Tag Archive for 'Ron Artest'

On rejecting NBA storylines

Published by Kevin Sawyer on October 29, 2008 in Guest Writer. 12 Comments

Yikes, I’m being called out on my own blog. Not by name, but as a professional sports writer some of these points hit close to home. (Except for the hair stuff — mohawks are newsworthy!) — MW

By Kevin Sawyer

Basketball writers are notoriously fond of storylines. This stands to reason, what with the whole writing-as-profession thing. Narratives are in their wheelhouse, so to speak, and who doesn’t want to hear about Kobe Bryant’s marriage, attitude toward Lamar Odom, fashion-sense, fiber-intake et al?

The obsession with storylines has become so pronounced that actual storylines are weighed in comparison with anticipated storylines. Kobe won the MVP award last year, and his team performed ably if I recall correctly, but that didn’t have the wow factor of a potential trade to, and feud with, a new team, so instead we heard about the Houston Rockets.

It’s like the stock market. Sportswriters only cover NBA storylines when they exceed expectations. Remember how Tom Donaghy was going to take the NBA down with him? This year, the gig is for sportswriters to tell us what storylines to follow. I find this patently absurd. I’ll follow whatever I damn well please, thank you.

So with the season amongst us and within us, here is a list of storylines in which I have precisely no interest.

CP3 vs. D-Will

This isn’t Magic vs. Isiah, this is Magic vs. Maurice Cheeks. Comparing two talented conference rivals who play the same position is a reasonable conversation to have, so long as the talented conference rivals are equally talented, which is not at all the case. Plus, D-Will isn’t even a cool nickname. I’m calling him Jazzysass from now on.

Can Ron Artest Co-exist With T-Mac and Yao?

Probably not. Given the Rockets recent history of injuries, however, the better question is whether Ron Artest can co-exist with Brent Barry and Carl Landry. That said, if Ron Artest carved the word “popcorn” on his chest, filled the Oklahoma City visitors locker room with feral cats, and set himself on fire, I’d still yawn.

Well, unless the cats also caught fire and ran wild during a Thunder-Clippers game. That would be exquisite. Chris Kaman was born for such a situation.

OMG! PORTLAND! POTENTIAL!! GREG ODEN!!! OMG!!!!!!!!

Calm down.

Are the Timberwolves Playoff-bound?

Seriously, has anyone ever been this excited about a potential 39 win team? I live in Minnesota, and I can tell you that the enthusiasm is not shared locally. That said, at least a third of Minnesota sports fans still think the Twins have a shot at winning the World Series this year, and most are wondering when we’re going to trade Kevin Garnett. This town has the team it deserves.

Are the Spurs Too Old?

Nope. Next.

How Will the Recession Affect The NBA?

It will have a negative impact, which will result in job and pay cuts. Does any fan care if the communications director for the Bucks only makes $148,000 this year, or if the MLE decreases by three percent? If the league goes bankrupt (unlikely), then I’ll follow this narrative. Otherwise, go Pistons!

This-or-that Team Looked Great In the Pre-Season. What’s in Store for Them?

Ask the Hawks, Warriors and Pacers, who finished first, second and third in last year’s preseason, respectively, while the four teams who made the conference finals posted a 16-15 preseason record.

Look At So-and-so’s Hairdo! It’s WEEEEEEIRD!

Oh, for crying out loud. Look, funny haircuts come and go. Just cover the damn sport already.

JamesOn Curry Got a One-game Suspension for Public Urination

Okay, that’s pretty funny. Plus, his name sounds like an interactive electronic device. JamesOn says “turn left”. JamesOn recommends – “end post”.

Would the Pistons actually trade for Ron Artest?

Published by Matt Watson on July 23, 2008 in Rumors. 273 Comments

In internet years, this rumor already decades old, but I haven’t touched officially on it yet and would like to offer my two cents. Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee recently listed several possible destinations for Ron Artest and surprisingly included Detroit:

Could this be why Artest was so interested in interviewing brawl instigator John Green a while back? It would be a brilliant PR move if the Pistons were looking to put a package together for Artest.

