http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/128800.html
When Artest isn't at his best
The forward has trouble staying focused when fans' emotions run hot.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, February 25, 2007
NEW YORK -- Stephen Jackson is gone, his good friend and partner in infamy having been traded to Golden State. His house in Indiana was up for sale months ago. Indiana as Ron Artest knew it is no more. And as far as he is concerned, he's changed too.
The Kings small forward returns to his old haunt tonight, the place where his Defensive Player of the Year award and key role on championship-caliber teams still can't match the legacy left by his role in the brawl.
The Pacers' faithful made that much clear last March, when he was battered with boos every time he touched the ball when the Kings came to town.
He wasn't ready for it then. He says he is now.
"That was loud," Artest said. "They were booing every time. I couldn't block it out. Not that time."
Now is different because he's had practice. There was the reunion at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Jan. 20, when Artest handled the fan firestorm with a random haircut (remember the Mohawk?) but couldn't cut the catcalls in what was his first game at Detroit since the fight. He even had a dry run at Washington on Thursday, where a fan called Artest a four-letter word that wasn't "King" and he refused to retaliate.
"I wasn't saying nothing back," he said. "It was the mature me. He called me a (expletive), and he called Mike (Bibby) a (expletive) too. It was horrible. I was (ticked)."
No Kings player takes more abuse on the road than Artest. At minimum, there is a smattering of boos during introductions. At the most, there are heckles on everything from his role in the fight to his rap career.
"He seems to understand that he has to let those things go, and I can see him doing that," said Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who traded Artest in late January 2006. "I think because of the (73-game) suspension and all that, it brought the reality that this thing could be gone tomorrow. And let's face it, he can't have another incident or it's going to be worse than the last time."
The question, though, is can Artest move past the non-reaction and actually play well in such games? Even he isn't sure if it's a legitimate trend, but it seems some of Artest's worst games come when he has reason to let his mind wander.
During the first visit back to Conseco Fieldhouse, the timing seemed perfect for a return. The Kings had won 14 of 18 games, with Artest out in front of the turnaround and showing the league he was still a force. Artest had even lost 20-plus pounds, rounding into shape and coming off a 28-point night against the Lakers.
But he shot 6 for 22 against the Pacers in a 98-93 Kings loss, distracted not only by the fans but by the incessant media questions in the week leading up to the game.
This season in Auburn Hills, Mich., Artest said his new haircut was an unintentional sideshow, but it only added to the material for the hecklers. When a reserved Artest sat at his locker before the game, the typically long-winded player offered only short answers and dismissed the notion that he was eager to put the game behind him. Still, he was part of one of the Kings' worst efforts of the season, scoring 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and giving up four turnovers in the Pistons' 91-74 blowout.
He showed the potential to be distracted in other ways, too. In his first game played since news broke that his dog had been seized by Placer County, Artest had just 10 points and no steals in 38 minutes against Chicago on Feb. 8.
When the Kings lost to his hometown New York Knicks on Jan. 15 at Madison Square Garden, Artest admitted in his diary on www.hiphopgame.com that he was "enjoying being in New York too much instead of playing the game." He had 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting, those numbers nothing compared to the approximately 40 tickets he had arranged for his family and friends.
By comparison, Artest said the ticket count was down to 10 for Friday's road loss to New Jersey, where his 33-point effort was the lone highlight in a Nets rout.
"I think Ronnie, in many cases, lets things bother him that come off the court and it affects the way he plays," Walsh said. "Those things are difficult because you really don't have a lot of control over them."
Artest, however, says he's beyond all of it. He's averaging 23.3 points this month and has been playing his best defense of the season, just in time to see if the second trip to Indiana is enough to break his concentration once again.
"After going through Detroit, after all that other stuff, there's not much that can distract me," he said.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
When Artest isn't at his best
The forward has trouble staying focused when fans' emotions run hot.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, February 25, 2007
NEW YORK -- Stephen Jackson is gone, his good friend and partner in infamy having been traded to Golden State. His house in Indiana was up for sale months ago. Indiana as Ron Artest knew it is no more. And as far as he is concerned, he's changed too.
The Kings small forward returns to his old haunt tonight, the place where his Defensive Player of the Year award and key role on championship-caliber teams still can't match the legacy left by his role in the brawl.
The Pacers' faithful made that much clear last March, when he was battered with boos every time he touched the ball when the Kings came to town.
He wasn't ready for it then. He says he is now.
"That was loud," Artest said. "They were booing every time. I couldn't block it out. Not that time."
Now is different because he's had practice. There was the reunion at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Jan. 20, when Artest handled the fan firestorm with a random haircut (remember the Mohawk?) but couldn't cut the catcalls in what was his first game at Detroit since the fight. He even had a dry run at Washington on Thursday, where a fan called Artest a four-letter word that wasn't "King" and he refused to retaliate.
"I wasn't saying nothing back," he said. "It was the mature me. He called me a (expletive), and he called Mike (Bibby) a (expletive) too. It was horrible. I was (ticked)."
No Kings player takes more abuse on the road than Artest. At minimum, there is a smattering of boos during introductions. At the most, there are heckles on everything from his role in the fight to his rap career.
"He seems to understand that he has to let those things go, and I can see him doing that," said Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who traded Artest in late January 2006. "I think because of the (73-game) suspension and all that, it brought the reality that this thing could be gone tomorrow. And let's face it, he can't have another incident or it's going to be worse than the last time."
The question, though, is can Artest move past the non-reaction and actually play well in such games? Even he isn't sure if it's a legitimate trend, but it seems some of Artest's worst games come when he has reason to let his mind wander.
During the first visit back to Conseco Fieldhouse, the timing seemed perfect for a return. The Kings had won 14 of 18 games, with Artest out in front of the turnaround and showing the league he was still a force. Artest had even lost 20-plus pounds, rounding into shape and coming off a 28-point night against the Lakers.
But he shot 6 for 22 against the Pacers in a 98-93 Kings loss, distracted not only by the fans but by the incessant media questions in the week leading up to the game.
This season in Auburn Hills, Mich., Artest said his new haircut was an unintentional sideshow, but it only added to the material for the hecklers. When a reserved Artest sat at his locker before the game, the typically long-winded player offered only short answers and dismissed the notion that he was eager to put the game behind him. Still, he was part of one of the Kings' worst efforts of the season, scoring 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and giving up four turnovers in the Pistons' 91-74 blowout.
He showed the potential to be distracted in other ways, too. In his first game played since news broke that his dog had been seized by Placer County, Artest had just 10 points and no steals in 38 minutes against Chicago on Feb. 8.
When the Kings lost to his hometown New York Knicks on Jan. 15 at Madison Square Garden, Artest admitted in his diary on www.hiphopgame.com that he was "enjoying being in New York too much instead of playing the game." He had 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting, those numbers nothing compared to the approximately 40 tickets he had arranged for his family and friends.
By comparison, Artest said the ticket count was down to 10 for Friday's road loss to New Jersey, where his 33-point effort was the lone highlight in a Nets rout.
"I think Ronnie, in many cases, lets things bother him that come off the court and it affects the way he plays," Walsh said. "Those things are difficult because you really don't have a lot of control over them."
Artest, however, says he's beyond all of it. He's averaging 23.3 points this month and has been playing his best defense of the season, just in time to see if the second trip to Indiana is enough to break his concentration once again.
"After going through Detroit, after all that other stuff, there's not much that can distract me," he said.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
