Ron Artest tells espn.com that he regrets not opting out
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I find it funny as if people think Ron is loyal to the kings. What makes anyone think Ron stays here if the lakers, knicks, or spurs have cap space and are willing to spend it on him? He really has no choice but to stay here, you think teams are going to be tripping over themselves to give Artest a big long term deal? He's loyal by default.
VF and Brick, I respect your opinion on this, but I still disagree with you 100%. Yes it's true that the NBA is a business and quite possibly the best business decision is to let Ron leave in a year, it's certainly the safer decision. But even in a business I think integrity has to count for something. And this whole situation sounds suspicious to me, and not at all out of character with what's happened before. The Maloofs have made plenty of public statements about wanting Ron to stay with the Kings just like they did with Peja and Webber. If they don't offer him an extension on the advice of Petrie, I don't know how anyone can trust anything they say anymore. I already don't.
VF you bring up the declining careers of Webber, Doug, Bibby, and Peja as if they're nothing but poker chips. While it is true that all of them have been seriously diminished or out of the league soon after leaving the Kings, I think it's also relevant that they were the ones that brought respectability to this franchise and every single one of them was crushed by the manner in which they were discarded. Doug had an injury when we traded him, but his career wasn't over. That he's failed to stick on another team reportedly has more to do with his wife than his ability to play basketball. We got nothing out of that deal anyway, so wouldn't it have made sense to let him play out his contract with dignity? Bibby and Peja have their faults, but they weren't any different with the Kings. We overpayed Bibby in the first place, leaned on him to lead the team with Webber gone, and then soured on the contract and kicked him out. I actually have an inside source regarding Bibby and he was very upset about the trade, regardless of what he said publicly. I don't know for a fact that Peja and Webber were unhappy with the trades, but they haven't been very friendly with anything related to the Kings since. All of those guys made commitments to this team -- commitments which were not returned by the front office. Now you could call that being proactive and smart businessmen, but I think it reflects poorly on a franchise when they give up on their franchise guys at the first sign of hardship. Especially when they say one thing and do another.
If the Maloofs are going to let Petrie make the roster decisions than at the very least they should stop making promises to players that they can't keep. When you talk about Ron not being "innocent" in this, you're implying that some kind of crime has been committed. Ron said he didn't know if he would opt out or not. He has a player option, that's his right to make up his mind at the last minute. He might just be a trading asset to the fans and to the front office, but this is his career he's thinking about and probably the most important part of it. Believe it or not, Ron Artest is an actual person with a job and a family and kids who go to school. Yes he made one serious mistake a few years ago, but come on, why does he have to keep paying for it for the rest of his life. I really resent all the cheap "Ron Artest is crazy" jokes that come out every single time he gets mentioned in the news. It really gets old.
And I never said anything about Ron's loyalty to the Kings. Why should he have any loyalty to the Kings? Petrie only made that trade because he knew he was going to lose Peja for nothing. He's probably counting the days until Ron leaves town. The guy has done nothing but play hard the entire time he's been here and people still question his sanity, his ability to play basketball, his commitment to the Kings. Maybe he does want to win a championship. Maybe he does want to move back home. Those are legitimate reasons for leaving. If this team can't show a commitment to making him a centerpiece of their effort to win a championship, there's no reason at all for him to stay in Sacramento. None. It's on the Kings to make him feel wanted when he's looking at the possibility of better teammates or playing for his hometown crowd elsewhere.
There's really not that big of a difference between the 8 million that Ron makes this year or the 6 million he could get from any team in the league just for opting out. The money is all going to be in his next deal anyway. I don't think he's staying another year simply because he's a greedy athlete. I don't think he's too crazy to make a rational decision either. I think he got indications that an extension was a possibility and then something happened which changed his mind and he's upset about it. That's what I honestly believe and it's fine that you disagree with me. It's possible nothing like that took place. But as for the 'Ron is crazy and doesn't know what he's talking about' argument, I don't buy it. We're consistently getting half the story from the various news sources about all of this. You can put those missing pieces together in a way that makes Ron look like a lunatic, or you can put them together in a way that makes him look consistent. It's just a matter of perception.
