Hours after the NBA announced it had suspended Milwaukee guard Grayson Allen one game for his flagrant foul on Chicago’s Alex Caruso, the Bucks issued a statement on Sunday stating their disagreement with the ruling.
“We disagree with the suspension,” the statement read. “We support Grayson and look forward to him rejoining our team for Friday's game vs. New York.”
Allen hit Caruso hard as the Bulls guard was midair on a layup attempt. Caruso remained in the game, but it was later revealed that he suffered a fractured right wrist that required surgery and will keep him out for at least the next couple of months.
“Went up, was going to try to two-hand flush, a little dunk in transition,” Caruso said during his postgame press conference. “I didn’t really know what happened during the play.
“But afterward, looking at it, I mean, dude just grabbed me out of the air. Kind of bulls---. I don’t know what else you can do about it. I’m just glad that I didn’t have any major scary injuries right away.”
The issue continued in the days to come after the Bucks posted a tweet on Saturday of Allen eating a donut, which prompted a Twitter beef with the Bulls account. Bulls coach Billy Donovan echoed Caruso’s frustration following the game, referencing Allen’s reputation for plays that cross the line.
“Maybe he didn’t mean to do it—I don’t know,” Donovan said in his postgame press conference. “I just know the play looked really, really bad on a guy that has a history of doing that all the way back into college. I hope the league takes a hard look at something like that. Because God forbid this guy was in a stretcher going out of the building right now. That would not be good.”