http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14246260p-15064187c.html
When it comes to his game, Artest gets defensive
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 22, 2006
He's about as stout and sturdy as a refrigerator, only this appliance won't let you get around it.
At first glance, Ron Artest doesn't look like he can outrun Pete Carril, the Kings' sage, old assistant coach.
But if there's a top defensive talent in these NBA playoffs, it's No. 93. Artest belies hoop logic. He's bulky, yet nimble. He's powerful, yet deceptively quick on his feet. At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, he's able to muscle-up against 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki one night and still plenty agile to chase down 5-5 Earl Boykins the next. And he takes on all comers in between.
"You look at Ron Artest, his size, and you think, 'I'm goin' right around him and he won't stop me,' " said Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors. "But he does stop you. He's an incredible defender, the best out there. I mean, he just won't allow you to do what you want to do. It doesn't even seem fair."
So what makes him so good? For starters, there's a lot of will in the man. He lives to snuff out scoring threats. He talks of growing up in New York, of being a kid in the park playing against older, leaner and meaner boys who looked like men. The only way he could get the ball, to actually taste a piece of the action, was to snatch the ball. Steal it, by anticipating the dribble.
"He was that way when I had him as a 12 and 13-year-old in New York when I had him on an AAU team," said Kenny Smith, the former NBA guard who now does NBA studio work for TNT. "He just loved to play defense, loved to stop guys, loved the challenge, period."
It carried him through college at St. John's, where he couldn't shoot a lick but he sure prevented others from doing so, too.
"Ronnie's a freak of nature athletically and strength wise," said Fran Fraschilla, Artest's coach at St. John's. "To be that big and that strong, the only guy that comes to mind is John Mackey, a tight end with the Colts when I was growing up."
Artest made a name for himself in the NBA, a stopper in a league full of non-stop scorers. In pick-up action, he once battered and banged into Michael Jordan so often and hard that he left the NBA legend bruised and battered.
In games, he has all sorts of tricks, some legal, some not, some that aren't always caught. Artest once yanked down the shorts of Paul Pierce to slow him down (and serenaded Pierce on TV in a hilarious mock apology later).
When players are flying up court on a break, he'll slyly grab onto a fistful of jersey to offer a speed bump, but not long enough to get caught. He's the rare talent who can knock a ball away as the player is going up for the shot. He likes to guard his man at point blank range, close enough to count the pores in the man's nose and read the concern in the man's eyes, where most defenders allow some room as to not get skunked off the dribble. He knows exactly when to snake his hand in to takeaway the dribble from guards or forwards.
"If you don't want to lose the ball, don't dribble near Ron Artest," offered Carril. "That simple."
Artest has drawn rave reviews. Sam Cassell of the Clippers calls him, simply, "a beast." Kobe Bryant said he wished the Lakers would have landed Artest's services and that Artest "plays defense the way it should be played - great."
LeBron James said he's glad that he only has to play the man twice a year.
"He plays aggressively and gets away with anything he wants to," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He deserves the right because he plays hard. You can't complain about the guy. I don't want to hear a complaint about the guy."
Seattle SuperSonics coach Bob Hill said Artest is a thinking man's bruiser, wise and crafty and rock solid, like running into the team bus.
"Ron is what I call a 'Whiskey' kind of player," the coach said, meaning that in a complimentary way.
Said Avery Johnson, the Dallas coach, "His forearms are so strong. They just keep you locked in, making it tough to even move. Quick hands, alertness, it's what you want all your guys to have but only a select few have it. He's special."
And Artest down plays most of it. Though he'll tell you in a second that he should be the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year - for this and every season - he said his craft is simple, rooted in desire and instincts.
"I take great pride in my defense, because, to me, it's important, the most important thing in basketball," Artest said.
"Most guys think about offense only. Not me. I don't mind playing defense. I love it. It's the fun part of the game for me. You get tired, but so what. Keep playing."
Kings front office executives said Artest is a better defender than they anticipated. Watching him go to work on TV is one thing. To watch in person, to see how Artest's defense played such a significant role in turning the tide of the team this season, is entirely different.
"He's a guy who really wants to play defense and doesn't just talk about doing it," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "He's very good at it, too."
Kings coach Rick Adelman said Artest provides the Kings with an element he has never had before: A genuine stopper, and one that gives the team a different look in the playoffs.
"He's an amazing defender," the coach said. "Amazing."