VF you bring up the declining careers of Webber, Doug, Bibby, and Peja as if they're nothing but poker chips. While it is true that all of them have been seriously diminished or out of the league soon after leaving the Kings, I think it's also relevant that they were the ones that brought respectability to this franchise and every single one of them was crushed by the manner in which they were discarded. Doug had an injury when we traded him, but his career wasn't over. That he's failed to stick on another team reportedly has more to do with his wife than his ability to play basketball. We got nothing out of that deal anyway, so wouldn't it have made sense to let him play out his contract with dignity? Bibby and Peja have their faults, but they weren't any different with the Kings. We overpayed Bibby in the first place, leaned on him to lead the team with Webber gone, and then soured on the contract and kicked him out. I actually have an inside source regarding Bibby and he was very upset about the trade, regardless of what he said publicly. I don't know for a fact that Peja and Webber were unhappy with the trades, but they haven't been very friendly with anything related to the Kings since. All of those guys made commitments to this team -- commitments which were not returned by the front office. Now you could call that being proactive and smart businessmen, but I think it reflects poorly on a franchise when they give up on their franchise guys at the first sign of hardship. Especially when they say one thing and do another.
If the Maloofs are going to let Petrie make the roster decisions than at the very least they should stop making promises to players that they can't keep. When you talk about Ron not being "innocent" in this, you're implying that some kind of crime has been committed. Ron said he didn't know if he would opt out or not. He has a player option, that's his right to make up his mind at the last minute. He might just be a trading asset to the fans and to the front office, but this is his career he's thinking about and probably the most important part of it. Believe it or not, Ron Artest is an actual person with a job and a family and kids who go to school. Yes he made one serious mistake a few years ago, but come on, why does he have to keep paying for it for the rest of his life. I really resent all the cheap "Ron Artest is crazy" jokes that come out every single time he gets mentioned in the news. It really gets old.
And I never said anything about Ron's loyalty to the Kings. Why should he have any loyalty to the Kings? Petrie only made that trade because he knew he was going to lose Peja for nothing. He's probably counting the days until Ron leaves town. The guy has done nothing but play hard the entire time he's been here and people still question his sanity, his ability to play basketball, his commitment to the Kings. Maybe he does want to win a championship. Maybe he does want to move back home. Those are legitimate reasons for leaving. If this team can't show a commitment to making him a centerpiece of their effort to win a championship, there's no reason at all for him to stay in Sacramento. None. It's on the Kings to make him feel wanted when he's looking at the possibility of better teammates or playing for his hometown crowd elsewhere.
There's really not that big of a difference between the 8 million that Ron makes this year or the 6 million he could get from any team in the league just for opting out. The money is all going to be in his next deal anyway. I don't think he's staying another year simply because he's a greedy athlete. I don't think he's too crazy to make a rational decision either. I think he got indications that an extension was a possibility and then something happened which changed his mind and he's upset about it. That's what I honestly believe and it's fine that you disagree with me. It's possible nothing like that took place. But as for the 'Ron is crazy and doesn't know what he's talking about' argument, I don't buy it. We're consistently getting half the story from the various news sources about all of this. You can put those missing pieces together in a way that makes Ron look like a lunatic, or you can put them together in a way that makes him look consistent. It's just a matter of perception.
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just a programming note 
I can confirm Ron will be coming on with me shortly after the Monarchs game to give a little background on today's comments.
I can tell you this will be very, very interesting radio.
I can confirm Ron will be coming on with me shortly after the Monarchs game to give a little background on today's comments.
I can tell you this will be very, very interesting radio.
Tell that guy the last of the kings fans who had his back NO LONGER DO. Kings fans dont want him around anymore and NO we wont be trading you to the lakers.
Earlier today I posted about taking Malik Rose and a second round pick for him, and I wasn't 100% kidding. Rose is a salary match, and is expiring. The Knicks might still be interested, and their draft pick is likely to be reasonably early.
We probably could net more than an early second round pick for him, but I really don't think he is wanted by a lot of teams. A rebuilding team won't want him, and a contender won't always have what we want (one expiring for the salary match, plus a pick and/or a promising youngster).
I think it's a buyer's market where Artest is concerned, and we should expect to settle for what we can get.
We probably could net more than an early second round pick for him, but I really don't think he is wanted by a lot of teams. A rebuilding team won't want him, and a contender won't always have what we want (one expiring for the salary match, plus a pick and/or a promising youngster).
I think it's a buyer's market where Artest is concerned, and we should expect to settle for what we can get.
just a programming note
I can confirm Ron will be coming on with me shortly after the Monarchs game to give a little background on today's comments.
I can tell you this will be very, very interesting radio.
I can confirm Ron will be coming on with me shortly after the Monarchs game to give a little background on today's comments.
I can tell you this will be very, very interesting radio.
Ugh not all of us want him to go though. He is my favorite player on the team along with Kevin(they're tied) and I like his defense. I know it's not my choice and it's more like Geoff's choice whether Ron stays or goes, but most of the fans not actually on the INTERNET want Ron to stay(atleast the people I've talked to). Dunno if that counts for anything.
