Artest To Spurs????

[Brox6]

LINK (http://probasketballnews.com/amico_062508.html)

Random draft news:

* Expect San Antonio to make a strong summer push to land Kings swingman Ron Artest, a soon-to-be free agent. The Spurs are desperately trying to get better and more physical after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Artest is the type of hard-nosed defender who would fit well into the Spurs’ scheme. They also believe tough coach Gregg Popovich and star forward Tim Duncan could help Artest tone down his sometimes knucklehead ways.

* The Spurs would be willing to let unrestricted veteran free agents Michael Finley, Robert Horry, and Damon Stoudamire walk for nothing if it meant landing Artest. Even without Artest, Finley and Stoudamire aren’t likely to return, as the Spurs’ will focus on getting younger.

[Mister Sinister]

Misleading thread title is misleading.

[GSH]

"They also believe tough coach Gregg Popovich and star forward Tim Duncan could help Artest tone down his sometimes knucklehead ways."

Sometimes knucklehead? Sometimes? Okay, but can they do anything about the time he spends being a pinhead? Or a butthead? Or, I sometimes think, a crackhead? Obviously, the problem is with his head.

Damn he's a great player. I just wonder if he can survive playoff pressure without a meltdown. Don't you think he would have been off the bench and in Amare's face after the Horry-Nash incident two years ago?

I really feel sorry for Artest, just like John Daly on the golf course. I think both of them really want to do better, but they can't seem to get past their problems. I would love to see Artest on the Spurs, minus the craziness. But I'd like to see Artest minus the craziness, just for his own sake.

[SenorSpur]

LINK (http://probasketballnews.com/amico_062508.html)

Random draft news:

* Expect San Antonio to make a strong summer push to land Kings swingman Ron Artest, a soon-to-be free agent. The Spurs are desperately trying to get better and more physical after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Artest is the type of hard-nosed defender who would fit well into the Spurs’ scheme. They also believe tough coach Gregg Popovich and star forward Tim Duncan could help Artest tone down his sometimes knucklehead ways.

* The Spurs would be willing to let unrestricted veteran free agents Michael Finley, Robert Horry, and Damon Stoudamire walk for nothing if it meant landing Artest. Even without Artest, Finley and Stoudamire aren’t likely to return, as the Spurs’ will focus on getting younger.


The Spurs need to let those three walk even if they don't get Artest.

[Kobe™]

doubt it.
Sign sasha/jr smith

[exstatic]

Artest isn't a knucklehead at all, he's a documented mentally ill young man who refuses to medicate. You can't fix that with a locker room.

[mrspurs]

once a dummy, always a dummy....the more dummys you have, the less success your supposed to have.....the less dummys you have the greater the amount of success your supposed to have.....supposed is a weird word

[SenorSpur]

Artest isn't a knucklehead at all, he's a documented mentally ill young man who refuses to medicate. You can't fix that with a locker room.

Didn't know he had been medically diagnosed. Do you know what his condition is?

[phyzik]

Didn't know he had been medically diagnosed. Do you know what his condition is?

Here's a biography on him

http://unlimited.nba.free.fr/artest.htm

Author's note: In early 2003, ESPN the Magazine ran a cover story on Ron Artest, calling him "The Scariest Man in Basketball." Not much has changed, even though everything has changed. Funny thing, though: everyone who meets Artest likes him. A lot. He comes across as kind and well-meaning and even endearing. So how to explain the horrible outbursts? Keep in mind that Artest grew up in chaos. Every day of his childhood brought the fear of violence and poverty and disorder. He saw his father hit his mother. He saw them get divorced. He saw his baby sister buried after she died of SIDS. Chaos is Ron Artest's phobia. Lack of control of his surroundings brings him back to a time in his life when the next moment could bring something terrifying. Basketball was and still is his antidote, his crutch. Ron Artest plays as if his life depends on it, because somewhere in the back of his mind he might believe it does. So it's possible that when that cup hit him last Friday, he became the little boy none of us can see in this big, brawny man. The Scariest Man in Basketball could also be the most scared.



Crazy. Ron Artest is crazy. Sometimes it is said with a chuckle: He crazy! Sometimes it is said in admiration: Mmm, mmm, dude is cray-zy. And sometimes it is said in a grave whisper: I think he might be crazy.

His high school coach: "A wild man."

His college coach: "Kind of scary at times."

An NBA teammate: "The court is 94 feet of therapy -- for whatever's bothering him."

Look at the man. Watch him play. Watch him rip a phone out of press row, bust a blackboard, charge into a locker room after a loss and scream at his teammates, "Ain't nobody eating! Nobody deserves to eat!" Watch him hurl a TV monitor to the floor after a loss in New York and then smash a $100,000 camera to bits.

Listen to the man. Listen to him call himself unstoppable -- and mean it; then call himself a loser -- and mean it. Listen to him wonder aloud how he shut down Kobe and T-Mac and then wonder aloud why NBA players are so far beneath his expectations. Listen to him insist that if he were commissioner, he'd enforce a mandatory ejection for cussing "because kids are watching" but remove any punishment for punting a ball into the stands "because it's fun." Listen to him say this: "They better not put me in the All-Star Game. I won't shoot, but I'll dominate that easy game. I'll be playing hard defense. I'll be foulin'. I'll be flagrant fouling. Everyone will be like, 'What are you doing?' "

What is he doing? The whole league wants to know. Artest's own team has removed any "throwable" objects from the scorer's table -- and that was before he was fined and suspended for three games for chucking all that A/V equipment at Madison Square Garden. Teammates practice hard because they know if they don't, they're gonna get hurt out there. And opponents are just plain scared by Artest's arched-eyebrow scowl, his Joe Weider arms and his bump-and-run defense. "If there is any fear in your heart," says former teammate and longtime friend Marcus Fizer, "you will be afraid of that guy."

