game suspension. The Drugs of Abuse (analogs, cocaine, LSD, opiates, PCP etc) Section has the two stages and it doesn't specify specific game suspension terms. In the first stage, there isn't a suspension as long as one is following the program that they are obligated to. If there is a failure to follow the program in the first stage, then there is a suspension that is determined by the Medical Director...........but not a hard and fast number of games. If there is still failure to follow the treatment program in the first stage, then there is the progression to stage two and it seems that the suspension is measured in months rather than games. The mar1juana Section has the five game suspensions, but doesn't specify progressive punishment (5 10, 15 etc games) for repeated violations. Until something more concrete is published, I am skeptical about his suspension being based on overusage of a painkiller.
Thanks ERiles. It's very refreshing to get some inside news; it's been a long time. Sorry you had to go through the skepticism to establish credibility, but you know how it goes. It's good to know Mo wasn't busted for pot; it's really unfortunate that we have to lose him for 5+ more games, but oh well. Maybe Eddie will come back strong before the end of the year.
We really need to look at this thing in the proper perspective. Vicodin isn't crack while it can be addicting it really isn't that much of a threat unless your taking 10 to 15 everyday. I would bet that just about every player in the NBA has a script for Vicodin if they want one. It's pretty much like a asprin that works a little better. The NBA should have bigger concerns than to monitor player levels of prescribed drugs.
I guess it's nice to have a source to soften the blow of a missing Maurice, but we still got to deal with a TEN game suspension. I hate that!!!
Thanks Eric. Best news of the day...Griffin is training! I predict EG will be the X-factor in our landing another ring or two (and I'm not talking Ex-Rocket)! Once his head is in it, he's going to tear it up. I just hope all that went down (well basically the Rox not exercising his extension) hasn't turned him against the Rox. Assuming he comes back and is strong, I'd be tempted to manage the he!! out of his minutes. I'd tell the L, well Eddie is back healthy but he can't crack the rotation..wink, wink). I would not let him put up good numbers when we risk losing him, should someone Posey us and offer him a huge, above market offer.
No, that was my first post but later on I found a specific section of the MJ program that specifies an indefinite or multiple numbers of five game suspensions as a penalty, section 11 or something, don't quite recall, for a positive test if you are in the NBA's MJ progarm. That's where I got the 5 + 5 from.
relax guys.. i heard somewhere that it was a painkiller that was suppsoed to help his shoulder too.. He's not lying, it's not mary jane.
OK........I went to the contract web page and pulled this: Section 11.Noncompliance with Treatment. (b)mar1juana.............. (3) if the player has previously been suspended for five (5) games under Section 9(c) above or this Section 11(b)(ii), an indefinite number of five-game (5) suspensions that shall continue until, in the professional judgment of the Medical Director, the player resumes full compliance with his treatment program. So, it does seem that progressive punishment is possible under the CBA for mar1juana. It seems that our readings of the rules provided in the CBA are being ignored by others in this thread.
I read that bit in the other thread, Mango. It's open to interpretation obviously, but I read it as an indefinite number that would be meted out one at a time until doctors were satisfied he'd fulfilled the prescribed treatment. If they're indefinite, why set the suspension at ten games? How would they know he'd have completed treatment by then? If this is a weed thing, as per the bit of the CBA quoted here, it seems to me they'd either suspend him indefinitely (pending completion of treatment) or five games at a time. Ten games seems, to me, wholly arbitrary with regard to that section of the CBA. Plus there's the fact that I really don't see Mo and the union crying foul if this was just an extra five games tacked onto a fourth weed charge. As I've said all along, I don't know what the deal is and I'm not making a judgment til I've heard more. But the Vicodin story fits with everything I've heard and read and it sounds very believable to me.