In all fairness, it's not that RonRon doesn't want to be here. He apparently thought the Kings were open to discussing a long-term lucrative extension if he didn't opt out. So in RonRon's mind, he felt wanted. Then, after he declines to opt out, the local paper wastes no time in pointing out what should have been obvious - he's on the trade block.
His warm and fuzzy feelings for the Kings immediately dissolved and he felt betrayed, hence his comments that he should have opted out.
Remember, whenever Ron is involved, you listen to him at the risk of totally losing your sanity.
Over the past couple of years, it's become really obvious to me that Artest has a lot of emotional insecurities. I feel sorry for him but I'll be very glad when he's someone else's problem. The baggage has just gotten too big to have to trip over all the time.
His warm and fuzzy feelings for the Kings immediately dissolved and he felt betrayed, hence his comments that he should have opted out.
Remember, whenever Ron is involved, you listen to him at the risk of totally losing your sanity.
Over the past couple of years, it's become really obvious to me that Artest has a lot of emotional insecurities. I feel sorry for him but I'll be very glad when he's someone else's problem. The baggage has just gotten too big to have to trip over all the time.
I must have missed something. Could you point out a link to where it is substantiated that the Maloofs made any kind of promise to Artest?
I am well aware that Ron Artest is a person with a family, blah, blah, blah. For purposes of this message board, however, he is an asset of the Sacramento Kings. We're not discussing his personal life, we're discussing his value to the Sacramento Kings.
I think I made it pretty clear where I stood. I firmly believe it would be better for Ron to be on a contending team that could fully utilize his passion, his drive and his defensive acumen. I also firmly believe it would be better for the Sacramento Kings to have a less dominating figure out there when we're trying to rebuild and get our younger players into the mix.
I'm not talking about Ron Artest, the private person, dad, human being, etc. I'm talking about #93, the Tru Warier, the professional NBA player.
I respect your opinion; I just simply and totally disagree with it.
I am well aware that Ron Artest is a person with a family, blah, blah, blah. For purposes of this message board, however, he is an asset of the Sacramento Kings. We're not discussing his personal life, we're discussing his value to the Sacramento Kings.
I think I made it pretty clear where I stood. I firmly believe it would be better for Ron to be on a contending team that could fully utilize his passion, his drive and his defensive acumen. I also firmly believe it would be better for the Sacramento Kings to have a less dominating figure out there when we're trying to rebuild and get our younger players into the mix.
I'm not talking about Ron Artest, the private person, dad, human being, etc. I'm talking about #93, the Tru Warier, the professional NBA player.
I respect your opinion; I just simply and totally disagree with it.
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Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
I like all the Artest supporters jumping ship. Really, like this is unexpected? Ron opens his mouth and inserts foot all the time. I was pretty surprised this didn't happen at 9:07 last night. Like I said, I don't think he's here when camp starts.
I like all the Artest supporters jumping ship. Really, like this is unexpected? Ron opens his mouth and inserts foot all the time. I was pretty surprised this didn't happen at 9:07 last night.
Like I said, I don't think he's here when camp starts.
As much as I know this is a real coup for CarmichaelDave, the best thing RonRon could do would be to QUIT TALKING! He needs to just quit putting himself into the spotlight at every turn. But we all know that's not gonna happen...
Unfortunately, Ron Artest's mouth is #93's biggest enemy. And I actually feel sorry for him because he still doesn't get it.
Shut up, Ron. Let your game speak for you. If you're traded, take that drive and passion to your new team. If you're not traded, let your actions on the court tell us who you are.
But, for love of the great god Naismith, QUIT TALKING. The media is not your friend. They want headlines, they want sound bites, they want to get you to say something that everyone will be talking about for days.
Unfortunately, Ron Artest's mouth is #93's biggest enemy. And I actually feel sorry for him because he still doesn't get it.
Shut up, Ron. Let your game speak for you. If you're traded, take that drive and passion to your new team. If you're not traded, let your actions on the court tell us who you are.
But, for love of the great god Naismith, QUIT TALKING. The media is not your friend. They want headlines, they want sound bites, they want to get you to say something that everyone will be talking about for days.
Luke Walton and a 2nd rounder
Mentioning Luke Walton, even with a
next to it, is almost certainly grounds for dire punishment. Even if the idea of him in a Kings uniform didn't make me violently ill, the idea of his father being in Arco on a regular basis is beyond comprehension.
NO LUKE! NO WAY!!!
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