What will Artest do next? Here's a guy whose unmatched defense and drive ratchet up as his first-place team improves. Here's a guy whose own father says, "I always thought Ron's temper would be his downfall in life." Here's a guy who threatened his ex-girlfriend over the summer and was ordered to undergo anger-management therapy, then called his boss in Indianapolis to tell him the news and said, "I could sure use that!"

He wasn't joking. Artest had anger-management therapy once before. And out of those doctor's visits came a prescription that has stayed with him and buoyed him and transported him to an almost impossible happiness. Unspool all that crazy and you'll find a single thread that weaves from each outburst to the one before, and all the way back to the turbulent time that Artest first entered a therapist's office, at 8 years of age.

This nice delivery man in the cap and jacket can explain. Here he is now, in a Manhattan McDonald's on a Friday afternoon, after dropping off his last cases of bottled water. He devours six sugar cookies and two milks. "You wouldn't think I had a temper by lookin' at me," says Ron Artest Sr. And no, you wouldn't. A goofy, endearing smile stands out more than that 6'2", 250-pound brawn. But the man is sensitive, and he takes everything personally. Once, a co-worker challenged him, poked him in the chest, and Big Ron coldcocked him right there on the job. Ron Sr. is a Navy vet and a former boxer -- a one-time Golden Gloves heavyweight from Philly -- who put the gloves on his oldest as soon as Ron-Ron could keep them aloft. Ron Sr. says he prayed that sports might keep the boy from inheriting that Artest temper. It didn't. Not in the grimy-bricked Queensbridge projects of New York that Ron Sr. and his wife, Sarah, called home. Not when there were eight kids -- six siblings, two nephews -- in two bedrooms. Not when money was so tight that Ron Sr. borrowed from seven different loan sharks. Ron-Ron ate and ate -- he started eating solids at 3 months -- so Daddy took food from the hospital where he worked and bought $300 worth of groceries at a time on store credit. And not when Ron-Ron saw Daddy get angry and start yelling. Saw Daddy's jaw set and his eyes go from warm to hot. Saw Daddy hit Mommy. Ron-Ron offered to lie to the cops, but Daddy said no, that's not right. Never lie. Never hit a woman. Don't be like your father.

But it was too late. Ron-Ron's own temper began to smolder as his parents' marriage fell apart. And he knew only one way to cope -- by lashing out, like Mom and Dad did. So when a boy cut him in line at the school cafeteria, Ron put his enormous hands around the kid's throat. When an older cousin taunted him on the playground, Ron knocked him out. Only 7 years old, Ron was trapped by the madness he feared and the only method of coping he knew. "A lot of Ron's anger," says Ron Sr., "came from the breakup of the family."

Ron Sr. and Sarah did not stay in love, but they did stay involved. Dad moved only a few doors down from Mom, visited Ron every day and took care of the spankings when his oldest got into trouble at school. But it wasn't enough. After several calls from worried teachers, the Artests sent their 8-year-old son to anger-management therapy. The counselor talked and listened and found out what would distract Ron from all the trouble at home. After a few weeks, he offered a suggestion: basketball.

So Ron played against his humongous daddy, who shoved him and held him and sometimes tackled him to make him strong inside and out. The boy played in wind and snow and after midnight and by himself, and played on that day when the director of the community center asked him, "Why are you always so upset?" The boy played in the Rucker Summer League and snarled on cue when all the older men called him "Ultimate Warrior." He played when Mom and Dad finally separated in '92, when his baby sister died of SIDS in '95 and on the day after the funeral -- where he watched Mommy put one of his basketball plaques in 10-week-old Quanisha's casket. The boy played on into high school, leaving his blood on the floor and elbowing bigger players and stepping on their feet just to scare them a little. He played in an AAU tournament in Phoenix, when some kid on his own team started yapping too much and Ron-Ron shoved him backward over a chair. That very day, the coach from St. John's, there scouting the tournament, smiled at the muscular teen and thought: That's him. That's the one I want.

Hoops made Artest feel better, made him excited and then made him special. His new coach, Fran Fraschilla, told Ron he would be the linchpin, the perfect player for rugged St. John's. The coach tweaked and taunted him, demoting him to the second team just to rile him up and stir up practice. "It felt like Frankenstein in the laboratory," Fraschilla says. "You could tell he was ready to blow his stack. Everyone kind of feared him."

Artest outright unnerved opponents -- the bumping, the elbowing, the unshakable glare. Even when someone got by him, big No.15 would follow his man to the hoop and put all his power into a swooping roundhouse right timed to his victim's release. Whether the swing hit ball, hand or head, the message got sent. The Red Storm became the Artest tempest, and New York ate it up. Sure, there were technicals and the occasional fights with teammates, but St. John's had given Ron-Ron a safe place to seethe.

And Ron gave back. Fraschilla got canned because of his own temperament, but Artest's will and talent made the Johnnies a force. Mike Jarvis -- the guarded anti-Fran -- sat Artest down in his first week on the job just to exchange pleasantries. Right away, Artest leaned forward in his chair and said, "Do you think we have what it takes to get to the Final Four?" Jarvis tried to process it -- a player challenging him? -- and said, uh, yes. So Ron took it to another level. More bump-and-run defense, more fights, more dismissals from practice, more winning. Artest dragged his team to the Elite Eight as a sophomore, then invited about a thousand of his neighbors to the Queensbridge community center to announce he was going pro at 19. Come on, everybody, let's get out of the projects once and for all.

