http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14231576p-15054004c.html
By Sam Amick
The Hummer isn't so different from its owner.
It's a road-worn beast, flashy in all its upper-class capability but rugged like few of its peers.
And if there's any confusion about who the pink slip belongs to, just look along the left side, where nearly every inch of the paint job bears something screaming Ron Artest. His smiling - and giant - face beams through the dirt and dust that have come with so many miles left behind. There are also advertisements for everything, from his personal Web site to his recording label company and the upcoming release date for his rap album.
In mid-January, when Artest's basketball future was in the balance and he was seeking some of his own, he hit the highways in this very same vehicle, driving from Indianapolis to the West Coast on a trip that was about everything from soul-searching to filling the time that came with his suspension from the Indiana Pacers.
Like Artest, the Hummer has been in Sacramento since he arrived Jan. 30. And just as he's vowed to leave the antics and distractions of his past behind him, focusing exclusively on the game that brought him so much fame, the SUV that says so much about him has been, if only temporarily, retired.
He's left the keys for the folks who run his other enterprises while he continues to keep a once-bumpy road in the rear-view mirror.
Thus, Artest will bound into Conseco Fieldhouse tonight, looking for a win in his first game against the Pacers as a King to come as smoothly as his new path. The Artest plan, as it has been throughout his short Kings tenure, is to part with the past and concentrate on the task at hand - maintaining the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings with his team surging like none other.
Hoops, and hoops alone, with everything else put into park.
There were no requests for extra time off leading into the game, just the scheduled flight Thursday with the team. There were no phone calls or dinners with former teammates. The only scheduled visit, Artest said, was to see his mother, Sarah.
"I'll see the people in Indiana in the summertime maybe, but I'm not even thinking about none of that stuff," said Artest, who was part of three playoff appearances and one Eastern Conference finals in his four-plus seasons in Indiana.
"It's important that we stick together as a team and do the same things that we've been doing, then go in there and play the game," he said. "We've got to stay as far away from .500 as possible, and we've got to keep moving up."
As if that was all there is to it. As if the Fieldhouse wouldn't be filled with fans to deal with, some who may still love him but many who view him as the man who twice blocked their team's path to the championship. But as Artest will remind you - and them - it wasn't all bad, with more heroic headlines than villainous.
"I was there for four years and did a lot of good things," Artest said. "I was like the guy who wasn't the franchise player, but was the franchise player. ... Many people that passed through Indiana didn't do what I did, and guys that are still there didn't do what I did over there, just entertaining the crowd every night."
Not so different from what he's done in Sacramento. As Artest nears the two-month mark of the Jan. 25 trade that sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana, his roots have sunk in enough for sideshow-games like tonight's to be a subplot, all while the Artest assimilation has not only produced a 15-7 Kings record since the trade, but also a love affair with a city that was as desperate as he was for a turning point.
And the Hummer has been there through it all.
At first, it was parked in front of the Embassy Suites that Artest called home, really more of a billboard for Old Sacramento visitors to take photos of than a means of transportation. When his wife and four kids finally joined him a few weeks ago, Artest moved the Hummer and family to an apartment more fitting for the long term.
It's back to the hotel for these next two days, though, for a "routine" road trip that he left the family behind for because, well, "the kids have got school."
They're more comfortable by the day, as is he.
The timing of the return to Indiana couldn't be better for Artest. He is, finally, in shape, having trimmed down from 271 pounds to 248 since the trade and no longer cherry-picks as a means to catch his breath.
The Kings have won 14 of their past 18 games, with Artest alternating his role between superstar and sparkplug - his status as a leader the one constant.
"I'm doing the same thing that I did over there, over here, but it's just a little bit better for me," Artest said. "I was blessed to get a good situation, because it could've easily gone against me. I could've been somewhere where I wasn't happy.
"This is the first time in a long time that I've been complimented for leadership skills. ... It feels like high school (in Queensbridge, N.Y.) again, when I had a really good team and I was a much better leader. When I got in college (at St. John's) and the NBA, I became more selfish, and now I'm getting back into my high school days."
As for tonight, Kings coach Rick Adelman expects Artest to keep his composure.
"He may get too emotional, and want to do too well, but as far as handling the situation, I think he's going to handle it," Adelman said. "Hopefully, we can get a win. That would be the best reward we can give him."
Artest said he isn't sure what type of response to expect from the crowd, nor is he overly concerned. His former coach, however, said it may be a positive one.
"I'm sure he'll receive a warm welcome, a warm reception," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Carlisle, who was the target of Artest's criticism before he was traded, had only warm sentiments for his former player.
"My experience with Ron Artest was great," Carlisle said. "He's one of my favorite players I've ever worked with, the competitor that he is. ... I'm happy for him that it's worked out. But I'm not looking forward to seeing him in a Kings jersey."
Artest, on the other hand, is done looking back.
