 After the Pacers–Pistons brawl, ESPN's studio team came under severe criticism, both by the media and by ESPN itself for their stance regarding the actions of Indiana Pacer Ron Artest (who entered the stands to confront a fan, sparking the melee).Saunders came down hard on Detroit fans, referring to them as "punks," while Anthony and Legler defended Artest.For the 2006-07 NBA season, Saunders was replaced by Fred Hickman, with the remaining team left intact.