Milwaukee Bucks: Instant reactions to Grayson Allen’s suspension

The Milwaukee Bucks will be shorthanded at the two-guard slot when they return to action this Wednesday.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is suspending Grayson Allen for a game after his actions in Friday night’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Allen received a flagrant two for a mid-air contest on Chicago’s Alex Caruso, which saw the latter slam into the hardwood. While he did finish the game, it was reported the following day that Caruso suffered a fractured wrist on the play and that he would need surgery. He will now be out for the next four-to-six weeks, and it was inevitable that Allen would be getting some punishment, the only question was how many games he would be forced to miss as a direct result.

What factors played into Grayson Allen’s suspension for the Milwaukee Bucks

Following Friday’s game, the Bulls let it be known that they were furious with what they referred to as a cheap shot by Allen. Coach Billy Donovan revealed his frustration postgame by voicing his thoughts openly to a room full of reporters, and he did not hold back his opinion whatsoever. Transcribed by ESPN’s Jamal Collier:

"“For Alex to be in the air and for [Allen] to take him down like that, he could’ve ended his career,” Donovan said. “He has a history of this. That to me was really — it was really dangerous. I hope the league takes a hard look at something like that because that could have really, really seriously hurt him.”"

That “history” that Donovan was referring to was Allen’s previous reputation as a dirty player during his time at the University of Duke in college. He certainly had his share of controversial moments at the collegiate level with several controversial incidents on the court, and Allen has never been able to shake that image, despite this incident being the first time he has earned a flagrant foul throughout his first four NBA seasons. Regardless, Greg Lawrence, Caruso’s agent, also took exception to the play made by Allen, bringing up the guard’s history in a statement of his own that mirrored Donovan’s:

"“I expect the league will take into consideration not only what was a dangerous, unnecessary, and dirty play on Alex Caruso that caused this significant injury, but also the offending players’ own history,” said Lawrence. “This was a cheap shot on an airborne, defenseless player that resulted in a broken bone that will need to be surgically repaired and will cause Alex to miss at least two months of the season.”"

With this previous reputation and the severity of Caruso’s wrist injury, a suspension was bound to happen. The Bulls pushed hard, and although they likely would have liked more games added on, the guard received his punishment. Allen will now miss Wednesday’s clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers while he serves the first suspension of his NBA career.

We wish Caruso a speedy recovery following his wrist surgery.