But Ron never really left Queensbridge behind. As a Bulls rookie, he funneled money to his people until he was nearly broke (The Mag assembled them all for a July 10, 2000, Total Access), then applied for a job at a Chicagoland Circuit City for the camaraderie and employee discount. He practiced and played to exhaustion, and then snuck away from team hotels in bad neighborhoods to test his shot against bent rims, fierce cold and numbing winds. "He has a tremendous fear of failure," says Fraschilla. "He worries that he'll have to go back to Queensbridge." So heaven help anybody caught loafing. At halftime of one Bulls game, he picked up a ball and threw it against the locker room wall -- just missing the heads of some teammates -- again and again until he saw confusion turn to fear. Then, after the loss, he screamed at teammates who went right for the postgame spread. For every dollop of fear, Ron-Ron had two scoops of crazy.

And a growing rep. The whispers began around him and carried coast to coast. They got louder with each visiting All-Star who left Chicago with lots of aches and not so many points. "A lot of guys in the league don't like to be touched," says Sixers guard Aaron McKie. "He's gonna touch you." At least. All the Bulls remember the day they got a call about Artest breaking MJ's ribs in a summer '01 pickup game before Two-Three's final comeback. They heard MJ was ripping on Ron for being broke. They heard that Ron blew a gasket, punched Michael, body-slammed him, pile-drived him, you name it.

Is any of it true? Artest denies anything more than setting a hard pick. Does it matter? No. Who else in the NBA can break Air's ribs and become even closer friends with the man? MJ even says, "I love Ron Artest."

Which brings us to Indianapolis, where the 6'7", 246-pound Artest is the engine of this Pacers team. He averages 16 and 6, wears his new buddy's No. 23, plans to marry his high school sweetheart, owns a new house in the 'burbs and recently signed a six-year extension worth $41 million that kicks in next season and will afford him all the Circuit City equipment he can carry. He arrived in a big trade at the deadline last season and plays for Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre -- two of the Bad Boys he once idolized. Thomas says Artest is "about as complete a player as we have." Aguirre says Ron has Rodman's hustle, Laimbeer's grit and defense not even Dumars could match. When Jalen Rose, who went to Chicago in the deal that sent Artest to Indy, was told Artest wasn't even on the All-Star ballot, he said simply, "Wow."

What does Ron say? Well, today he's driving his grimy Mitsubishi Montero from the gym to his house to pack for a trip to Milwaukee. Artest drives the speed limit but talks a million miles an hour -- smiling and unwrapping the tape from his jammed fingers. Yes, his defensive style is purposely "erratic." Yes, he worships the game's superstars, and yes, he gets bothered when guys don't hustle. "The most talented," he says, "are not the hardest-working." And yes, he has an anger problem: "When I'm upset, it's not good. I'm not really thinking about the game. I feel like I've failed."

Every game is still the end-game for Artest. No matter how aware he is of his temper, no matter how earnestly he struggles to control it, every glare or taunt from an opponent brings him right back to the trauma of his childhood, when he failed to stop the disaster unfolding around him. He is disappointed in himself every time he loses his temper. He is ashamed of the time he verbally assaulted ex-girlfriend Jennifer Palma over the phone, telling her -- according to a complaint filed by Palma -- "If you don't call back, I'm going to have to hurt you." He can't bear the fact that once, in a fight, he shoved her. He meant it when he told Walsh he sure could use counseling, but any perceived threat to his livelihood turns Ron the maturing professional basketball player back into Ron-Ron the cornered little boy. At the first of his 26 mandatory therapy sessions in December, the therapist asked Artest why he gets so angry. Ron looked at the doctor with eyes wide and pleading, and said, "It's because I'm being spoiled and I want things my way."

Artest parks and walks into his unimposing five-bedroom brick house, where two of his three kids are running around in their jammies and the TV is blaring and gift boxes are strewn about everywhere. So many walls, but just one adornment: a plaque given to Ron for charitable donations to the New York City Housing Authority. This place is a little Queensbridge in Indiana. Ron greets his fiancée, Kimisha Hatfield. This fall they had a fight, and Kim started to hit Ron, and Ron ... grabbed his kids and went outside and called the cops. He didn't hit her, didn't retaliate. "If I did that," he says, "I should be in jail."

Ron grabs his suitcase, kisses Kim and hugs the kids goodbye. He heads for the airport and talks about the time he saw his dad hit his mom. "When something like that happens," he says, "you get angry, depressed and sad. But if you keep focusing on it, you won't be able to have any fun." He smiles that endearing grin he got from his father.

Artest is certainly having fun. This situation is so much better than in Chicago, where friends worried that all the losing would push him a little closer to the edge. Now the team is new, the city is new, the house is new and Artest's status as a star is new. Still, the questions loom: What happens if the Pacers start losing, if troubles mount at home, if the pressure gets too great? Artest offers an answer: "Muhammad Ali used to prepare, always prepare, even if he lost. All I can do is prepare."

And play. For now, and for as long as he scares every player he stares down, Ron-Ron can rely on the medication that got him here. "Basketball was always something I felt I could dominate -- something I could control," he says. "I can always get a ball and go play. That's the best thing for me. I can play like a savage. Until my legs break off or I get paralyzed, I can play this way. It helps me be me."

Doesn't sound so crazy, now does it?

__________________________________________________ __

It wasnt long after that we saw the brawl in Detroit...... And there is a comment from him out there somewhere that he no longer takes his meds.

Personally, I wouldnt mind him on the Spurs... I think a little (or a lot) of crazy is exactly what this team needs.... as long as we can prevent it from getting too out of hand.

[Kori Ellis]

Didn't know he had been medically diagnosed. Do you know what his condition is?

He has some manic-depression issues, I believe. Along with anger management problems. He was on medication for a while in Chicago but he thought they took the "edge" off his game, so he went off of them.

