Artest: I'm NBA's best defender

[BALLER4LIFE]

Spurs notebook: Artest: I'm NBA's best defender
Web Posted: 04/06/2006 12:04 AM CDT
Mike Monroe, Express-News Staff Writer

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest, the NBA's 2003-04 defensive player of the year, likes the intense defense Spurs forward Bruce Bowen plays but doesn't believe Bowen should win the award this season.

"They should just give it to me," Artest said. "Guys are having 40 (point games), and they play against me and don't get nothing. I'm playing some good D."

After asserting his right to the award in a locker-room interview before the game, Artest spoke briefly to Bowen before tipoff and told him they should share the award.

Artest, who was placed on the inactive list by the Indiana Pacers after he demanded a trade in mid-December, has played in only 50 games this season, 33 since being traded to the Kings. If he plays the rest of the Kings' schedule, he would have missed 26 of 82 games after what amounted to a paid suspension by the Pacers. He does not think the missed games should be a factor to voters.

"It shouldn't be," he said, "especially if we do well and get to where we need to go (and make the playoffs). I've been doing the same things, and I don't have Jermaine (O'Neal) behind me this year."

Artest believes he should have been defensive player of the year more than once.

"I feel like Ben Wallace stole it," Artest said of the Detroit Pistons' center who has won the award three times in the past four seasons. "Well, he didn't steal it, but I feel like I gave him three defensive player of the years. I gave him one that year I got in trouble ... that year I was suspended."

Artest said he often doesn't get a chance to see other players play, other than in highlights. Those, of course, rarely show great defensive plays.

"Has Bruce been playing good defense?" Artest said. "I haven't really checked him out. Of course, he's a good defender, but I don't really know who's stopping this year."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA040606.5C.BKNspurs.notebook.96bf12e.html

 

[SacKings384]

Wow is this guy cocky... This team needed it though... A guy with some swagger...

 

[BALLER4LIFE]

Honestly, I really like seeing a guy who takes such pride in his defense! I also like the fact he shut down Ginobili last night!
BRING ON THE SPURS!!!

 

[Bibby_10]

BRING ON THE SPURS!!!

No disrespect but I hope your not serious? Kings need to play like its the playoffs and get that 7th seed. Nobody, wants to play the Spurs in the first round. Kings have a decent shot to upset the Suns.

Tonight:
Go Denver

 

[BALLER4LIFE]

No disrespect but I hope your not serious? Kings need to play like its the playoffs and get that 7th seed. Nobody, wants to play the Spurs in the first round. Kings have a decent shot to upset the Suns.

Tonight:
Go Denver

Personally I would rather face the Spurs then the Suns. Sure the Spurs are the defending champs, but the kings mach up a lot better with the spurs. The suns play a run and gun style which is the same style the kings used to play but now the kings are a slow it down half court team. Let me break down the reasons the kings could spell a potential upset vs the spurs. Ginobili seems to struggle when he plays against ron. Ginobili is the type of player ron plays good “d” against. Tim Duncan suffers from plenteous fictitious (sp?) which is the same problem which slowed Doug Christie down. Finely, Van Exel, and Barry are not the same players they once were. It seems to me Bibby usually owns Parker. I feel in the playoffs the kings will get at least 2 wins against the spurs. There always is that chance the kings could spell an upset! (the key word, chance) Anything can happen!

 

[bozzwell]

Spurs notebook: Artest: I'm NBA's best defender

Yes, you are.

Having said that, I hope DPOY goes to Bowen, just so I can see your D when you take it up a notch.

 

[VF21]

Interesting to see how the San Antonio paper took pretty much the same information as Sam Amick used in his Bee piece...

 

[MrBiggs]

I don't care who we're playing. This team will probably be out in the first round BUT whether it be the Suns or Spurs...they're gonna be hurt. It's going seven games and theyll have the hardest first round out of all the other high seeded teams.

 

[KevinMartinsGirl23]

Personally I would rather face the Spurs then the Suns. Sure the Spurs are the defending champs, but the kings mach up a lot better with the spurs. The suns play a run and gun style which is the same style the kings used to play but now the kings are a slow it down half court team. Let me break down the reasons the kings could spell a potential upset vs the spurs. Ginobili seems to struggle when he plays against ron. Ginobili is the type of player ron plays good “d” against. Tim Duncan suffers from plenteous fictitious (sp?) which is the same problem which slowed Doug Christie down. Finely, Van Exel, and Barry are not the same players they once were. It seems to me Bibby usually owns Parker. I feel in the playoffs the kings will get at least 2 wins against the spurs. There always is that chance the kings could spell an upset! (the key word, chance) Anything can happen!

And I got one reason I really don't want to see the Spurs: ROBERT HORRY

I don't think I can take another heartbreak from him, although nothing will compare to 2002.