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@sacbee.com
When it comes to his game, Artest gets defensive
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 22, 2006
He's about as stout and sturdy as a refrigerator, only this appliance won't let you get around it.
At first glance, Ron Artest doesn't look like he can outrun Pete Carril, the Kings' sage, old assistant coach.
But if there's a top defensive talent in these NBA playoffs, it's No. 93. Artest belies hoop logic. He's bulky, yet nimble. He's powerful, yet deceptively quick on his feet. At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, he's able to muscle-up against 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki one night and still plenty agile to chase down 5-5 Earl Boykins the next. And he takes on all comers in between.
"You look at Ron Artest, his size, and you think, 'I'm goin' right around him and he won't stop me,' " said Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors. "But he does stop you. He's an incredible defender, the best out there. I mean, he just won't allow you to do what you want to do. It doesn't even seem fair."
So what makes him so good? For starters, there's a lot of will in the man. He lives to snuff out scoring threats. He talks of growing up in New York, of being a kid in the park playing against older, leaner and meaner boys who looked like men. The only way he could get the ball, to actually taste a piece of the action, was to snatch the ball. Steal it, by anticipating the dribble.
"He was that way when I had him as a 12 and 13-year-old in New York when I had him on an AAU team," said Kenny Smith, the former NBA guard who now does NBA studio work for TNT. "He just loved to play defense, loved to stop guys, loved the challenge, period."
It carried him through college at St. John's, where he couldn't shoot a lick but he sure prevented others from doing so, too.
"Ronnie's a freak of nature athletically and strength wise," said Fran Fraschilla, Artest's coach at St. John's. "To be that big and that strong, the only guy that comes to mind is John Mackey, a tight end with the Colts when I was growing up."
Artest made a name for himself in the NBA, a stopper in a league full of non-stop scorers. In pick-up action, he once battered and banged into Michael Jordan so often and hard that he left the NBA legend bruised and battered.
In games, he has all sorts of tricks, some legal, some not, some that aren't always caught. Artest once yanked down the shorts of Paul Pierce to slow him down (and serenaded Pierce on TV in a hilarious mock apology later).
When players are flying up court on a break, he'll slyly grab onto a fistful of jersey to offer a speed bump, but not long enough to get caught. He's the rare talent who can knock a ball away as the player is going up for the shot. He likes to guard his man at point blank range, close enough to count the pores in the man's nose and read the concern in the man's eyes, where most defenders allow some room as to not get skunked off the dribble. He knows exactly when to snake his hand in to takeaway the dribble from guards or forwards.
"If you don't want to lose the ball, don't dribble near Ron Artest," offered Carril. "That simple."
Artest has drawn rave reviews. Sam Cassell of the Clippers calls him, simply, "a beast." Kobe Bryant said he wished the Lakers would have landed Artest's services and that Artest "plays defense the way it should be played - great."
LeBron James said he's glad that he only has to play the man twice a year.
"He plays aggressively and gets away with anything he wants to," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He deserves the right because he plays hard. You can't complain about the guy. I don't want to hear a complaint about the guy."
Seattle SuperSonics coach Bob Hill said Artest is a thinking man's bruiser, wise and crafty and rock solid, like running into the team bus.
"Ron is what I call a 'Whiskey' kind of player," the coach said, meaning that in a complimentary way.
Said Avery Johnson, the Dallas coach, "His forearms are so strong. They just keep you locked in, making it tough to even move. Quick hands, alertness, it's what you want all your guys to have but only a select few have it. He's special."
And Artest down plays most of it. Though he'll tell you in a second that he should be the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year - for this and every season - he said his craft is simple, rooted in desire and instincts.
"I take great pride in my defense, because, to me, it's important, the most important thing in basketball," Artest said.
"Most guys think about offense only. Not me. I don't mind playing defense. I love it. It's the fun part of the game for me. You get tired, but so what. Keep playing."
Kings front office executives said Artest is a better defender than they anticipated. Watching him go to work on TV is one thing. To watch in person, to see how Artest's defense played such a significant role in turning the tide of the team this season, is entirely different.
"He's a guy who really wants to play defense and doesn't just talk about doing it," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "He's very good at it, too."
Kings coach Rick Adelman said Artest provides the Kings with an element he has never had before: A genuine stopper, and one that gives the team a different look in the playoffs.
"He's an amazing defender," the coach said. "Amazing."
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@sacbee.com
.................Class be darned, sometime certain people deserved what they got, even when they annoint you as the heir of MJ 
