This is what Artest needs to do
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlo...ts/10526910.htm
Pacers' O'Neal wants image back
Columbia forward suffers because of his involvement in brawl
RICK BONNELL
Staff Writer
Forget whether his suspension stands, or whether the Indiana Pacers recover for the playoffs, or whether he even plays another game in the NBA.
Columbia's Jermaine O'Neal cares most that you know he's not the man defined by two minutes of ESPN videotape.
"That's more important than anything -- how people see me as a person, not as a player," O'Neal said of the brawl in Detroit last month that got him suspended for 25 games.
O'Neal is no thug. Last season he won the Magic Johnson Award, selected by NBA writers as a player whose high character matches his great talent. O'Neal was intensely proud of that distinction last spring and he's determined to restore the respect he drew nationally.
It won't be easy.
"The only thing I can do now is help repair the image of the NBA," he said before Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats. "Anything they need me to do -- whatever they need -- I'll do it."
That positive reputation helped O'Neal recently when an arbitrator reduced his NBA suspension from 25 games to 15. The league is suing, on the contention that the arbitrator can't reverse a suspension involving on-court acts. A hearing, scheduled for today in New York federal court, could restore the suspension.
"I put it all in God's hands," O'Neal said of the hearing.
Understand that he accepts punishment. He knows he was wrong. But he and his team felt the suspensions were excessive, fueled by the round-the-clock attention the fight got on national news networks.
O'Neal feels the Detroit fans' culpability in what transpired was minimized in media coverage.
"They only showed us hitting people, not the other things that happened," O'Neal said. "There were 15 of us and thousands of them."
O'Neal said the hardest part was explaining what happened to his 5-year-old daughter, Asjia.
"My daughter looks up to me," he said of the trepidation in broaching the subject. "I said, `Daddy was involved in a situation he never should have been involved in.' She was OK."
O'Neal can't help but wonder if the large number of African Americans in the NBA is a factor in public perception. He noted that Texas Ranger Frank Francisco's throwing a chair into the stands in Oakland -- and injuring a fan -- didn't cause nearly the same clamor against baseball.
"I hear people say the NBA is too hip-hop. What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. "I'm sure there are a lot of baseball and hockey players listening to rock 'n roll and heavy metal. But that's never mentioned."
Illness, injuries thin Bobcats roster
The flu and various injuries robbed the Bobcats of their depth for Wednesday's game against the Pacers. Starters Primoz Brezec (flu symptoms and new fatherhood) and Brevin Knight (flu) missed the game, as did Jamal Sampson (sprained ankle).
That forced Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff to activate backup center Jahidi White before his strained right shoulder was quite healed. That was done in part to move Sampson to the injured list, to start using up his minimum five games inactive.
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http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlo...ts/10526910.htm
Pacers' O'Neal wants image back
Columbia forward suffers because of his involvement in brawl
RICK BONNELL
Staff Writer
Forget whether his suspension stands, or whether the Indiana Pacers recover for the playoffs, or whether he even plays another game in the NBA.
Columbia's Jermaine O'Neal cares most that you know he's not the man defined by two minutes of ESPN videotape.
"That's more important than anything -- how people see me as a person, not as a player," O'Neal said of the brawl in Detroit last month that got him suspended for 25 games.
O'Neal is no thug. Last season he won the Magic Johnson Award, selected by NBA writers as a player whose high character matches his great talent. O'Neal was intensely proud of that distinction last spring and he's determined to restore the respect he drew nationally.
It won't be easy.
"The only thing I can do now is help repair the image of the NBA," he said before Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats. "Anything they need me to do -- whatever they need -- I'll do it."
That positive reputation helped O'Neal recently when an arbitrator reduced his NBA suspension from 25 games to 15. The league is suing, on the contention that the arbitrator can't reverse a suspension involving on-court acts. A hearing, scheduled for today in New York federal court, could restore the suspension.
"I put it all in God's hands," O'Neal said of the hearing.
Understand that he accepts punishment. He knows he was wrong. But he and his team felt the suspensions were excessive, fueled by the round-the-clock attention the fight got on national news networks.
O'Neal feels the Detroit fans' culpability in what transpired was minimized in media coverage.
"They only showed us hitting people, not the other things that happened," O'Neal said. "There were 15 of us and thousands of them."
O'Neal said the hardest part was explaining what happened to his 5-year-old daughter, Asjia.
"My daughter looks up to me," he said of the trepidation in broaching the subject. "I said, `Daddy was involved in a situation he never should have been involved in.' She was OK."
O'Neal can't help but wonder if the large number of African Americans in the NBA is a factor in public perception. He noted that Texas Ranger Frank Francisco's throwing a chair into the stands in Oakland -- and injuring a fan -- didn't cause nearly the same clamor against baseball.
"I hear people say the NBA is too hip-hop. What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. "I'm sure there are a lot of baseball and hockey players listening to rock 'n roll and heavy metal. But that's never mentioned."
Illness, injuries thin Bobcats roster
The flu and various injuries robbed the Bobcats of their depth for Wednesday's game against the Pacers. Starters Primoz Brezec (flu symptoms and new fatherhood) and Brevin Knight (flu) missed the game, as did Jamal Sampson (sprained ankle).
That forced Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff to activate backup center Jahidi White before his strained right shoulder was quite healed. That was done in part to move Sampson to the injured list, to start using up his minimum five games inactive.
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