Silas considering penalty for Snow

The fallout from the Paul Silas-Eric Snow confrontation will be known today. <br/><br/>The Cavaliers coach and backup point guard clashed Thursday night during the second quarter at the Palace of Auburn

Friday, December 17th 2004, 8:24 pm

By: News On 6

The fallout from the Paul Silas-Eric Snow confrontation will be known today.

The Cavaliers coach and backup point guard clashed Thursday night during the second quarter at the Palace of Auburn Hills, which led to Silas banishing Snow to the locker room and then benching him for the whole second half.

According to team sources, Silas is considering suspending Snow for a game without pay, but might just fine him. He will make his decision this morning before the team's shootaround as they prepare to face the Boston Celtics tonight at Gund Arena. The final decision is up to the head coach.

Silas and Snow both declined to speak to the media about the incident Thursday night, and the team canceled practice Friday.

There is precedent here in the Silas era. Last season, he suspended Ira Newble without pay for a game after an argument following a game in Atlanta. Newble went into the coaches' office to protest his lack of playing time, and it resulted in a heated exchange that spilled into the hallway.

Snow didn't act with as much malice. Upset that he was being pulled from Thursday's loss after a miscommunication led to a turnover on an eight-second call, Snow protested being removed from the game and then cursed while walking to his seat. The move angered Silas, who upbraided Snow and told him to go to the locker room while teammates Newble, Scott Williams and Robert Traylor attempted to cool them down.

If he is suspended and disagrees, it is possible Snow could appeal through the Players' Association, of which Snow is a vice president. Snow has never been suspended in his career and if it happens, it would cost him one game check, worth approximately $54,000. Snow's agent, Steve Kauffman, did not return a phone message seeking comment Friday.

Another possibility is that Snow might be placed on the injured list. He's been battling a sore right hamstring for more than a week, and it would give him time to completely heal along with letting the situation calm down.

If Snow is suspended or put on the injured list, it would leave a hole at backup point guard. When starter Jeff McInnis left the floor to rest for the final four minutes of the third quarter on Thursday, seldom-used guard Dajuan Wagner saw time at point. His reaction was to go 0-of-5 from the field with two turnovers.

Shooting guard Lucious Harris might also be able to play some point guard if needed.

Gilbert appearance

Detroit area multimillionaire Dan Gilbert attended Thursday night's game, but did not meet with any players or coaches. Gilbert is believed to have bid $375 million to buy the Cavaliers/Gund Arena Company from principal owner Gordon Gund. According to league sources, the agreement to buy the team is nearly finished. It was believed that it would be finished this week but has yet to be finalized. The Cavaliers, however, are still operating under Gund's control for the time being, and Gilbert won't have any say and won't meet with basketball operations officials or players until all the details are finished. When asked by the Associated Press to comment on the purchase, Gilbert said ``I wish I could.''