I actually think the Kings match up better with the Suns- if the Suns are shooting really really well it can be tough, but they are a team that relies solely on offense (the way the Kings USED to be..) and if they aren't making shots, they don't get the stops on the other end. Plus, they aren't a good rebounding team and they are without Amare. I think the Kings always seem to have Steve Nash's number IMHO. I think with Ron guarding Marion (would that work?) and having Martin guard Nash- maybe some Cisco and Bonzi too, we could really have a good chance against the Suns.

Also when it comes down to it- the Spurs have won it all- they have the experience, they know what it takes to get there. The playoffs are a WHOLE other story compared to the regular season- so with that being said- I would rather see the Suns and seriously even the Mavs, who haven't proved anything in the playoffs yet, than the Spurs.

 

[Padrino]

And I got one reason I really don't want to see the Spurs: ROBERT HORRY

I don't think I can take another heartbreak from him, although nothing will compare to 2002.

I actually think the Kings match up better with the Suns- if the Suns are shooting really really well it can be tough, but they are a team that relies solely on offense (the way the Kings USED to be..) and if they aren't making shots, they don't get the stops on the other end. Plus, they aren't a good rebounding team and they are without Amare. I think the Kings always seem to have Steve Nash's number IMHO. I think with Ron guarding Marion (would that work?) and having Martin guard Nash- maybe some Cisco and Bonzi too, we could really have a good chance against the Suns.

Also when it comes down to it- the Spurs have won it all- they have the experience, they know what it takes to get there. The playoffs are a WHOLE other story compared to the regular season- so with that being said- I would rather see the Suns and seriously even the Mavs, who haven't proved anything in the playoffs yet, than the Spurs.

instead of just one, i'll give you three: bob horry, nick van exel, and michael finley.

all are notorious king killers, and thats on top of tim duncan, tony parker, manu ginobili, and bruce bowen. people need to stop overreacting to the win last night. yes, beating the spurs last night on the road was a major victory for the kings, both in pursuit of the 8th playoff spot and as a confidence booster. but nobody should think for a second that each and every spur won't be watching the dvd of last night's game over and over again, until the first round of the playoffs. the spurs may not sweep the kings in the playoffs...but it, in all likelihood, will still not be a pretty sight for kings fans. they're defending champs for a reason...

 

[Bibby_10]

horry = kings kryptonite.

IMHO we have a shot against the Suns. We are 1st round and out if we play the Spurs.

 

[keflanag]

I've actually considered the same thought (although not with the same type of bravado that on Ron seems to have). The evidence is definitely there for him to be considered for the award. Most of the time it is tough to select the Defensive POY because he is usually on a good defensive team. Then there is always the question, "Would he be as good with out his supporting cast?"

In this case, Artest has clearly made a drastic difference. He not only is shutting down some great individual players, but he has turned an extremely poor defensive team into one of the top 5-8 defensive teams in the league. In a way, you could argue that his not playing an entire season could help him in the voting because you could see how bad the Kings were on defense before his arrival.

 

[Bricklayer]

Simply no ways he gets enough votes in a year like this -- he's probably got 1/2 the voters who will categorically DQ him even before it starts.

Next year will be the year he can seriously contend for awards again, assuming he stays stable of course.

 

[SacKings4Life21]

horry = kings kryptonite.

IMHO we have a shot against the Suns. We are 1st round and out if we play the Spurs.

Come on people...2002 doesn't make horry a kings killer. He had 1 devistating blow to us, but he has done it to many other teams. He never posted out of control numbers like excel and finley agaisnt us. They are the real king killers on the spurs.

Anyone who is saying we want thr spurs in the first round... forget it, you need to rethink. They were on a back to back guyz, coming from Utah. We were as well but we were a few hours away in dallas. We would win 1, max 2 games agaianst the spurs in the playoffs. This isn't becuase I fear them, but just because they are the defending champs. Tim is hurting, I understand, alot of them are. But you DO NOT WANT the spurs...

Our best shot is agaisnt the suns, but I don't know if we will get there. Lakers will have to loose, and they have a cake schedule. So we might as well get prepared for the spurs.

 

[VF21]

That's the beauty of message boards. People can disagree. I'd just as soon face the Spurs in the first round, too, and I'm not going to rethink it.

If we're gonna go down in flames, I want them to be BIG flames and I think a Kings-Spurs matchup would be one to remember.

Having said that, isn't this thread supposed to be about Ron as the NBA's best defender? There's already a thread ongoing about whom people would prefer to face in the first round of the playoffs...

-------------------------------------

To get back on topic, I have to agree with Bricklayer. I think Ron has little chance of DPOY this year. Next season, however, I fully expect him to be one of the prime contenders...and that's something that I can safely say I've never posted about a Kings player before.

 

[SacKings4Life21]

Well what is the minimun games played policy for DPOY? I remember Bjax was not suppsed to get 6th man becasue he started t omany games.. but he still won after starting 26. So Ron will finish with 60 games played (baring injury) and 3/4 of the season is having played 61.5 games... so he would finish played 73% of the season. Would that still not work?

