For those of you that want Artest

[Skins4Life]

I dont have much to say on this topic, but I will say this:

Iit's obvious that Isiah and the Knick fans are buying into the Ron hype that most Pacers fans here bought into for years, and I see a lot of you here also fall in that same category........

I feel sorry for anyone, yes even Knick/Hawks fans, who get stuck with Artest on their team.

Most NBA fans are passionate about their team and loyal to the end. No one deserves to have that clown come in and wreck their franchise. Sure, wherever he goes, there will be a short honeymoon. The fans will think that they have one of the most special players to ever play, just like most did here.

And probably like here, most fans will put up with it for several years......until one day when they've realized they've been played for fools.

[nkhera1]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

He is like the T.O. of basketball.

[utexas]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

If he helps win a ring he can be as crazy as he wants, Rodman has rings and was crazier on and off the court than Artest ever will be.

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

If he helps win a ring he can be as crazy as he wants, Rodman has rings and was crazier on and off the court than Artest ever will be.

NBA Championships:

Rodman: 5
Artest: 0


No team will win a NBA title with Ron Artest on that team.

But I really hope Isiah takes a chace on Ronnie. Hell, even better Phil should. He will turn himself around, really, he will. Look he much he changed from Chicago to Indiana...

[3rdAnswer]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Indiana had a great chance to win a championship with Ron.

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that want Artest

I just found this a great article:

Call Sam Smith what you want, but at some point in time, when the dust settles, we're going to have to deal with this topic again...

[hr]

http:///sports/basketball/bulls/cs-0...ulls-headlines

ON THE NBA
Time bomb explodes
Artest confirms fears of Bulls, NBA with his involvement in Friday night's brawl
Sam Smith

November 21, 2004

PHOENIX -- Now Ron Artest will have plenty of time to promote his rap album.

But this time it's no joking matter.

This is what we all were afraid of--what the Bulls feared when they traded Artest to the Indiana Pacers despite believing he could become an elite player--the rage, the uncontrollable anger that frightened everyone.

The halftimes when Artest, seemingly unaware that anyone else was in the room, would stand 5 feet from a wall, throwing the basketball as fast as he could just about at teammates' heads.

Smash! Smash! Smash!

It would come careening back. Again and again. Players dared not move. What would he do next?

Five-hundred-pound weight machines in the practice facility were tossed over after vain attempts to pull them out of their moorings. The Bulls despaired, and they also feared for the likable, generous kid who was nearly broke because he never could say no to a family member or friend. He tried to get a part-time job on Sundays to supplement his salary.

They suspended him, they benched him. Nothing did much good. They hired a psychiatrist, who recommended medication. Artest threw it away. He admitted there was a history of such behavior in his family.

Now Artest may have thrown away his NBA career.

Friday night's brawl in Auburn Hills, Mich., among the Pacers, Pistons and fans, which caused the game to be called with 45.9 seconds left, was one of the ugliest in the history of American sport.

Players likely will face criminal charges. Lawsuits will be filed. Suspensions will be massive. Saturday, Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal and Detroit's Ben Wallace were suspended indefinitely.

Players in both locker rooms in Phoenix after the Suns defeated the Lakers were aghast. Chicagoan Quentin Richardson likened it to neighborhood gang wars he saw as a kid that often ended in death.

"Someone's going to be getting a lot of players' money," he said.

Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant in the Lakers locker room watched in horror and warning. Why can players be assaulted like that from the stands? they asked. No one condoned what the players did, but this fan abuse has to be curtailed, they said.

Old-timers standing near Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich likened some of the punches thrown by Artest at fans to the punch Kermit Washington hit Tomjanovich with that led to a half-season suspension.

Artest certainly wasn't the only one involved.

Ben Wallace started it all, though there was Artest again with one of those pushes from behind that anger opponents. Wallace turned on him, and one of those brouhahas common in baseball continued with lots of milling around and separating. Artest sprawled out on his back on the scorer's table and started doing a radio interview.

A cup and beverage flew out of the stands and hit Artest, and he snapped.

It's the term used by many when talking in hushed tones about Artest.

He charged into the stands, throwing punches. Teammates followed. Artest hit a fan in the face with a punch that brought roars of horror in the Lakers' locker room. No one had seen anything like this. No one was cheering. Everyone winced.

Especially the NBA.

This has not been a great season for the league so far.

Yes, scoring is up, and several teams have surprised with exciting play. But league officials have been worried and furious about the pettiness and childishness of so many players, demanding trades or threatening to sit out because things weren't going their way. The public view too often has been of spoiled, selfish babies. Ticket prices have been rising and passion diminishing. And then the league lost control.

It has never been fully clear why fans are allowed to hurl vile epithets and spew vulgarities like they do. Players have come to expect it, if not fully understand or appreciate the originality. But the fans remain sacrosanct, no matter how moronic. They pay the bills.

There is no bigger sin than attacking the boss.

The NBA's boss will make that point. No one Friday night got a bigger black eye than the NBA, which is largely concerned with image. Don't be surprised if Artest is suspended for the rest of the season, others for weeks.

Perhaps we all should have seen this coming.

It never quite got there with Dennis Rodman, but the pleas for help seemed obvious. It's just that when the guy can get a key rebound or score a big basket or win Defensive Player of the Year--and you're paying him millions--it's difficult to send him away for the treatment he might need.

Don't blame the Pacers. No team does it.

After all, these are professionals--mercenaries, really--and they assume the risks.