[1Parker1]

I'd rather have JR Smith than Ron Artest for what it's worth. :lol

[hater]

Artest is a wild animal. Not even Pop could tame that

[completely deck]

Oh god no please don't

[WildcardManu]

Oh wow, now I'm not sure if he fits in S.A.

[thispego]

do it spurs. it would put us back on top. look how far we got with such a shitty banged up team this last year

[Marcus Bryant]

A healthy ankle + Artest? That'd work. As long as Ron doesn't use crunch time of Game 5 of the '09 WCF to promote his new album.

[SenorSpur]

The Spurs would defensive tenacity would be amped up X 10 with Artest.

However, I think I'd rather have J.R. Smith.

[Robinzine]

Personally, I wouldnt mind him on the Spurs... I think a little (or a lot) of crazy is exactly what this team needs.... as long as we can prevent it from getting too out of hand.

Good luck with that.:p:

[FromWayDowntown]

It would definitely feel like a Rodman redux -- that uneasy feeling knowing that you have a uniquely-skilled guy on your club who can be among the best in the game, but also realizing that at any moment, for any reason, just completely Section 8 on the team and start pressing his own agenda. I suppose there's a thrill to that and there's certainly a strong basketball upside to it.

I don't think this is particularly realistic, but I guess I could medicate sufficiently to deal with the anxieties that would come with Artest in the silver and black.

[DazedAndConfused]

Never going to happen. Artest will not opt out and take less money. The Kings treat him pretty well, he's staying in SAC. Going to be a good boy next season and some sucker will sign him to a bigger deal next off season.

[Kindergarten Cop]

Never going to happen. Artest will not opt out and take less money. The Kings treat him pretty well, he's staying in SAC. Going to be a good boy next season and some sucker will sign him to a bigger deal next off season.

+1

[FromWayDowntown]

Never going to happen. Artest will not opt out and take less money. The Kings treat him pretty well, he's staying in SAC. Going to be a good boy next season and some sucker will sign him to a bigger deal next off season.

I agree that money talks for most of these guys. Given that, Artest would be foolish to opt out at this point and even more foolish to take less money to go to another team. Artest has certainly been known to do foolish things, so I suppose if anyone might do it, he's that guy. But ultimately, I can't see him bolting Sacramento for less money, which is all that SA can truly offer him. His draw to Duncan (and he's offered nothing but respect for Tim when speaking publicly) would have to be unbelievable to make this happen, which seems highly unlikely.

[bonesinaz]

Didn't know he had been medically diagnosed. Do you know what his condition is?

He is a classic bi-polar (also called manic depressive or schizoaffective bi-polar type). There is no 'medical' test for this disorder. It is diagnosed based mostly on history of the patient.

I hope Ron decides to take his medication for the sake of his family/kids. There is something like a 15% suicide rate amoung bi-polar depression sufferers.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

It would definitely feel like a Rodman redux -- that uneasy feeling knowing that you have a uniquely-skilled guy on your club who can be among the best in the game, but also realizing that at any moment, for any reason, just completely Section 8 on the team and start pressing his own agenda. I suppose there's a thrill to that and there's certainly a strong basketball upside to it.

I don't think this is particularly realistic, but I guess I could medicate sufficiently to deal with the anxieties that would come with Artest in the silver and black.


Excellent post. The Rodman comparison is a great one. When Rodman became a Spur he was just hitting his 15 minutes of fame and he thought he was bigger than the team. He was more than willing to put himself, and whatever dumbass statement he wanted to make, before winning...which up to that point in his career really hadn't been the case. Rodman wasn't crazy, he just liked to pretend he was.

Artest really wants to win, and I think really wants to be with a group of similar minded folks. He's a little crazy and that certainly could hurt the Spurs, but I don't think his impact would be as critical as Rodman's was.

Rodman was basically the second best player on the Spurs behind Robinson, and he had rings to dangle in Robinson's face. For some reason, the fact that Rodman had won championships made him think he was above everyone else on the Spurs and that he was there to somehow show the team how to win. Problem was Rodman wasn't a leader, he was just a guy with a lot of hardware.

Artest would be on a squad full of proven winners. He'd come in as the non-champion looking up at the guys who've done it before. He'd be 4th or 5th in command and answering to a coach who wouldn't take his crap.

From a basketball standpoint, a mentally and physically healthy Ron Artest would be everything the Spurs could ask for in a player. If I were San Antonio I'd probably take the risk if he were available.

[thekingrobert]

best read i had in awhile get him and let the beast out

[hater]

Artest really wants to win

Correction: Somedays Artest really wants to win, other days he really wants to eat newborn babies.

and I don't see comparison to Rodman. Rodman was weird but not a complete nutjob

[101A]

Correction: Somedays Artest really wants to win, other days he really wants to eat newborn babies.

and I don't see comparison to Rodman. Rodman was weird but not a complete nutjob

Exactly!

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7196/rman1jq8.jpg

[OleMissMike]

get em'

he'll play hard, he wants a ring, and the rap industry is packed right now he's got to focus on what he's paid to do

He needs to get with Nelly and bring back that Champion song with a lil Spurs Fever mixed in...

[angelbelow]

Googgogogooo Artets!!!!!

[Mister Sinister]

But...Newborn babies are the best tasting kind!

[xmas1997]

So what's the deal with Artest?
Is he, or isn't he, opting out?
And when is the deadline for opting out?

[tav1]

So what's the deal with Artest?
Is he, or isn't he, opting out?
And when is the deadline for opting out?

google is your friend

[tav1]

june 30

[wildbill2u]

I read the other day that Artest said he wouln't take less money under any circumstances so he probably won't opt out.