By Sam Amick
The Hummer isn't so different from its owner.
It's a road-worn beast, flashy in all its upper-class capability but rugged like few of its peers.
And if there's any confusion about who the pink slip belongs to, just look along the left side, where nearly every inch of the paint job bears something screaming Ron Artest. His smiling - and giant - face beams through the dirt and dust that have come with so many miles left behind. There are also advertisements for everything, from his personal Web site to his recording label company and the upcoming release date for his rap album.
In mid-January, when Artest's basketball future was in the balance and he was seeking some of his own, he hit the highways in this very same vehicle, driving from Indianapolis to the West Coast on a trip that was about everything from soul-searching to filling the time that came with his suspension from the Indiana Pacers.
Like Artest, the Hummer has been in Sacramento since he arrived Jan. 30. And just as he's vowed to leave the antics and distractions of his past behind him, focusing exclusively on the game that brought him so much fame, the SUV that says so much about him has been, if only temporarily, retired.
He's left the keys for the folks who run his other enterprises while he continues to keep a once-bumpy road in the rear-view mirror.
Thus, Artest will bound into Conseco Fieldhouse tonight, looking for a win in his first game against the Pacers as a King to come as smoothly as his new path. The Artest plan, as it has been throughout his short Kings tenure, is to part with the past and concentrate on the task at hand - maintaining the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings with his team surging like none other.
Hoops, and hoops alone, with everything else put into park.
There were no requests for extra time off leading into the game, just the scheduled flight Thursday with the team. There were no phone calls or dinners with former teammates. The only scheduled visit, Artest said, was to see his mother, Sarah.
"I'll see the people in Indiana in the summertime maybe, but I'm not even thinking about none of that stuff," said Artest, who was part of three playoff appearances and one Eastern Conference finals in his four-plus seasons in Indiana.
"It's important that we stick together as a team and do the same things that we've been doing, then go in there and play the game," he said. "We've got to stay as far away from .500 as possible, and we've got to keep moving up."
As if that was all there is to it. As if the Fieldhouse wouldn't be filled with fans to deal with, some who may still love him but many who view him as the man who twice blocked their team's path to the championship. But as Artest will remind you - and them - it wasn't all bad, with more heroic headlines than villainous.
"I was there for four years and did a lot of good things," Artest said. "I was like the guy who wasn't the franchise player, but was the franchise player. ... Many people that passed through Indiana didn't do what I did, and guys that are still there didn't do what I did over there, just entertaining the crowd every night."
Not so different from what he's done in Sacramento. As Artest nears the two-month mark of the Jan. 25 trade that sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana, his roots have sunk in enough for sideshow-games like tonight's to be a subplot, all while the Artest assimilation has not only produced a 15-7 Kings record since the trade, but also a love affair with a city that was as desperate as he was for a turning point.
And the Hummer has been there through it all.
At first, it was parked in front of the Embassy Suites that Artest called home, really more of a billboard for Old Sacramento visitors to take photos of than a means of transportation. When his wife and four kids finally joined him a few weeks ago, Artest moved the Hummer and family to an apartment more fitting for the long term.
It's back to the hotel for these next two days, though, for a "routine" road trip that he left the family behind for because, well, "the kids have got school."
They're more comfortable by the day, as is he.
The timing of the return to Indiana couldn't be better for Artest. He is, finally, in shape, having trimmed down from 271 pounds to 248 since the trade and no longer cherry-picks as a means to catch his breath.
The Kings have won 14 of their past 18 games, with Artest alternating his role between superstar and sparkplug - his status as a leader the one constant.
"I'm doing the same thing that I did over there, over here, but it's just a little bit better for me," Artest said. "I was blessed to get a good situation, because it could've easily gone against me. I could've been somewhere where I wasn't happy.
"This is the first time in a long time that I've been complimented for leadership skills. ... It feels like high school (in Queensbridge, N.Y.) again, when I had a really good team and I was a much better leader. When I got in college (at St. John's) and the NBA, I became more selfish, and now I'm getting back into my high school days."
As for tonight, Kings coach Rick Adelman expects Artest to keep his composure.
"He may get too emotional, and want to do too well, but as far as handling the situation, I think he's going to handle it," Adelman said. "Hopefully, we can get a win. That would be the best reward we can give him."
Artest said he isn't sure what type of response to expect from the crowd, nor is he overly concerned. His former coach, however, said it may be a positive one.
"I'm sure he'll receive a warm welcome, a warm reception," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Carlisle, who was the target of Artest's criticism before he was traded, had only warm sentiments for his former player.
"My experience with Ron Artest was great," Carlisle said. "He's one of my favorite players I've ever worked with, the competitor that he is. ... I'm happy for him that it's worked out. But I'm not looking forward to seeing him in a Kings jersey."
Artest, on the other hand, is done looking back.
