Bulls' Bobby Portis Calls Wizards' Criticism Of His Flagrant-2 Foul 'Stupid'
By Cody Westerlund--
(670 The Score) Bulls forward Bobby Portis remains baffled by the criticism surrounding his flagrant-2 foul on Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky and subsequent ejection late in his team's loss Saturday night.
One day after Portis caught wind of Jodie Meeks and the Wizards insinuating there's an unwritten rule that exists that he shouldn't make a strong challenge in such a game situation, Portis fired back.
"I don't like that he said I didn't abide by the rules," Portis said before the Bulls hosted the Magic on Monday evening. "In what basketball world does it say 'Just let a man go lay the ball up'? He said if a man has a clear path the lane, just let him lay it up. Where I'm from, that's not basketball. So I just thought it was stupid."
Postgame Saturday, Wizards coach Scott Brooks and Meeks each expressed displeasure over Portis' strong challenge as Washington led by 10 with 2:35 remaining. Replays showed Portis going for the ball, but the high-flying contact also led to Satoransky getting off balance mid-air and falling hard and awkwardly on his right side.
Satoransky had a cut above his right eye and was evaluated for a concussion. Brooks called it a "dangerous play" before Meeks shared his thoughts.
"If a guy has a clear lane to the basket, if you can't get there, let him go, don't try to take him out," Meeks said Saturday. "Obviously, not everybody abides by those rules."
On Monday, Satoransky added that "you don't go for the block like how he went." Brooks had previously mentioned that if Portis could do it over again, "He probably would've taken it back."
That's not the case.
"Nah, I'm going to still go out there and play as hard as I can," Portis said. "I was just competing on the ball and made a basketball play. I can't control how the man feels. At the same time, I feel like I blocked the shot. I can't argue with the officials. They called what they called. But at the same time, I don't think it was the right call."
As of early Monday evening, the league hadn't rescinded the flagrant-2 foul. The Bulls and Wizards next play on April 1.
"If a man driving to the hole and he's looking to lay it up and there's an unwritten rule (about it), then I don't think it's right," Portis said.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.