http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/144157.html
Is Artest calling it quits?
He tells teammates of his retirement plan
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, March 26, 2007
Corliss Williamson looked at his cell phone last week and was surprised by what he saw.
It was a text message from Ron Artest, who was informing Williamson and nearly the entire Kings' roster that he was planning to retire after this season.
The message was short and to the point, with Artest making it clear that this matter wouldn't affect his performance for the rest of the season and, he wrote, the playoff push.
"That was it," Williamson said. "I was shocked. What is this? It's his personal decision he's made, and we'll see what happens."
Artest's teammates weren't the only ones he told of the news. Friday, he told the editors of www.hiphopgame.com, a Web site for which Artest writes a personal diary.
Artest was unavailable for comment before the Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns 107-100 Sunday at Arco Arena, and he did not speak after the game, either.
Many of his teammates remain unwilling to believe that Artest actually would leave the NBA at age 27, with a contract that is scheduled to pay him $7.8 million next season and a player option for $8.45 million in the 2008-09 season. But according to a source close to Artest and away from his basketball life, he is very serious about retirement.
According to the source, who didn't want to go on record for fear of reprisal, Artest plans to play overseas for a year or two, with hopes that he can put the seemingly nonstop turmoil behind him in a more discreet environment while leaving open the possibility of a return to the NBA. The list of off-the-court transgressions for Artest has only grown this season, from his dog being seized by Placer County in late January to his March 5 arrest on domestic violence charges.
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said during Sunday's game that he considered this "a matter of conjecture" on Artest's part, but the matter was serious enough that Petrie and Artest met to discuss it after the game.
The day was a microcosm of the Kings' season, with the upset over Phoenix somewhat overshadowed by the buzz about Artest -- and Petrie, clearly, wishing that wasn't the case.
"He's under a lot of scrutiny and at a point, really, in his own career where he needs to be a better keeper of his own soul in some ways," Petrie said. "We'll assess in the context of the whole season where we go (with Artest from here). But again, it's sort of Ron being Ron."
When a player retires before his contract expires, the league's collective bargaining agreement dictates that it is the team's decision whether to pay the player. If the team does, the salary counts against the salary cap. But if the team doesn't, the salary is cleared from the salary cap and the player is free to go.
Artest will not be with the team today, as he will be in New York to meet with the league's security team regarding his four misdemeanor charges of domestic violence. Though only Artest knows how he arrived at this professional crossroads of sorts, he clearly has been pondering the direction of his reputation recently.
During the Kings' recent road trip, he said in Atlanta that he fashioned himself among a class of American celebrities who overcame unending negative publicity only to reshape their image years later. He talked about Flavor Flav, an integral member of the controversial rap group Public Enemy, who now stars on a mainstream reality show for VH-1. He also referenced Ice Cube, who helped found the equally controversial rap group N.W.A. and went on to become a successful actor and film director.
Reflective before tipoff in Atlanta, the always competitive Artest was incensed afterward. In what was simply his latest bout with a season full of frustration, sources close to the team, who didn't want to go on record for fear of reprisal, confirmed that Artest went into a lengthy tirade after the Kings were blown out by the Hawks 99-76. His yelling was aimed mostly at Kings coach Eric Musselman, who played the starters in limited minutes from the late third quarter on when his team trailed by as many as 32 points.
While Musselman's decision was hardly surprising given the deficit, Artest repeatedly has said this season that he views pulling the starters or relying on the end-of-bench reserves as a sign of submission. It was, like so many other Artest-related instances, a situation that was not received well by a team that continues to play through unending drama.
"You've got to change something -- change for the betterment of himself and for the betterment of the team he's playing for," Petrie said of Artest.
"There's no team that needs continuous distractions, no matter how substantive they may actually be."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Is Artest calling it quits?
He tells teammates of his retirement plan
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, March 26, 2007
Corliss Williamson looked at his cell phone last week and was surprised by what he saw.
It was a text message from Ron Artest, who was informing Williamson and nearly the entire Kings' roster that he was planning to retire after this season.
The message was short and to the point, with Artest making it clear that this matter wouldn't affect his performance for the rest of the season and, he wrote, the playoff push.
"That was it," Williamson said. "I was shocked. What is this? It's his personal decision he's made, and we'll see what happens."
Artest's teammates weren't the only ones he told of the news. Friday, he told the editors of www.hiphopgame.com, a Web site for which Artest writes a personal diary.
Artest was unavailable for comment before the Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns 107-100 Sunday at Arco Arena, and he did not speak after the game, either.
Many of his teammates remain unwilling to believe that Artest actually would leave the NBA at age 27, with a contract that is scheduled to pay him $7.8 million next season and a player option for $8.45 million in the 2008-09 season. But according to a source close to Artest and away from his basketball life, he is very serious about retirement.
According to the source, who didn't want to go on record for fear of reprisal, Artest plans to play overseas for a year or two, with hopes that he can put the seemingly nonstop turmoil behind him in a more discreet environment while leaving open the possibility of a return to the NBA. The list of off-the-court transgressions for Artest has only grown this season, from his dog being seized by Placer County in late January to his March 5 arrest on domestic violence charges.
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said during Sunday's game that he considered this "a matter of conjecture" on Artest's part, but the matter was serious enough that Petrie and Artest met to discuss it after the game.
The day was a microcosm of the Kings' season, with the upset over Phoenix somewhat overshadowed by the buzz about Artest -- and Petrie, clearly, wishing that wasn't the case.
"He's under a lot of scrutiny and at a point, really, in his own career where he needs to be a better keeper of his own soul in some ways," Petrie said. "We'll assess in the context of the whole season where we go (with Artest from here). But again, it's sort of Ron being Ron."
When a player retires before his contract expires, the league's collective bargaining agreement dictates that it is the team's decision whether to pay the player. If the team does, the salary counts against the salary cap. But if the team doesn't, the salary is cleared from the salary cap and the player is free to go.
Artest will not be with the team today, as he will be in New York to meet with the league's security team regarding his four misdemeanor charges of domestic violence. Though only Artest knows how he arrived at this professional crossroads of sorts, he clearly has been pondering the direction of his reputation recently.
During the Kings' recent road trip, he said in Atlanta that he fashioned himself among a class of American celebrities who overcame unending negative publicity only to reshape their image years later. He talked about Flavor Flav, an integral member of the controversial rap group Public Enemy, who now stars on a mainstream reality show for VH-1. He also referenced Ice Cube, who helped found the equally controversial rap group N.W.A. and went on to become a successful actor and film director.
Reflective before tipoff in Atlanta, the always competitive Artest was incensed afterward. In what was simply his latest bout with a season full of frustration, sources close to the team, who didn't want to go on record for fear of reprisal, confirmed that Artest went into a lengthy tirade after the Kings were blown out by the Hawks 99-76. His yelling was aimed mostly at Kings coach Eric Musselman, who played the starters in limited minutes from the late third quarter on when his team trailed by as many as 32 points.
While Musselman's decision was hardly surprising given the deficit, Artest repeatedly has said this season that he views pulling the starters or relying on the end-of-bench reserves as a sign of submission. It was, like so many other Artest-related instances, a situation that was not received well by a team that continues to play through unending drama.
"You've got to change something -- change for the betterment of himself and for the betterment of the team he's playing for," Petrie said of Artest.
"There's no team that needs continuous distractions, no matter how substantive they may actually be."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
