04/23/24
July 29, 2008
NBA source says Ron Artest to be traded to Rockets: HOUSTON - The Houston Rockets are close to an agreement to acquire Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The 28-year-old Artest is as well known for his volatile personality as his basketball skills.
posted by knowsalittle to basketball at 10:26 PM - 17 comments
Watch as Artest matures and thrives under Adelman. I'm surprised, and a little disappointed, that Petrie sent him to a team so close to the upper echelon. I would have much preferred banishment to Memphis or somewhere. It will be interesting to see how he handles being the third(?) option. In Petrie We Trust.
posted by geekyguy at 11:22 PM on July 29, 2008
Historically, teams with Artest on the roster go nowhere in playoffs The Rockets have been doing that just fine without Artest on the team. Short of failing to make the playoffs, the Rockets can't do any worse.
posted by HATER 187 at 02:44 AM on July 30, 2008
Adelman had Artest when he was coaching the Kings. So he should know how much of a pain he is or isn't. If he agrees on the trade, I believe they should be fine. At least they will know what they're getting into... I believe Artest, finally, has matured and his off the court antics are a thing of the past. The last couple of years he has behaved well and he will thrive with the Rockets. Good move by them!
posted by gloglu at 06:56 AM on July 30, 2008
Yet another NBA franchise that is going to have to learn the hard way what a cancer Ron Artest is. He had just one incident that made people look at him with disdain and that was the 'Malice in the Palace' situation. There were other incidents with Artest that made people shake their heads but none were the type of situations where people felt that he had to go. Anyone that follows basketball knows that Artest may be a little off but he hasn't gotten into any trouble since the Detroit brawl and he is also one hell of a defender. To have the caliber of athlete like Artest on a club with a chance of winning can only help them in the long run, not hinder them. Go for it Houston!
posted by BornIcon at 07:56 AM on July 30, 2008
One incident? One incident that made the national press. Ron Artest has been involved in domestic issues as well as a nationally reported case of animal cruelty. I think this is a good move for Houston. Artest has shown signs of maturing. How he handles not being the third option will be interesting.
posted by geekyguy at 09:39 AM on July 30, 2008
One incident? One incident that made the national press. Ron Artest has been involved in domestic issues as well as a nationally reported case of animal cruelty. And it was still the only incident where people looked at Artest with the "what the hell is wrong with that guy?" look. Do you mean this?
posted by BornIcon at 09:55 AM on July 30, 2008
Hmmm, the whole, "I don't feel like playing basketball for a few months during the regular season while I be a Rap producer" stunt that he pulled on the Pacers was quite disdainful.
posted by sic at 12:31 PM on July 30, 2008
I'm a huge fan of Artest's game, but the idea he's only had one questionable incident in his career is a joke. The fight, the year off to make an album, the dogs, etc.
posted by yerfatma at 12:35 PM on July 30, 2008
Sacramento Bee, today's Sports page headline, "He's a Rocket, Man" is reminiscent of the awesome that is Shatner.
posted by geekyguy at 02:00 PM on July 30, 2008
Let's be frank: Houston got away with a great, great deal here. There were a lot of rumors running in the mill about Ron-Ron coming to Dallas, involving Stackhouse, draft picks, cash, and (from what I heard was the sticking point) either Brandon Bass or Josh Howard. I'd've been okay with any of those options. The Rockets now have a starting 4 of Yao, T-Mac, Artest, and Luis Scola with a decent bench. If they can stay healthy (and yeah, I know, that's a big *if*) I wouldn't put it past them to compete strongly for the West, if not the title. Sidenote to geekyguy: has Sac-town found a parade route for Bobby's homecoming?
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:09 PM on July 30, 2008
A couple of predictions from SactownRoyalty, # Ron Artest will receive a loud, positive ovation when he first returns here. # Bobby Jackson's first ovation will be louder and longer. assuming that Bobby Jackson is still on the roster come opening day . . .
posted by geekyguy at 02:20 PM on July 30, 2008
It's strange that all of the teams mentioned in possible deals for Artest are from the Western Conference. I guess Sacramento doesn't care about winning... If they were smart they would ship him back east where he can't hurt them. But then again, the average educational level of a Kings fan is about 6th grade so what can you really ask of them?
posted by docshredder at 07:32 PM on July 30, 2008
But then again, the average educational level of a Kings fan is about 6th grade so what can you really ask of them? And, as we all know, it's the fans who make the deals in the NBA. I really do enjoy the irony of you slamming someone else's "educational level," while displaying such spectacular sentence structure.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:38 AM on July 31, 2008
I'm a huge fan of Artest's game, but the idea he's only had one questionable incident in his career is a joke IMO, the incident in Detroit is the one incident that most everyone base their opinion about Ron Artest. I completely understand that people can try to spin it any which way they want to but the reality is, when people hear the name Ron Artest, they automatically still think 'Malice in the Palace' and his career after that situation has so far proved that he's past that. This deal alone will only strengthen the Rockets in the paint since Artest is one hell of a defender and a decent rebounder. Those incidents are behind Artest and his career can & will only improve with time.
posted by BornIcon at 08:14 AM on July 31, 2008
Artest was thought of in a negative light well before the fight in Detroit. How many players' Wikipedia pages have an entire section called "Controversy"? He's already called out Yao as not understanding black players. 2 days. Now are all the incidents behind him?
posted by yerfatma at 01:20 PM on July 31, 2008
I am very surprised anyone even wants Ron after all he has done. He is not a respectable person. The main one was obviously the Indiana/Detroit game. If I was Houston I would be scared to take a chance.
posted by benwaz at 09:37 PM on August 01, 2008
Houston, we have a problem (child). Yet another NBA franchise that is going to have to learn the hard way what a cancer Ron Artest is. Did anyone else see the episode of Outside The Lines that featured the 'oft misunderstood' Artest? Although it was meant for us to understand his actions on and off the court, what I got from it was that Artest, an undeniably great physical BB player, has some sort of serious mental condition that detatches him from reality. How long will it take before he alienates the ownership and fan base in Houston with his public and behind-the-scenes tirades, whining, and plain stupidity? My call is one year. Historically, teams with Artest on the roster go nowhere in playoffs, if they even make it (in a league where sub .500 teams do). If this trade goes through, a collective sigh of relief in Sacremento will be heard very similiar to the one in Indiana not too long ago.