But Artest seemed to be crying out for help. He asked for time off, either because he was tired from working with his new music company or to promote its new release this week. The Pacers gave him a few games off and everyone wrung their hands and asked how he could do that, or maybe this was a ploy to get attention for his label or what the heck, it's just Artest. It's not that the Pacers didn't know something was wrong.

Artest was a handful throughout last spring's playoffs, missing flights and challenging coach Rick Carlisle. He has tried to drive the team to trade him since. Teams were curious about the talent, but fearful.

Stories continued about Artest, and the team even put him off limits to questioners last week. Teammate O'Neal lashed out when an ESPN crew came in last week to ask more questions about Artest. The boiling point was nearing, but there's that thing about a watched pot. Then everyone turned their heads, and the pot exploded.

There will be plenty of time now for Artest to get help. We all hope he does this time.

Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune

_______________________________

So in short here in a Artest timeline. To be nice I cut out half out it. Ill just stick with the basics (thats said that i can say I cut out half of this and its still this long)

With Chicago - Something about throwing weights at a teammate - was suspended.

2001-02 - I remember him kicking a ball into the stands one night.

2002-03 - Camera in MSG, intros bicep to Pat Riley in Miami, "bird salutes" fans in several cities (I remember Miami). Flagrant foul machine.

2003-04 - ECF Game 6 (elimination Game). Elbows Rip Hamilton in the throat with about 5 minutes left. Flagrant called (and yes, Rip hit him earlier and flopped), Detroit makes 4-pt play, wins by 4.

2004-05 - Ron asks for time off saying he's tired after what - 2 games? Wants to promote his Rap Album. Retirement rumors.

November 19, 2004 - 'nuff said.

After game 6 of the 2005 2nd rd playoff series loss to the Pistons, shows up at Conseco after the game and does some wierd dance/gyration in front of the Detroit team bus while half naked.

December, 2005 - 'nuff said

________________________________

All I will say to any team who takes a chance is after he blows up, all I will say is "told you so".

In my "heaven", we would trade him to Detroit. I would gladly take a bag of chips back in return

[luv_mist]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Ya'll don't understand though....he's from NY. It's home for him so he'd fit just nicely there. He's really setting himself up for a nice homecoming. I'd definitely be so upset now cause the Knicks would have catapulted themselves past our team in getting a ring. Those Knicks are so tight on the real. I have to admit that they're hot, even when Eddie isn't playing. If they continue to work on the chemistry, then you'll defintely see them doing big things. Artest can only help them out.

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Ya'll don't understand though....he's from NY. It's home for him so he'd fit just nicely there. He's really setting himself up for a nice homecoming. I'd definitely be so upset now cause the Knicks would have catapulted themselves past our team in getting a ring. Those Knicks are so tight on the real. I have to admit that they're hot, even when Eddie isn't playing. If they continue to work on the chemistry, then you'll defintely see them doing big things. Artest can only help them out.

Wait, you were serious?



"Artest" and "improve chemistry" in the same sentence..

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Indiana had a great chance to win a championship with Ron.

Yeah, We were good for one season w/ Artest.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Say what you want Skins, but when the playoffs roll around, who on Indiana is going to guard.......excuse me......get lit the f up by LeBron, Wade, Jefferson/Carter, AI, Redd, Hamilton, etc., etc., etc.??

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Say what you want Skins, but when the playoffs roll around, who on Indiana is going to guard.......excuse me......get lit the f up by LeBron, Wade, Jefferson/Carter, AI, Redd, Hamilton, etc., etc., etc.??

Funny, last year Fred Jones held Wade in check. So no one got lit up.

Lebron has gone on everyone, including Artest.

Carter/RJ/AI all have "speed", which burned Artest. Freddie shut them down.

Rip has owned Ron.

I will admit Ron can defend straight up defenders like no other. So guys like Redd and PP might torch us, but your assuming we just stop playing defense.

Thats not going to happen. Isiah is not our coach anymore

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Fred Jones? The same kid ducking from Ben Wallace's brothers? Okay.

Pacers better send Ron to the Western Conference.

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Fred Jones? The same kid ducking from Ben Wallace's brothers? Okay.

Pacers better send Ron to the Western Conference.

First of all, what does the brawl have to do with anything.

But if you want to bring it up, he was attacked from behind. Not all that easy to defend yourself when you are attacked from behind.

Not that I see any corrolation to your point and playing defense, but I digress. Okay.

And I seriously doubt goes to a EC team. If DW keeps form, he'll go to a horrible team.

WOnt matter though, hell blow up what ever team he goes to soon enough.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Okay, the slam dunk contest winner Fred Jones. Didn't realize he was such a beast on the defensive end seeing how he held Dwyane Wade in check.

I wouldn't be suprised to see Artest ruin a team's chemistry but they're the one dealing for him. They know his rep. Indy should look to get a PG or Center in return.

[Skins4Life]

Re: For those of you that wnat Artest

Okay, the slam dunk contest winner Fred Jones. Didn't realize he was such a beast on the defensive end seeing how he held Dwyane Wade in check.

I wouldn't be suprised to see Artest ruin a team's chemistry but they're the one dealing for him. They know his rep. Indy should look to get a PG or Center in return.

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not.

Freddie plays great "D" on quick defenders. He really has never shut down D.Wade, but he has help hi in check.

I think since Tinsley may be on his way out soon, ideally we would get a "C".

But as it is, we have to live with whatever we get.