Hawks Rookie Kingston Flemings Suspended After Garbage-Time Elbow

Atlanta Hawks rookie Kingston Flemings is officially finding out how expensive a garbage-time frustration foul can be.

The NBA has slapped the No. 8 overall pick with a one-game suspension without pay for intentionally elbowing New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head. Flemings will serve his mandatory timeout tomorrow night when the Hawks take on the Indiana Pacers.

"HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported the one-game suspension without pay for the intentional elbow."

Throwing a headshot is never a great career move, but doing it while down 23 points late in the fourth quarter is a special brand of rookie decision-making. The Hawks were already well on their way to a 121-99 blowout loss on Saturday when Flemings decided to momentarily turn a basketball game into a combat sport.

Before the ejection, Flemings was actually putting together a highly productive shift. He had 12 points, six assists, and four steals in 25 minutes of action. Now, anyone looking at Hawks bench props for the Pacers matchup will have to adjust, as his usual 19 minutes and 6.3 points per game are officially off the board.

For a 3-4 Atlanta team trying to find some early-season rhythm, losing a rotation piece to an entirely avoidable suspension is just bad business. Flemings has been a steady presence on the second unit, and handing away a game check for a meaningless cheap shot is a tough lesson in NBA economics.

The Hawks will have to patch together their backcourt rotation against Indiana without him. Flemings will have plenty of time to sit in street clothes, watch the Pacers run the floor, and calculate exactly how much that elbow just cost his bank account.