http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/111250.html
Kings Notes: Return of Artest isn't hair-raising
He is teased more about his rap album than his new Mohawk.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, January 21, 2007
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- There were insults of many kinds but none of the obvious.
Ron Artest ran around the floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills wearing a Mohawk and -- within earshot of the Kings' bench -- generally got away with it. And as for that matter of this being his first return to the Palace since the infamous brawl on Nov. 19, 2004, anyone who had steered clear of the media surrounding the event never would have known.
"Hey Ron, nice skirt!" one fan yelled in reference to the stocking he recently began wearing on his left leg.
"Ron, I almost bought your CD, but it sucked!" said another fan.
The boos were hard to miss, though, as Artest was the target from his introduction to nearly every time he touched the ball. But the goal of Pistons officials and the league to avoid conflict of any sort was achieved. There were minimal additions to the security staff behind the Kings' bench, and front-row Pistons fans said this matchup prompted the rare use of metal-detecting wands for all who entered.
Otherwise, it's a practice reserved strictly for -- ironically enough -- Pistons-Indiana games.
The closest Artest came to outlandish behavior was a hand motion he repeated numerous times just before tipoff, an underhand move that some facetiously compared to the infamous drink toss of since-banned Pistons fan and brawl-inciter John Green. Artest later explained it differently.
"When I visited Detroit earlier and had to do my community service, a couple of my friends -- well, people I met -- said, 'When you come in the game, we're going to play catch,' " Artest said. "I couldn't really see them (at the game) because they were all spread out, but I had fans there, you know. ... Throw the ball, throw it back, throw the ball. I knew I had fans here tonight. That was one of the reasons I didn't really let anything bother me tonight."
Before the game, Artest was treated like any other player, with fans asking for pictures and autographs. Artest did not speak to the media before the game, shooting on the floor before he ran through the tunnel to the locker room while handing out high-fives along the way.
Et cetera -- Kings assistant Mark Hughes won a national championship with the nearby University of Michigan and played with the Pistons during the 1990-91 season.
• Kings forward Corliss Williamson maintained his annual tradition of playing well against his former team, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds against the Pistons team he played for from 2001 to 2004.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Kings Notes: Return of Artest isn't hair-raising
He is teased more about his rap album than his new Mohawk.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, January 21, 2007
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- There were insults of many kinds but none of the obvious.
Ron Artest ran around the floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills wearing a Mohawk and -- within earshot of the Kings' bench -- generally got away with it. And as for that matter of this being his first return to the Palace since the infamous brawl on Nov. 19, 2004, anyone who had steered clear of the media surrounding the event never would have known.
"Hey Ron, nice skirt!" one fan yelled in reference to the stocking he recently began wearing on his left leg.
"Ron, I almost bought your CD, but it sucked!" said another fan.
The boos were hard to miss, though, as Artest was the target from his introduction to nearly every time he touched the ball. But the goal of Pistons officials and the league to avoid conflict of any sort was achieved. There were minimal additions to the security staff behind the Kings' bench, and front-row Pistons fans said this matchup prompted the rare use of metal-detecting wands for all who entered.
Otherwise, it's a practice reserved strictly for -- ironically enough -- Pistons-Indiana games.
The closest Artest came to outlandish behavior was a hand motion he repeated numerous times just before tipoff, an underhand move that some facetiously compared to the infamous drink toss of since-banned Pistons fan and brawl-inciter John Green. Artest later explained it differently.
"When I visited Detroit earlier and had to do my community service, a couple of my friends -- well, people I met -- said, 'When you come in the game, we're going to play catch,' " Artest said. "I couldn't really see them (at the game) because they were all spread out, but I had fans there, you know. ... Throw the ball, throw it back, throw the ball. I knew I had fans here tonight. That was one of the reasons I didn't really let anything bother me tonight."
Before the game, Artest was treated like any other player, with fans asking for pictures and autographs. Artest did not speak to the media before the game, shooting on the floor before he ran through the tunnel to the locker room while handing out high-fives along the way.
Et cetera -- Kings assistant Mark Hughes won a national championship with the nearby University of Michigan and played with the Pistons during the 1990-91 season.
• Kings forward Corliss Williamson maintained his annual tradition of playing well against his former team, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds against the Pistons team he played for from 2001 to 2004.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
