Members of Phoenix Suns weigh in on Devin Booker's soft ejection

In a season full of talking points for the Phoenix Suns, Wednesday night's routine victory over the Detroit Pistons might just have been the most dramatic yet. To begin with, Bradley Beal missed the game through a hamstring injury that forced him off the court early in their previous victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Then Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons had a moment of madness - tracking down and finding fellow center Drew Eubanks in the arena before the game - to then punch him in the face. The authorities swiftly got involved, and it put an altogether strange vibe on a game also featuring former Suns' head coach Monty Williams going up against his former team.

Then to top it all off, Devin Booker was ejected from the game after playing just five minutes in one of the softest dismissals you will ever see.

There was plenty to digest after the game - although the Suns will be happy that they got through all of the unexpected dramatics - and found a way to win against a poor Pistons game. In the moment the ejection looked ridiculous, and it also meant home fans were denied the chance to see not only Beal, but then Booker as well.

After the game, head coach Frank Vogel came out swinging in defence of his star player, and he had the following to say to the assembled media;

"They just said they asked him to stop whatever his complaint was and he didn’t stop so they T’d him up and then he said something else to the other official and they ran him out,” Vogel said of his perspective on it."

- Head coach Frank Vogel

Vogel didn't stop there, and it may well be that he gets a fine for what came next because although he didn't quite question the officials on their call, his words were still strong and commented on their thought process in the moment.

"Total BS to take a star player out of the game. I’ve seen worse than what he did on a nightly basis. Not, ‘I’ve seen it before.’ I see it every night. So, unprecedented. Those are good officials that were on the game tonight but that was certainly uncalled for and BS."

- Head coach Frank Vogel

That perhaps does not tell the full story though, as it looked like Booker was talking to the officials on the previous possession before he was ejected. Then again, if the referees felt he was able to play on after speaking in the moment, to then toss him from the game the following play seems like swift pivot in officiating on the night. It is not like players don't remonstrate all of the time either.

Kevin Durant then chimed in, perhaps correctly making the point that after the Stewart/Eubanks incident, the referees felt that anything at all could ignite both teams and cause the night to get even more dramatic for all of the wrong reasons. True as that may have been, fans turned out like they always do - on Valentine's Day no less - to see Booker play, and the ejection was soft.

Perhaps the only positive to come from the night was the fact the Suns didn't need Booker, and still won 116-100, while Saben Lee had a season high 16 points as a result of getting extended run with Booker missing. His 24 minutes was the joint-highest off the bench alongside new addition Royce O'Neale, while it also matched Eric Gordon, who started the game.

Coach Vogel used a whopping 14 players in all - not including Beal - meaning it was a great night for some of the fringe players such as Theo Maledon and Udoka Azubuike to get some run. This being the Suns' final game before the All-Star break, the injury to Beal has come at the best time possible, and nobody around the organization seems overly concerned by his latest knock.

All Booker can do now is head to Indiana to enjoy the All-Star festivities, and return for the sprint to the postseason. His team are 11 games above .500 and look like a tough out when fully healthy. Assuming there are no more ridiculous run-ins with match officials, Booker is going to be out there when it matters most for the Suns this season.