 

[Warhawk]

That's the beauty of message boards. People can disagree. I'd just as soon face the Spurs in the first round, too, and I'm not going to rethink it.

If we're gonna go down in flames, I want them to be BIG flames and I think a Kings-Spurs matchup would be one to remember.

Agreed. Let's just get in there playing well then go all out to beat the defending champs and see what happens. Maybe the start of a new rivalry? Might be fun!

 

[JJ22L]

Come on people...2002 doesn't make horry a kings killer. He had 1 devistating blow to us, but he has done it to many other teams. He never posted out of control numbers like excel and finley agaisnt us. They are the real king killers on the spurs.

Anyone who is saying we want thr spurs in the first round... forget it, you need to rethink. They were on a back to back guyz, coming from Utah. We were as well but we were a few hours away in dallas. We would win 1, max 2 games agaianst the spurs in the playoffs. This isn't becuase I fear them, but just because they are the defending champs. Tim is hurting, I understand, alot of them are. But you DO NOT WANT the spurs...

Our best shot is agaisnt the suns, but I don't know if we will get there. Lakers will have to loose, and they have a cake schedule. So we might as well get prepared for the spurs.

Lets examine this devastating blow...that would have put us up 3-1 in the series...thats almost a guaranteed winning of that series...then the nets were nothing...

Your so called "One blow" cost the team a banner...

In my book...Horry is the biggest king killer of them all.

 

[SacKings384]

Ron has no shot as DPOY... He gets hurt and helped from reputation. He's helped from being known as a defensive stopper, but hurt for his past. Add that to the fact that he missed alot of games and there's no way it happens. Even though there aren't many players that can take team defensive ppg down 6 points... AK gets my vote.

 

[VF21]

Well what is the minimun games played policy for DPOY? I remember Bjax was not suppsed to get 6th man becasue he started t omany games.. but he still won after starting 26. So Ron will finish with 60 games played (baring injury) and 3/4 of the season is having played 61.5 games... so he would finish played 73% of the season. Would that still not work?

It's not solely about the numbers. Artest has to redeem himself somewhat in a lot of eyes...

Look on this part of a season as Ron's court ordered community service and a chance to show he can play in this league according to the rules. Next season he'll be viewed differently, I suspect. People have a tendency to view "what have you done lately"...and if Ron can continue to be the defender we know he's capable of being, I'm pretty sure he'll get fair consideration.

 

[Evenstar]

ron my not recognized as DPOY by the league, but he certainly played like one. the kings have been playing much better defensively since his arrival. it's been awesome. i think he'll be a top contender next year, but i think bowen will win it this year. if they give it to wallace AGAIN i won't be too happy. bruce bowen is too good of a defender to have never won the award

as for the kings in the first round, i do NOT want to face the spurs. even though we've done a nice job with them this year ( winning last night, losing the other games by a combined 4 points) thats just the regular season. the playoffs are a much different story. horry comes out of the woodworks, and the rest of the team turns it ON! i could see the kings winning one game, MAYBE 2 if we were lucky.

 

[sanvara]

Ron hasn't played enough this year to get consideration for an award like DPOY.

 

[Sirius]

Pacers fans warned us about trying to analyze everything Ron Ron says, it's a waste of time.

Don't worry about it unless he says something truly stupid.

 

[Diehard Jim]

Ron is Defensive Player of the Year, Simply math he comes to the Kings they start allowing around 8 points less a game, he comes to the Kings they turn a season where they are 7 games under .500 into a .500 record.
George Karl won coach of the year last year and he did not even coach half of the year.
As far as all of you who are scared of the Spurs, WHY? and who cares? You have to play a team and who cares who we play. This Kings team is not indicitive of the record which they have. they are basically a .600 ball club with Ron.
Also Don't forget about the Nuggets when they knocked off the #1 Sonics who were just destroying teams that year, I think they had the best record in the league that year!

 

[Kings113]

Mike D'Antoni won coach of the year last season. Karl was definitely in serious discussion though, around.

 

[Heuge]

He is right

 

[venom_7]

Guys, as good as Rons been, Ak's been better. even if Artest ahd played the entire season aa he is now, AK has still played better.

 

[Nazman]

Guys, as good as Rons been, Ak's been better. even if Artest ahd played the entire season aa he is now, AK has still played better.

Second that motion, Venom. AK is the man!

 

[ForlornKing]

Guys, as good as Rons been, Ak's been better. even if Artest ahd played the entire season aa he is now, AK has still played better.

I don't know about that.

He plays good help defense. I don't know about his man defense.

 

[SacTownKid]

Interesting to see how the San Antonio paper took pretty much the same information as Sam Amick used in his Bee piece...

Interesting twist huh?!