The article I hadn't read before. And it stops documenting his manic craziness before he got into trouble in Indiana. Whew!

[clubalien]

As a spurs fan i think ron artest is the perfect player to play for us. I think he should be our number one target and if we lose out jr smith is a nice pickup

[wisnub]

If you guys still remember Spurs history,before we got player which was wayyy more crazier than Artest in Rodman. Even if it doesnt work out,Spurs got a piece for trade for a 1st round pick and expiring old dudes or promising rookie.

Artest might be a knucklehead,but dude wants to win. Beside, FO already pursue him before and we need him!!!

If you guys just badmouth a prospect, then give Spurs someone else who will help us get past Lakers and Celtics

[daslicer]

If you guys still remember Spurs history,before we got player which was wayyy more crazier than Artest in Rodman. Even if it doesnt work out,Spurs got a piece for trade for a 1st round pick and expiring old dudes or promising rookie.

Artest might be a knucklehead,but dude wants to win. Beside, FO already pursue him before and we need him!!!

If you guys just badmouth a prospect, then give Spurs someone else who will help us get past Lakers and Celtics

:rolleyes Getting Artest would be huge mistake and I'm sick of these comparision people make to him and Rodman. Rodman was just crazy but he never THREATENED to beatup his teamates or HARM them. Artest is just a talker don't buy that shit about how he respects Duncan. This is the same man who beat the shit out of Michael Jordan during a one on one game because he couldn't take the fact he lost to him. He beat the crap out of the GREATEST PLAYER of all time and as much as I love Tim if he can't respect MJ want makes you think he won't go crazy at Tim one of these days espescially in an intense practice where he gets blocked a few times. I can see it now Pop getting up in his face like he did with Jax at times but unlike Jax Artest doesn't back down and punches out Pop. This guy is clearly mentally unstable you can't change people who are mentally unstable and on top of that he would destroy the spurs calm laid back lockeroom atmosphere.

[ss1986v2]

This is the same man who beat the shit out of Michael Jordan during a one on one game because he couldn't take the fact he lost to him.
where the hell did you hear that? most stories simply reported the two colided hard while playing together. the worst story out there (from BSPN no less), was that jordan was mocking artest verbally, so artest laid a good hit on him. whats wrong with that? jordan likes that about artest:


Ron Artest has broken Michael Jordan's ribs and he pestered him into a career-high 9 turnovers Saturday. Still, Jordan has nothing but the highest praise for the Bulls' third-year forward. "I love Ron Artest," Jordan said after the Wizards defeated the Bulls 77-69 Saturday.

"He's got so much intensity, such a competitive drive. One time he kicked me and he said, 'You know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you.' The guy can have so much respect, but yet at the same time, he competes his heart out."
so wheres the issue?

[Sway]

One of the better sports articles I have read in a long time. Take out his off court antics and it’s easy to see why people like Artest. He has overcome a lot in life and plays the game the way it should be played. I for one, hope he is able to overcome his inner demons and wish him nothing but success in life.

It is highly unlikely he would come to the Spurs, but if he did, have no doubt that he is the one player available most likely to equal a championship. Artest, with his drive to win, on a team that has a shot at a Championship = scary and I don’t mean in the mental way.

[BacktoBasics]

Get him and if he doesn't work out trade him or hold him hostage on the sidelines so no one else can have him. Worst case you ruin it for everyone else.

[TDMVPDPOY]

maybe we should give jax a call and tell him to call ronron goto the spurs, it will ur career around

[jag]

I have a feeling he would be a "fan favorite"...or else:


http://i.a.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0610/gallery.memorable.brawls3/images/017026690.jpg

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

:lol

[TheMadHatter]

For those who need a refresher course on just what Artest has done, and this is just from the top of my head:

- Injured Michael Jordan with a body slam in a pickup game while a member of the Bulls. His stay with the Bulls was marked with turmoil and suspensions.

- Joined a Pacers team that included Reggie Miller and Jermaine O'neal and was a favorite to win a title, but tore them apart from the inside. During the playoffs he got into a fight with Jermaine O'Neal and refused to travel with the team after that. He basically made his own arrangements and showed up for the games, and the Pacers tried to downplay the incident by saying that he was sick. That summer though they clearly took potshots at Artest by saying that next season they were not going to allow individual situations to get in the way of team goals.

- How does Artest respond to helping his team be upset in by the Pistons? He drops a new rap album and then at the start of the next season he asks the Pacers to give him a couple of months off during the regular season so he could tour and promote his new album. This is an unprecedented level of selfishness after they just said they could not have that in the coming season. He winds up getting the season off soon after for his participation in the brawl. Looks like he got his way...

- The next season he comes back, a changed man.... Except that despite averaging 19.4 points per game through the first 16 games, he complains that the Pacers aren't featuring him enough and demands a trade, infuriating teammates. The Pacers suspend him indefinitely but take months to find a trade partner. Eventually he is traded to the Kings for Peja Stoyakovic. This sparks the Kings who make a run to the playoffs.

- The next season though things fall apart in Sacramento. Surprise, surprise, surprise... Internal conflict. More suspensions, more legal issues. Rumors abound that Artest has asked for time off when not injured, and complained that he was unable to re-enter games due to mystery illnesses.

Pulled this from one of the Laker forums. THIS is only what we know about Ron Ron's antics. There are numerous reports that he blatantly ignored R. Theus's plays and ISO'd for himself at the end of games. Ask yourself this question before you clamor to bring Ron to SA, do you feel lucky?

[SPURSGOAT]

I have a feeling he would be a "fan favorite"...or else:


http://i.a.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0610/gallery.memorable.brawls3/images/017026690.jpg

:lol

[SPURSGOAT]

I don't see us getting Artest... he will have plenty of teams to choose from and he seems to love the Lakers and Kobe...