And from what I was told from one source close to the Pistons, they are. I’ve yet to get this info from more than one person, so stay tuned. But much like the Mavs’ situation, this could be one of those where the player the Kings want (perhaps Tayshaun Prince) would be different than the one offered (Jason Maxiell, anyone?). Pure speculation on my part in terms of the potential pieces.

[Update: Amick found a second source to verify Detroit’s interest.]

For PR reasons alone, I’d be shocked if the Pistons pulled the trigger unless they could get him for 50 cents on the dollar, and given the alleged league-wide interest in Artest, I’m not sure that will ever happen. But let’s say it did … would you endorse the move?

Call me crazy, but I would. Strictly speaking from a basketball perspective, Artest is an incredible talent. He’s an extremely strong and physical player capable of guarding the best player on the opposing team, regardless of position. I enjoy watching Tayshaun Prince as much as anyone, but would Artest ever let LeBron James score 25 straight? Would he allow Paul Pierce to slice and dice the defense? No chance.

No one wants to win more than Artest. He’s notorious for playing as hard in the opening minutes of a game as he does down the stretch of a close game — he only has one gear. When the Kings came to town in January, Artest was playing just his second game after missing nine with an elbow injury. He was awful during a 25-point loss in his first game back in Toronto, and talking with him two nights later, I remember being surprised at how his performance was still eating at him:

“I was pissed. I was pissed that we lost. I was pissed that I came back and I couldn’t help my team win. I was pissed at myself. I just felt like I let my team down, I was so pissed. We talked about it when we got back to the hotel and everybody was back on the same page.” […] “Right after the game I got dressed and Reggie [Theus] finished talking and I left. I just walked back to the hotel, I was so pissed. Lost by about 20 points, that’s not fun.”

The Pistons have had guys like Antonio McDyess wear their heart on their sleeves like this in the playoffs, but this was after a regular season game in January. Yeah, I’ll take an attitude like that in the locker room any day.

I know, I know … but isn’t Artest a little crazy? Don’t believe the caricature the media has painted of him, because he’s probably one of the most complex guys in the NBA. Read this interview he did with The Starting Five in December — it’s one of the most thoughtful and introspective interviews you’ll ever find, and it sheds some light on the other side of Artest that we rarely get to see.

Yes, he’s absolutely made some mistakes that make me cringe, but unlike a lot of athletes he seems to always try owning up to them in the end. No, it doesn’t excuse them, but it counts for something.

Hell, I’m not even mad anymore about the Malice at the Palace — I pin that ugly chapter of Pistons lore on John Green. (And besides, Charles Barkley once brawled with the fans at the Palace — does that still define who he is? Of course not. If Artest’s involvement in that incident is still a poison pill to accepting everything else he brings to the table, you need a broader sense of perspective.)

In the end, none of this really matters — I’d be absolutely shocked if the Pistons actually pulled the trigger, especially if it involved giving up squeaky clean Tay. But is this something I’d like to see? Absolutely.

This is just weird

Published by Matt Watson on June 3, 2008 in Around the Internets. 6 Comments

From Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee:

As the continuing radio career of the Kings small forward continues, Artest is now hoping to interview the infamous John Green of the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” brawl. The Pistons fan is the one who hurled a plastic cup of beer at Artest as he rested on press row on that Nov. 19 in Detroit, sparking the bolt into the stands and yadda yadda yadda.

You know that story well, but this is something new and so very American if it comes to fruition. Apparently, Green has already been tracked down and appears to be on board with the plan. No date has been set, but the buzz grew enough that Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show caught wind of it and wanted Artest to do the interview in their LA studio. Artest, who has grown so comfortable in the studio of KHTK’s Carmichael Dave as his unofficial co-host recently, wants to do it in “his” house and Best Damn may be sending a video crew to capture the magic.

I generally like to pretend the brawl never happened, but I must admit, I’d probably set the DVR for that one (or at least hit it up on YouTube the next day). I’m not sure why Artest is suddenly in the footsteps of Larry King, but his recent interview with Kobe Bryant was an entertaining seven minutes, if you haven’t seen it already.