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& there sits Yao, broken hearted, had to , but, only farted.
tee, hee.
Ron Artest, the 30-year-old, first-year starter with the Los Angeles Lakers, may yet prove to be a crucial piece of an improved championship puzzle.
But those who are counting on one of the league's most explosive personalities to avoid controversy with his fifth NBA team may want to temper their expectations.
In a lengthy interview for the December 7 issue of Sporting News magazine, Artest—best known as the central figure in the infamous Malice at the Palace in 2004—bared all, including a startling admission that he drank alcohol during games as a member of the Chicago Bulls, for whom he played from 1999-2002.
"I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime," Artest says in the interview, which hits newsstands this week. "I (kept it) in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store (near the stadium) and get it."
Artest speaks openly in the interview on many other sensitive topics.
On his life as a St. John's star and a first-round draft pick, Artest says: "When I was a 19-year-old father, whew. I was a single pimp! I was wild. A lot of marijuana and alcohol—even before (that age). … I (still) party and I have fun, but not like I used to. I used to drink every night and party every night."
On why things fell apart for him in Chicago and Indiana: "It was all my fault. The first team, in Chicago, I was a head case. I worked really hard but still had this ghetto thing in me that I could not get out. … I could've stayed at Indiana my whole career, but I said I wanted to be traded. I was getting more stable, but I was still unstable and I was a bad teammate. They had to get rid of me."
On the 2004 brawl in Detroit for which Artest was suspended 73 games and lost $7 million in salary: "It wasn't my fault. … I don't see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, 'Oh, look, you're about to run in some stands, so stop.'"
On the Rockets' loss to the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference semifinals: "(Referee) Joey Crawford basically said, 'Who cares about the Houston Rockets? Kobe Bryant is on the floor.'" On comparisons with Trevor Ariza, the player he replaced at small forward in the Lakers' starting lineup: "I really don't understand why people compare me to him, or try. With what I've done in this league already, I mean, seriously? … I think it's the hype behind (a championship)."
On accepting a role in Bryant's supporting cast: "It's weird because people don't think about the whole basketball game. There's offense: Kobe averages 30 and is a great offensive player. Then you have defense. So on defense, now I have my supporting cast. … I'm one of the best defenders to ever play basketball, so I'm still the first option on defense."
On his feelings toward Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whose altercation with Artest touched off the melee in Detroit: "I see Ben, I'm on my guard now. I'm always in the mood to fight him. … I'll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I'll just fight him right there. It won't go into the stands."
Artest also reveals his plans to become a professional boxer: "I started training two years ago," he says. "In four years, I'm going to try to have my first fight."
But the comments that may follow him most closely in the coming weeks are about drinking alcohol during games early in his career, which Artest says happened in part because the Bulls lost so often.
Previously, Artest hid any use of alcohol and marijuana well, according to his former coach at St. John's, Fran Fraschilla.
"It's a surprise because every day at practice, he came out in a mood to play. He came out in a basketball rage," said Fraschilla, now an analyst for ESPN. "He was fully committed; he wanted to let our upperclassmen know that he was the alpha male.
"It never came up that he had any sort of a problem with alcohol. This is the first I've heard of it."
Steve Greenberg is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at [email protected].
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/arti...-was-head-case
That boy's a G.
Last edited by Double-Up; 12-02-2009 at 12:28 PM.
& there sits Yao, broken hearted, had to , but, only farted.
tee, hee.
I love Artest
I love Artest
Last edited by Reeko_Htown; 12-02-2009 at 11:23 AM. Reason: making pic.
As much as I hate his decision to go to the Laker's you gotta love his personality.
Reeko_Htown that sig is epic
Please. It's a personality. He's straightened out/sobered up because he's after something, not because he's a good person, or, has seen the light. L.A. is the first place in a long line of places where he hasn't where he eats (yet).
He's only in line because he feels beholden to Odom and because he wants that ring. He'll show his ass, but, only if another Laker or two go first.
tee, hee.