[Steve-O-Matic]

I don't seem to recall Artest having any 'incidents' at all this past season, did he? Feels like its been a while since he's been in the news for something negative, and the fact that the Kings would like to keep him seems to validate that.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Is report in Greece Panathinaikos offers Artest more than NBA max salary for several years contract.

[wildbill2u]

IF we get him, I'm just glad I don't have front row seats anymore. If he goes off and goes into the stands after fans, I'm too chicken to stay and too old to run.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Is report in Greece Panathinaikos offers Artest more than NBA max salary for several years contract.

He wants an NBA championship.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

He wants an NBA championship.

Reports is Panathinaikos offer is much bigger than any from NBA. We see what happen but this could be very dangerous thing. In Greece if player try such thing as he do before in NBA with fans then there will be player killed on court.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Reports is Panathinaikos offer is much bigger than any from NBA. We see what happen but this could be very dangerous thing. In Greece if player try such thing as he do before in NBA with fans then there will be player killed on court.

How much is Pana offering Artest?

[Biggems]

This just in...PANA has offered outrageous contract offers to every single player in the NBA......They are going to field a roster of over 300 players.....Their goal is to accrue the most immaculate depth in the history of organized basketball....

[coachmac87]

i think the spurs will be stupid not to try and get this guy. we would by far be the best defensive team.

i think if pop has a meeting with artest its over. he is comin to SA. why wouldnt he???

his strenths match ours. its serisously a perfect match for both teams.

and even if he does go crazy...ill eat up only a MLE contract..its worth the risk.

if i had a choice between JR and ARTEST.. ARTEST no question

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

How much is Pana offering Artest?

Report say €26,000,000 after tax (about $41 million in the dollars after tax) for 3 years in after tax salary. Supposed this is equals NBA gross contract for $73,000,000 gross before the tax us dollar from NBA team Kings.

Is say Kings have been give copy of offer by Artest agent and ask to match this and also other teams of NBA that want sign him. This mean NBA team need offer 3 years $73 million before tax contract to match Panathinaikos one.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Report say €26,000,000 after tax (about $41 million in the dollars after tax) for 3 years in after tax salary. Supposed this is equals NBA gross contract for $73,000,000 gross before the tax us dollar from NBA team Kings.

Is say Kings have been give copy of offer by Artest agent and ask to match this and also other teams of NBA that want sign him. This mean NBA team need offer 3 years $73 million before tax contract to match Panathinaikos one.

Then this is once again another case of Europe overpaying to get players from USA.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Then this is once again another case of Europe overpaying to get players from USA.

Do you think we have chance get him with such offer? Is same contract Olympiacos give Anthony Parker.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Do you think we have chance get him with such offer? Is same contract Olympiacos give Anthony Parker.

If Artest is just looking at facts of money, then they have a good shot.
But most believe that he wants an NBA championship, which probably cancels Pana out.

[T Park]

You couldn't pay me to live in Europe.

But 26 million euro after taxes?

Shit that would make me get rosetta stone greek on DVD.

[Steve-O-Matic]

You couldn't pay me to live in Europe.

But 26 million euro after taxes?

Shit that would make me get rosetta stone greek on DVD.

So in other words, we COULD pay you to live in Europe.

[T Park]

if you wanna pay me the equivalent of 50 million bucks, sure thing :lol

Actually Artest would probably do it for a year then come back.

Once again, for 50 million American, I don't blame him.

[angelbelow]

wow incredible, thats a lot of money for artest, they might as well throw that to all the superstar FA.

[Bruno]

These Greek rumors are as believable than the Hoopsworld ones.

[tav1]

Report say €26,000,000 after tax (about $41 million in the dollars after tax) for 3 years in after tax salary. Supposed this is equals NBA gross contract for $73,000,000 gross before the tax us dollar from NBA team Kings.

Is say Kings have been give copy of offer by Artest agent and ask to match this and also other teams of NBA that want sign him. This mean NBA team need offer 3 years $73 million before tax contract to match Panathinaikos one.


This sounds unbelievable. Kill_Bill_Pana we need a link or something to substantiate these claims. Where are you getting your information?

[ss1986v2]

These Greek rumors are as believable than the Hoopsworld ones.
exactly. we here know not to trust peter vecsey any farther than we can throw him, and he works for the new york post. so why does a basketball euro-blog carry so much clout?

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

This sounds unbelievable. Kill_Bill_Pana we need a link or something to substantiate these claims. Where are you getting your information?

http://www.basketblog.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12366&Itemid=26

Amount of contract is mention in Greek tv and radio as "same as Anthony Parker contract". Parker get offer 24 million euro for 3 years plus 2 million euro bonus to sign. And this after tax. So they say Artest get "same offer from PAO that Parker get from Olympiacos".

Olympiacos is still have trouble get contract for Parker finish because Raptors manager Colangelo is try keep Parker from get out of contract.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

exactly. we here know not to trust peter vecsey any farther than we can throw him, and he works for the new york post. so why does a basketball euro-blog carry so much clout?

Is well know for some time Dimitris Itoudis have been in US to recruit players for PAO. First choice of team was Scola. He offer 30 million euro after tax but Rockets refuse let him from contract.

Other players offer contract is Delfino, Jamison, and Artest.

[Indazone]

I don't think that Artest will go to Greece but you never know. For a guy who came from the ghetto and is almost a gangsta he might do it just for the money. It's also a completely new experience for him to play in Greece. Might do him some good y'know? On the other hand, guys like Ron-Ron like the stardom. He revels in fame. Why else would he put a rap album together and ask the Pacers for time off to promote it? He also has demanded to be the star on every team he has been on but when he comes to play he is a defensive and offensive force to be reckoned with. I give odds that Ron-Ron would go to Greece at 20% odds.

