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Kings Notes: Artest backpedals a bit on Friday's outburst
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 3, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C5
It was a mini mea culpa of sorts, Ron Artest realizing a day later that frustration drove his words just as it had so many times before.
A day after the Kings' 19-point loss to Dallas sparked the Kings small forward to let out a lengthy list of dislikes -- from his role in the team's offense to the organization's perception of his overall place in the system -- Artest said he went too far.
"I probably said too much," he said. "I just can't get used to losing, you know."
Artest, who sat out Saturday's game against San Antonio because of the sore back that continues to bother him, said he and Kings coach Eric Musselman had talked, though not specifically about Artest's concerns.
Before the Kings faced the Spurs, Musselman insisted he wasn't aware of Artest's comments.
"I haven't seen what he said," he said. "I'm in San Antonio. I haven't seen the Sacramento paper. I haven't read the clips (online articles) today."
After told of Artest's sentiments, Musselman would only say: "He's a big competitor, and I think there's a lot of NBA players who have great confidence in their scoring ability. And I think that's a good thing."
Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was well aware of Artest's concerns, said one player couldn't have changed the game at Dallas.
"I don't think we lost that game last night because one guy didn't get the ball," Abdur-Rahim said. "He's one of the better offensive players we have, but we've got a lot of guys who deserves shots."
Kings point guard Mike Bibby -- who has often spoken of the need for selflessness on the team -- also said he did not know of Artest's comments but that it was not his concern.
"That's for someone higher than me to figure out," he said. "You'll be able to see if (Artest's views) are hurting us or not."
Artest said he wasn't upset he didn't start against Dallas. He had missed the morning shootaround and was not expected to play, but Musselman started swingman John Salmons. Artest entered midway through the first quarter.
"When we talked (Friday), we felt (he should play) five to six minutes in the first quarter, five to six minutes in the third quarter, (which) would prevent the 40-minute pounding of the back that's been a constant problem now for three weeks," Musselman said.
The Price of fame -- Ronnie Price was working ahead, negotiating with teammates and doing all he could to help every last family member who wanted to see him play.
The final ticket count Saturday night was 20 for Price, the Kings' second-year point guard who had much of his family come from his hometown of Houston. The chore of gathering up enough tickets was no small one, as each player is given two for each game.
This time around, Price's family actually was able to see him play (three minutes against the Spurs). Although he said they typically make the trip to games at San Antonio and Houston, Price didn't play in the four regular-season contests in those cities in 2005-06.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com
Kings Notes: Artest backpedals a bit on Friday's outburst
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 3, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C5
It was a mini mea culpa of sorts, Ron Artest realizing a day later that frustration drove his words just as it had so many times before.
A day after the Kings' 19-point loss to Dallas sparked the Kings small forward to let out a lengthy list of dislikes -- from his role in the team's offense to the organization's perception of his overall place in the system -- Artest said he went too far.
"I probably said too much," he said. "I just can't get used to losing, you know."
Artest, who sat out Saturday's game against San Antonio because of the sore back that continues to bother him, said he and Kings coach Eric Musselman had talked, though not specifically about Artest's concerns.
Before the Kings faced the Spurs, Musselman insisted he wasn't aware of Artest's comments.
"I haven't seen what he said," he said. "I'm in San Antonio. I haven't seen the Sacramento paper. I haven't read the clips (online articles) today."
After told of Artest's sentiments, Musselman would only say: "He's a big competitor, and I think there's a lot of NBA players who have great confidence in their scoring ability. And I think that's a good thing."
Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was well aware of Artest's concerns, said one player couldn't have changed the game at Dallas.
"I don't think we lost that game last night because one guy didn't get the ball," Abdur-Rahim said. "He's one of the better offensive players we have, but we've got a lot of guys who deserves shots."
Kings point guard Mike Bibby -- who has often spoken of the need for selflessness on the team -- also said he did not know of Artest's comments but that it was not his concern.
"That's for someone higher than me to figure out," he said. "You'll be able to see if (Artest's views) are hurting us or not."
Artest said he wasn't upset he didn't start against Dallas. He had missed the morning shootaround and was not expected to play, but Musselman started swingman John Salmons. Artest entered midway through the first quarter.
"When we talked (Friday), we felt (he should play) five to six minutes in the first quarter, five to six minutes in the third quarter, (which) would prevent the 40-minute pounding of the back that's been a constant problem now for three weeks," Musselman said.
The Price of fame -- Ronnie Price was working ahead, negotiating with teammates and doing all he could to help every last family member who wanted to see him play.
The final ticket count Saturday night was 20 for Price, the Kings' second-year point guard who had much of his family come from his hometown of Houston. The chore of gathering up enough tickets was no small one, as each player is given two for each game.
This time around, Price's family actually was able to see him play (three minutes against the Spurs). Although he said they typically make the trip to games at San Antonio and Houston, Price didn't play in the four regular-season contests in those cities in 2005-06.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com