Davis, team put problem in past

PHOENIX - Kevin Garnett's misdeed Friday night came in a flash of anger, from a sense of duty, in a reaction of flight-or-fight (or throw-a-basketball). He shoved Detroit's Antonio McDyess, fired the ball at him when McDyess shoved back and flailed out when the altercation verged dangerously close to a fight.

Ricky Davis' transgression wasn't nearly as instinctive. He got angry, too, when subbed out of the Pistons game, but made a choice to walk out of the arena bowl and head to the locker room. He chose to sulk on the bench while the other Wolves pushed Detroit to a second overtime. His fuss was about him, rather than a knocked-down teammate, and it cost Davis a game, too, in a suspension imposed by the club.

Davis promises it will not happen again.

"That's something that happens once in a blue moon," the Wolves swingman said after Sunday's shootaround. "I just made a mistake. Got a little heated."

Davis would not clarify whether he refused to re-enter the game after the third-quarter snit.

"The only thing that hurts me is I let my teammates down," Davis said. "That's something you can't do. I talked with each one of them individually, so they understand it was my frustration."

Davis said that part of his reaction might have been caused by a building frustration, though he did not get specific.

"It could have been a little bit of both [the moment and a build-up]," Davis said. "You never know. You go through so much stuff, you never know what triggered it."

Coach Dwane Casey said he spoke with Davis Saturday and that the team would move on. "I love Ricky Davis," the coach said. "It's just like your kids: Your kids make a mistake at home, you discipline them and it's over. You're not going to kick your kid out of the house."

To Davis' talk of mounting frustration, Casey responded; "This is a league of frustrations. We have to deal with them in the right way.

"There's no rift or anything."

Gotta be the ball

This was the first suspension of Garnett's 12-year career. But his past three ejections all have involved tosses of the basketball.

The Wolves' All-Star forward was thrown out of a game at Utah in November 2003 and, before he exited, fired the ball high into the Delta Center stands. Last February, Garnett was ejected from a game against Memphis at Target Center when he tossed the ball past the baseline in frustration and it accidentally hit a fan sitting near the basket.

One who got away?

Marcus Banks got paid -- and got a really good seat.

Banks, the Wolves' starting point guard in their final 28 games of 2005-06, showed enough potential to land a fat free-agent contract with Phoenix. (The Wolves lost interest after signing Mike James.) But he has been a disappointment in his role as Steve Nash's intended backup and has dropped out of the Suns' regular rotation. After averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 assists and 30.7 minutes for Minnesota after arriving from Boston last January, Banks is down to 9.9 minutes, 4.1 points and 1.2 assists.

Phoenix insiders say Banks' biggest problem is dominating the ball in an attack that demands movement and sharing. He also has shot poorly and has been less effective on defense than the Suns had hoped.

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com