[ManuIsAmazing]

Bring in Artest!

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

I don't think that Artest will go to Greece but you never know. For a guy who came from the ghetto and is almost a gangsta he might do it just for the money. It's also a completely new experience for him to play in Greece. Might do him some good y'know? On the other hand, guys like Ron-Ron like the stardom. He revels in fame. Why else would he put a rap album together and ask the Pacers for time off to promote it? He also has demanded to be the star on every team he has been on but when he comes to play he is a defensive and offensive force to be reckoned with. I give odds that Ron-Ron would go to Greece at 20% odds.

Yes reports is even though we offers so much more money than NBA is not so good chance to get him. Not matter anyway because in Greece if he cause problem with any fan he will be attack. Also this thing have to be "the man" on his team will cause problem with Spanoulis. He try tell Spanoulis off and he will be in fight like he never know.

But if he was able to behave then he could be great player for us.

Imagine him and Diamantidis together in same team. Best defense in perimeter in world if play this lineup of Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Artest in perimeter. No team in NBA would even be able match that perimeter defense.

[ChumpDumper]

What will the Greeks do when Artest goes into the stands?

[Biggems]

What will the Greeks do when Artest goes into the stands?

throw plates at him......

[Indazone]

lol the fans would kill him over there. Remember this is Europe where they have hooligans following every soccor club. Those same fans would be in the stands for those Euroleague team throwing beer bottles and beating the crap out of each other and Artest would go down like a rock!

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

What will the Greeks do when Artest goes into the stands?

He would be killed.

[T Park]

Ya know what.

Take the crazy fucker.

I'm tired of sneaking in shives when I go ATT when the Spurs play the Kings.

[Indazone]

If you're going to go after NBA free agents why not go after some more reasonable targets like Lorenzen Wright, Arroyo, Magette or even Brand or Arenas? If it's just a matter of money everyone has their price.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

If you're going to go after NBA free agents why not go after some more reasonable targets like Lorenzen Wright, Arroyo, Magette or even Brand or Arenas? If it's just a matter of money everyone has their price.

Team only need starting SF.

Team have

PG Dimitris Diamantidis/Sarunas Jasikevicius
SG Vassilis Spanoulis/Drew Nicholas
SF ?/Stratos Perperoglou
PF Mike Batiste/Antonis Fotsis
C Nikola Pekovic/Kostas Tsartsaris

PAO have top 5 players for Euroleague in each starting position except SF and unit 2 is best in continent. This be starters even in most of very biggest Euroleague club. So what team just need to be complete is top level SF one that is able be top 1-5 player at position in Europe.

This is why team is after Delfino, Artest, Jamison for SF position because at current time in Europe no such player available to SF position. Delfino is capable for this in raw talent (maybe even 2nd best in talent to Siskaukas) but he is not to PAO level in game IQ or skills. But he is one we most likely must accept.

[T Park]

Fostis :lol

What a stiff he was.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Fostis :lol

What a stiff he was.

Fotsis is not stiff. Tsakalidis is stiff. Fotsis is very talent but he have zero work ethic. Fotsis is very very athletic player at 6-10 but no work ethic. Even in NBA he give no effort. He is great athlete and shooter with very good range at 6-10 and can block and rebound very good. He just have no desire to be player he can. This why he never become what he can.

Word "stiff" is for player like Tsakalidis.

[Tully365]

One of the better sports articles I have read in a long time. Take out his off court antics and it’s easy to see why people like Artest. He has overcome a lot in life and plays the game the way it should be played. I for one, hope he is able to overcome his inner demons and wish him nothing but success in life.

It is highly unlikely he would come to the Spurs, but if he did, have no doubt that he is the one player available most likely to equal a championship. Artest, with his drive to win, on a team that has a shot at a Championship = scary and I don’t mean in the mental way.

Nice post. I've had friends like Artest-- guys with really good hearts who simply can't control their tempers. It's a difficult situation to be around, because you know something scary might pop up at any minute....
I guess the main ingredient here is Popovich-- is he even willing to take this on as a challenge? Artest on the Spurs will only make my life more interesting, ya know? For Pop, it'll be lots of hands on management and lots of stress. If he's willing, that's the main thing. I think it's not plausible that Ron is going to change drastically at this point-- he's going to be volatile, and it's just a question of how volatile.

[Indazone]

Then Kick Fostis off the team and bring in a real talent. Sarunas is also expendable but he's got a contract.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Then Kick Fostis off the team and bring in a real talent. Sarunas is also expendable but he's got a contract.

Do not be fool by comment Spur fan make here. Fotsis is one of best players still in ULEB Cup last year.

[Bruno]

These Greek rumors about PAO wanting players like Scola, Artest or Jamsion ar so BS that PAO has made an official announcement saying that it was BS. :lol

Greek journalist/bloggers should stop smoking pot.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

These Greek rumors about PAO wanting players like Scola, Artest or Jamsion ar so BS that PAO has made an official announcement saying that it was BS. :lol

Greek journalist/bloggers should stop smoking pot.

I remember last year PAO manager announce "official" team will not sign Saras.

[HarlemHeat37]

this thread is funny..

a lot of misconceptions and false information being spread around about Ron Ron..

LOL @ anybody wanting JR Smith instead..JR Smith?! the guy wouldn't play D if his live depended on it..he has some of the worst shot selection I've ever seen..there's no need for him on the Spurs, especially if Ron is available..