Good luck with this guy on your roster.
As I said before, Ron provides the entertainment in an otherwise uneventful 65+ win season
I'd pay to watch that.On his feelings toward Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whose altercation with Artest touched off the melee in Detroit: "I see Ben, I'm on my guard now. I'm always in the mood to fight him. … I'll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I'll just fight him right there. It won't go into the stands.
Rodman used to do the same and Bulls got 3 championships.
Some players do this all the time.
So far...so good. He's been a Marine for us. No jocularities in game. Strictly nose to the grindstone. Odom is like (Jack Haley) to Artest's (Rodman), only Odom can impact on the court as well.
Yikes! Naked & I thinking alike.
im wondering what happened to the girl.Reeko_Htown that sig is epic
She probably still ain't right.
I used to drink Maker's Mark after ever post...
non-issue.
Crazy Ron Artest Turns out to Be Crazy
SportingNews
This summer, we had one, maybe two, NBA players struggle with mental illness. With the exception of certain comments sections, Delonte West and Michael Beasley were treated with kid gloves. After all, they had their health at stake.
Now, we have Ron Artest, the league’s chief colloquial "head case" or "whack job", making some admissions that back up those labels. Or wait, is he admitting that in the past, he had problems, but can clearly see the error of his ways? If it’s the latter, that would make Ron Artest—I’ll pause here for a gasp—a sick man who got well. In the past we could write off The Brawl, and all of Artest’s half- ed misdeeds, as Ron being Ron. Suddenly, there’s a dark underbelly to it.
The good news is that Artest’s speaking mostly in the past tense. Maybe he’s speaking out in this way because he’s finally put distance between himself and his demons; I like to think that pants-less appearances on Jimmy Kimmel could be his sense of humor, which under federal law he’s still allowed. But all the truly disturbing news Artest’s created over the years is not only amplified by revelations of drinking at halftime, every night partying, and all that other cry-for-help stuff—it’s suddenly off-limits.
Sorry, people, but you can’t rock the double standard here. If West’s a perpetual patient, and Beasley close enough to one that we’ve changed our tone about him, then now Ron Ron is, too.
But here’s what I’m wondering: All those years we informally called Artest "crazy," what exactly did we mean? It would be one thing if all he’d done was shave stuff into his head and give the best interviews this side of KG. But fans and media alike blasted Artest for unpredictability, violence, and a certain disconnect from reality. I guess that made him an easy target, and probably not someone you wanted on your team. Still, I fail to see why an athlete deserves sympathy if he admits he has a problem, but if he refuses to, we can clown him for having one.
Or who knows, maybe Artest will never get that free pass. It’s too late for him. Good thing he feels he’s finally gotten himself together, since at this point, his only recourse might be to prove to the public that he’s not "insane" anymore. He owes us that for being such an unstable athlete, doesn’t he?
All I get out of that article is how in the can Joey Crawford that game fixin, shady crooked ref still be allowed to set foot in an NBA stadium.
Ho. Ly. Crap. This guy is looney tunes. Tweety birds are circling his head.
I mean, some people are somewhat rationalizing and egocentric. This guy goes way, way beyond that. He has a fairly profound reality disconnect.
Anyone who's been in so much emotional pain, or has so many voices screaming in his head, that he can't stand to sit down for 15 minutes at halftime, but has to self-medicate with alcohol, has serious, serious issues.
I hope he's self-aware enough to realize that he needs to make his number 1 job working in therapy. I fear not, because he hasn't hit bottom. NBA teams still pay him millions to play despite his issues. So, why should he do the work?
Before Artest there was Rodman, Before Rodman there was Mad Max Vernon Maxwell, Before Maxwell there was Daryl Chocolate Thunder Dawkins. There will always be a place in the NBA for headcases that can ball.
Yer absolutely right, his pathology will wait patiently for him. It ain't goin' no where.
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