When the NBA fined Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd $50,000 for intentionally spilling his drink in a game on Nov. 29 in an attempt to get another timeout for his team, it was just the last and the largest punishment in a young season that's been full of them.
Andrew Keh of the New York Times writes that the NBA issued a total of 21 fines and suspensions that amounted to $602,882 lost in the first full month of play:
"If all those penalties raised some eyebrows, it was for good reason. The number of punishments in November matched the total from the first full calendar month of the previous three N.B.A. seasons combined."
The cause for the punishments varied widely, from Dwight Howard tossing a ball into the stands ($25,000) to J.R. Smith directing inappropriate comments towards Brandon Jennings on Twitter ($25,000).
The NBA's worst offender in recent years has been Mark Cuban. Since buying the Dallas Mavericks in 2000, Cuban has been fined $2 million. He was once fined $100,000 for sitting on the floor next to the team's bench.
If there's any good to come of the increasing number of fines and punishments, it's that the money is going towards a good cause. Last month the NBA and the players' union made a $500,000 donation to disaster relief efforts in the Philippines. Some of that total came from players' fine money.
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