On Friday, January 21st the Chicago Bulls played against the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee. Halfway through the 3rd quarter after a missed shot from Pat Cannaughton, Grayson Allen committed one of the most controversial hard fouls this season. As a result of this hard foul, Alex Caruso fractured his right wrist and underwent surgery just a few days later. It was later announced that he would sit out for 6 to 8 weeks. Grayson Allen was given a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game because of it. He was also given a one game suspension which he served in their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So what was the lead up to this foul? After a missed shot from Pat Cannaughton and a long rebound from a Bulls player, they pushed the ball up the court and made it a 3 on 2 fastbreak. While Caruso was running full speed, he received the pass and went up for what looked like a dunk. But out of nowhere Grayson Allen pulled one of Caruso’s arms down in mid air and then, before touching the ground, pulled his other arm down. Next thing you know Caruso is on the ground, slow to get up.

The idea of Grayson Allen fouling Caruso before the shot is a smart and totally basketball play; there’s no doubt about it. But you never come at a guy full speed while he is in the air, that is just uncalled for. A player could end their career like that. The truth is the second swipe mid air from Allen on Caruso probably didn’t affect the fall at all because he was already coming down when he got hit the second time. The thing that makes this worse is that Grayson Allen hit him from the left and pulled down on his arms while he was at the peak of his jump. Because of this, Caruso had no chance to catch himself and brace for impact. Since he was at the peak of his jump and was pulled down from his arms he came down horizontally instead of vertically. 

Logistics aside, who is Grayson Allen? Well, with no research, I know that he played college basketball at Duke and has swapped around multiple teams over his NBA career. I also know that he has had a history of making dirty plays not only in the NBA, but also in his college career. I ,personally, can’t remember any “dirty” plays that he has made, but this doesn’t look good for him. What proves that he is a dirty player is that after this play on Caruso he never apologized or tried to help him up after the play. He was just seen sitting on the bench laughing with his teammates like he did nothing wrong. 

So what was the outcome? After the game it was confirmed that Alex Caruso had fractured his right wrist and would undergo surgery in the days following the incident, having to sit out 6 to 8 weeks. As for Grayson Allen he was awarded a flagrant 2 foul and ejected after immediate review of the play during the game. He was later given a one game suspension but was not fined by the NBA. 

Was this a dirty play or not? In my opinion, yes. Grayson Allen has been in the league for a few years and knows better. Considering this is not his first time being accused of a dirty play, there is no excuse. It was a dirty play and should not be encouraged in the NBA. Yes, the flagrant 2 foul call is mostly based on interpretation in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean it’s never excessive. Grayson Allen has a reputation for this, which I was not aware of until this incident, and it saddens me that Caruso got the worst of it. The fact that Allen has not yet said anything publicly about the incident shows that he doesn’t think it’s a big deal and doesn’t seem to have any change of heart. This moment and reflection of his character shows why he has bounced around NBA teams through his career becoming nothing more than a below average player, having had no true impact to any of the teams he has played for.