Artest is the PERFECT fit for our team..if we get him, I will bet ANYTHING that the Spurs win the title..not only is he probably the best perimeter defender in the NBA, which would improve our defense even more..but he would add a 4th LEGIT scoring option, which would surely end our droughts..there's no way a team with Duncan, Artest, Parker and Ginobili is going to have scoring droughts for so long..

this is an instant mismatch against any team..Artest can defend West, Diaw and other guys of that size, which is something we've had trouble with..imagine Kobe having to go up against Artest, and then Bowen off the bench..it would just be disgusting..

if we can get him for the MLE, I would jump on it in an instant..

some people seem to forget who are coach is..Pop can put anybody in line..look at Jax, he wasn't a nuisance in San Antonio, but he has been in his other stops..Pop is a hard ass that puts people in line, and he's one of the most respected coaches of all-time..not only that, but Artest has said that Tim Duncan is one of his top 3 favorite players in the NBA, along with Kobe and Lebron..he praises Duncan every chance he gets..so I believe 100% he won't be a problem with Pop and Duncan on the team..

winning cures a lot..

IMO, we aren't getting him, because I don't see him signing for the MLE..but if he does, it better be with our team..we'd be a lock for the title..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

While we're waddling in fantasy waters, sign both him and JR Smith for minimum contracts.

[mystargtr34]

Artest would be the Michael Jordan of the EuroLeague so maybe that will play into it.

[The Truth #6]

Don't players always mention coming to the Spurs as a way to get more money out of their current team? There's no way in hell Artest is going to actually come here.

[Spurtacus]

There's no way in hell Artest is going to actually come here.

Tim Duncan and a championship ring.

[TheMadHatter]

Ron is probably floating the idea of opting out because he loves all the attention he is getting. At the end of the day he is no different than 99% of NBA athletes in regards to money. He will make at least 2-3 million more by staying in Sacramento than he would signing the MLE elsewhere. Plus if he plays well next year he has the chance of getting some sucker team to make him a better offer than what he has now. From a monetary point of view he has very little motivation to accept the MLE over staying in Sacramento.

I question whether his desire to win a ring is greater than his desire to make boatloads of money. But Ron is crazy and he could very well opt out and do exactly the opposite of what I think he will do.

[spursjustice]

As crazy as RonRon is... I would love to have him on the Spurs... the guy can defend and it seems that he really wants to win. How bout team chemistry? The Spurs have had a few odd balls before (ie Dennis, SJax?). How will adding Ron affect the Spurs as a team?

[mystargtr34]

Ron is probably floating the idea of opting out because he loves all the attention he is getting. At the end of the day he is no different than 99% of NBA athletes in regards to money. He will make at least 2-3 million more by staying in Sacramento than he would signing the MLE elsewhere. Plus if he plays well next year he has the chance of getting some sucker team to make him a better offer than what he has now. From a monetary point of view he has very little motivation to accept the MLE over staying in Sacramento.

I question whether his desire to win a ring is greater than his desire to make boatloads of money. But Ron is crazy and he could very well opt out and do exactly the opposite of what I think he will do.


:lol at the sig

[Indazone]

Ron is probably floating the idea of opting out because he loves all the attention he is getting. At the end of the day he is no different than 99% of NBA athletes in regards to money. He will make at least 2-3 million more by staying in Sacramento than he would signing the MLE elsewhere. Plus if he plays well next year he has the chance of getting some sucker team to make him a better offer than what he has now. From a monetary point of view he has very little motivation to accept the MLE over staying in Sacramento.

I question whether his desire to win a ring is greater than his desire to make boatloads of money. But Ron is crazy and he could very well opt out and do exactly the opposite of what I think he will do.

I think that about says it all there about Ron-Ron. He's crazy and nobody has any idea what he's going to do.

[wildbill2u]

Ron is probably floating the idea of opting out because he loves all the attention he is getting. At the end of the day he is no different than 99% of NBA athletes in regards to money. He will make at least 2-3 million more by staying in Sacramento than he would signing the MLE elsewhere. Plus if he plays well next year he has the chance of getting some sucker team to make him a better offer than what he has now. From a monetary point of view he has very little motivation to accept the MLE over staying in Sacramento.

I question whether his desire to win a ring is greater than his desire to make boatloads of money. But Ron is crazy and he could very well opt out and do exactly the opposite of what I think he will do.

Artest has stated publicly, loudly, and often that there is no way he would sign somewhere for less money.

[objective]

Sacramento tv station reporting that Artest is not opting out.


http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=44020&catid=2

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest will honor the final year of his contract and play for the Kings in the 2008-2009 season.

In an email sent to News10's Bryan May, Artest confirmed he is not exercising the free agency option in the final year of his contract, meaning he will earn $8,450,000 the coming season.

Artest is entering his third year with the Sacramento franchise, having come over in a January 2006 trade for Peja Stojakovic to the Indiana Pacers.

Bryan May will have more on News10 at 6.



News10/KXTV

[Obstructed_View]

Sacramento tv station reporting that Artest is not opting out.

Thank almighty Gorge Hill.

[waly.mg]

i Want Artest and S-Jax + j O´Neal in the Spurs for to fight in the stairs

[Obstructed_View]

i Want Artest and S-Jax + j O´Neal in the Spurs for to fight in the stairs

Don't forget Tinsley, just to fill out the fight card.

[waly.mg]

Yap

That foursomes can fight in wrestling

In the Red Corner S-Jax and Artest and in the Blue Corner J´O and Tinsley

[SenorSpur]

He'll probably change his mind 3-4 times before the 11:00PM deadline.

[slayermin]

Probably a pipe dream but thinking about him playing the four in small ball gets my imagination going. With him, Bowen and Udoka, the Spurs opponents ppg would be in the 70's.