Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum was handed a one-game suspension for the season opener for his decision to leave the bench during preseason action against the Phoenix Suns earlier this week.
McCollum had left the bench during the fourth quarter of the contest when his teammate Caleb Swanigan and Suns big man Alex Len began to shove each other. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the 26-year-old has issued an apology for his actions.
“I've been in the league way too long to have a mental lapse like that. I want to apologize to my teammates and the organization for putting our team in this situation. The Western Conference is already tough enough as it is. It won't happen again. Lesson learned. I take full responsibility for those eight expensive and costly steps.”
Although it was a minor mistake to leave the bench, McCollum has shown to take accountability for his actions to own up to his mistake. There may be a fair argument about whether the punishment was too harsh, but there is a strict rule in place to prevent players on the bench from getting involved in alteration on the court.
This was simply a minor mental lapse from McCollum that will be a blimp the further the season goes along. The Trail Blazers will take the court for the season opener next Wednesday night on the road against the Suns.
Portland will likely turn to either Pat Connaughton or Evan Turner for the spot start in the contest. McCollum is entering his fifth year in the league all spent with the Trail Blazers.
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