Kidd Spills Drink in Court . . . Fined $50,000

The NBA obviously has its own courts, but does it have proper cause to punish Brooklyn Nets head coach (and former point guard) Jason Kidd who was fined $50,000 for spilling a beverage at the game with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets were down two with only 8.3 seconds left but had no timeouts. Worse still, Lakers’ Jodie Meeks was on the free-throw line. Then it happened. A fortuitous spill that delayed the game long enough for the Nets to devise a plan. It did not help. They lost 99-94 and . . . of course $50,000.

The primary piece of evidence is the video below where Kidd appears to tell Tyshawn Taylor to “hit me.” He does, the drink spills, and the game is delayed. Kidd insisted that it was just butterfingers: “Cup slipped out of my hand while I was getting Ty. Sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball. In the heat of the battle, you’re trying to get guys in and out of the game, and the cup fell out of my hand.” Taylor also insisted that it was entirely innocent: “I was just coming out, and he was in my way. ‘Coach, get out of my way, bro.'”

But what about the words that seem to precede the “Great Spill of 2013”? If it is not “hit me,” what would a good defense attorney suggest as an alternative? Here are my suggestions:

1. “Hold me” as a cry for help and comfort from Taylor.

2. “Date me” as a come on to Taylor (this would of course add a different dimension to the controversy)

3. “F–K me” in response to the pending loss ( or at least to its aftermath)

Well you be your own judge.