Marty Mac's world: Artest's one-man show draws glum review
By Martin McNeal - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Perhaps the only thing Ron Artest can't do on a basketball court is shoot accurately from distance. Yet there are times when it appears that's what he most wants to do.
That's not the case. What Artest most wants is to win.
What he and his coaches have to figure out soon is how best to enable him to make it happen. That's going to take more than nine games to assess and then enact. But it's going to happen soon because the Kings are working against the odds in many ways.
They are small and relatively unathletic along the frontline, even when starting center Brad Miller is healthy. Right now he is not, although he did shoot following Monday's practice.
Small and unathletic means no shot-blocking. And that means every opponent's game plan is to take the ball to the basket fearlessly. In the Kings' past two games -- losses at Golden State and at home against San Antonio -- the doughnut defense (perimeter glaze, but that big ol' hole in the middle) was abused by the Warriors' Baron Davis and the Spurs' Tim Duncan.
Sunday night, Duncan looked like Bill Walton in the 1973 NCAA final, when he made 21 of 22 shots for UCLA against Memphis State. Duncan was unstoppable, and the double teams didn't come often and quickly or aggressively enough to make him flinch.
So the Kings were doomed, especially when their offense showed no rhythm, cohesion and/or desire to work as a team to attack the Spurs' intelligent, active defense.
Some of that can be pinned on Artest, who too often looked to do things alone. It worked early in the game, when his jumper was falling and he was getting to the basket. Unfortunately for himself and the Kings, that might have been a bad thing.
"I have total confidence," he said Monday after practice. "If I'm missing shots, I don't think it's my fault. It must be something else."
Artest chuckled after making that comment, but it might be best for him to temper his confidence a tad. Artest twice asked out of Sunday's game because of a tightened back. He was just 1 for 4 on three-point attempts and has made just 18.4 percent of his long-range shots.
Those attempts often come late in the 24-second clock. Perhaps just as often, though, they occur because Artest dribbled too long and, in effect, forced himself into that situation.
Artest said he began the season thinking while playing but more recently has been just playing instinctively.
"I think it's going to come for us," said Artest, who leads the league in steals per game (3.4) and is first on the team in minutes (39.7) and rebounding (8.3), second in assists (3.4) and third in scoring (17.9). "We have to find our identity, and I think we'll do that, but we haven't played together that long.
"Coming into the season, I didn't know Kevin Martin was going to be playing like damned near a first-team All-NBA guard. I don't need to shoot from the outside all the time. I'm going to keep taking the ball to the hole, but I'm always going to also think I can make shots from outside."
Veteran guard Jason Hart said he has spoken to Artest about making sure he gets good shots.
"Ron listens to you," Hart said. "I just think he sometimes feels he has to do it by himself, and that's what he's got to learn. He can't do that. And I think it'll come to him."
One interesting point, however, is that the coaching staff said it speaks to Artest about shot selection, while more than a few players say they've never heard that. Players, especially those with mega-skills such as Artest, need to be coached up if they are to reach their potential.
What's scariest about Artest: Offensively, he still has upside. It's just an itch that needs to be scratched a little taste.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/80664.html
By Martin McNeal - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Perhaps the only thing Ron Artest can't do on a basketball court is shoot accurately from distance. Yet there are times when it appears that's what he most wants to do.
That's not the case. What Artest most wants is to win.
What he and his coaches have to figure out soon is how best to enable him to make it happen. That's going to take more than nine games to assess and then enact. But it's going to happen soon because the Kings are working against the odds in many ways.
They are small and relatively unathletic along the frontline, even when starting center Brad Miller is healthy. Right now he is not, although he did shoot following Monday's practice.
Small and unathletic means no shot-blocking. And that means every opponent's game plan is to take the ball to the basket fearlessly. In the Kings' past two games -- losses at Golden State and at home against San Antonio -- the doughnut defense (perimeter glaze, but that big ol' hole in the middle) was abused by the Warriors' Baron Davis and the Spurs' Tim Duncan.
Sunday night, Duncan looked like Bill Walton in the 1973 NCAA final, when he made 21 of 22 shots for UCLA against Memphis State. Duncan was unstoppable, and the double teams didn't come often and quickly or aggressively enough to make him flinch.
So the Kings were doomed, especially when their offense showed no rhythm, cohesion and/or desire to work as a team to attack the Spurs' intelligent, active defense.
Some of that can be pinned on Artest, who too often looked to do things alone. It worked early in the game, when his jumper was falling and he was getting to the basket. Unfortunately for himself and the Kings, that might have been a bad thing.
"I have total confidence," he said Monday after practice. "If I'm missing shots, I don't think it's my fault. It must be something else."
Artest chuckled after making that comment, but it might be best for him to temper his confidence a tad. Artest twice asked out of Sunday's game because of a tightened back. He was just 1 for 4 on three-point attempts and has made just 18.4 percent of his long-range shots.
Those attempts often come late in the 24-second clock. Perhaps just as often, though, they occur because Artest dribbled too long and, in effect, forced himself into that situation.
Artest said he began the season thinking while playing but more recently has been just playing instinctively.
"I think it's going to come for us," said Artest, who leads the league in steals per game (3.4) and is first on the team in minutes (39.7) and rebounding (8.3), second in assists (3.4) and third in scoring (17.9). "We have to find our identity, and I think we'll do that, but we haven't played together that long.
"Coming into the season, I didn't know Kevin Martin was going to be playing like damned near a first-team All-NBA guard. I don't need to shoot from the outside all the time. I'm going to keep taking the ball to the hole, but I'm always going to also think I can make shots from outside."
Veteran guard Jason Hart said he has spoken to Artest about making sure he gets good shots.
"Ron listens to you," Hart said. "I just think he sometimes feels he has to do it by himself, and that's what he's got to learn. He can't do that. And I think it'll come to him."
One interesting point, however, is that the coaching staff said it speaks to Artest about shot selection, while more than a few players say they've never heard that. Players, especially those with mega-skills such as Artest, need to be coached up if they are to reach their potential.
What's scariest about Artest: Offensively, he still has upside. It's just an itch that needs to be scratched a little taste.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/80664.html
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