Ch. 40 sports heads up

[VF21]

Jim Crandall, or whatever his name is, just had an interesting teaser about Artest, saying he made some very interesting comments in the locker room after the game and they've got them.

If you can get Ch. 40, you might want to tune in...

 

[GoSACtown]

cool, came here right on time

 

[VF21]

Whoa. Sean Cunningham asked him about 6 questions all combined. Artest said...brace yourselves...NOTHING. He just stared at the radio guy.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Jim Crandall, or whatever his name is, just had an interesting teaser about Artest, saying he made some very interesting comments in the locker room after the game and they've got them.

If you can get Ch. 40, you might want to tune in...

I'm in bed sick...what did he say?

 

[VF21]

I think Artest must read this board.



He actually took Bricklayer's advice, which I've quoted as part of my signature. Way to go, Ron. No idea who this guy Cunningham is... but Artest stared at him, lipped tightly sealed, and didn't even blink.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Whoa. Sean Cunningham asked him about 6 questions all combined. Artest said...brace yourselves...NOTHING. He just stared at the radio guy.

Interesting...I wonder if Ron is maturing a bit more right before our eyes? I wonder how the 'old' Ron would have handled all those questions? Maybe Ron really DOES want to buy that mansion here in Sac. I guess all we can do is 'stay tuned' as they say.

 

[BRad1055]

Sean Cunningham...

is a guy who works for khtk 1140 and gets the locker room sound for the postgame show and he also produces Grant's show and does alot of board op work and produces shows on khtk etc... he sometimes fills in on carmichael dave's show and kozimors show also, but rarely.

 

[BRad1055]

I think Ron...

sitting there after being asked like six times if he wants to dispel the trade rumors and says he wants to be here and just staring into space so to speak and saying nothing says alot and to me it says he does not want to be here.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I No idea who this guy Cunningham is... but Artest stared at him, lipped tightly sealed, and didn't even blink.

Sean is a producer/board op. at KHTK, he usually is the one who grabs audio from the locker rooms after games. Anyways...good job Ron!

 

[VF21]

Here's the transcript:

Crandell says, as lead in:

The voice you'll hear is radio reporter Sean Cunningham asking Ron Artest if he'd like to dispel the rumors that he wants out of Sacramento.

Reporter (with Artest looking straight at him): Do you want to dispel some rumors? There are lots of rumors going around about you, trade rumors and stuff like that, people wanting to know if you want to be here or not. Is this something you want to do? Do you want to be here?

(Artest, who has been nodding at the reporter, turns his head slightly as if thinking and then looks back, making sure his lips stay sealed.)

Reporter: Is that a yes? I know you kind of mentioned it in practice yesterday but is there anything you'd like to say?

Artest continues to just stare with a kind of Mona Lisa smile. You can hear teammates starting to chuckle in the background...

The reporter laughs nervously and the "interview" is over...

 

[VF21]

sitting there after being asked like six times if he wants to dispel the trade rumors and says he wants to be here and just staring into space so to speak and saying nothing says alot and to me it says he does not want to be here.

I think the ONLY thing it says is that Ron didn't want to say anything to the media.

 

[Bricklayer]

Interesting...I wonder if Ron is maturing a bit more right before our eyes? I wonder how the 'old' Ron would have handled all those questions? Maybe Ron really DOES want to buy that mansion here in Sac. I guess all we can do is 'stay tuned' as they say.

Actually pulling a stunt like that could also mean exactly the opposite.

In any case with a personality like Ron Artest its all too much. He's taken flak, people are calling him a wuss, which has to be particularly galling to him, and so he goes and does the complete opposite -- "oh, so I talk too much and you don't like what I have to say? Ok, now I'll say nothing at all about it." So you goto war with the media and...well, who knows what it all means. Frankly I'm glad I'm not local because I am sick of it already and might just quit listening to anything about the Kings if I was going to be force fed this ridoculous 2nd rate soap opera every day.

 

[VF21]

That isn't what it looked like, Brick. It looked like he simply wasn't going to respond to that kind of question. Since it's Artest, I don't think we can attribute any kind of deep hidden meaning. He simply wasn't going to answer the questions.

 

[SLAB]

I like the teammates chuckling in the background.

I really have no idea what it says to me, but it just made me feel better.

Hmm.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Interesting...VERY interesting. Gotta love the 'fair and balanced' LA media for stirring the pot. I wonder if Elgin Baylor even has Petrie in his rolodex?

 

[VF21]

??????

Nothing here to indicate any pot stirring, Circa. I think you may have mixed up the threads...

 

[BMiller52]

So does that mean that Ron doesn't want to be here?

 

[VF21]

So does that mean that Ron doesn't want to be here?

I can say with 100% confidence that Ron said NOTHING in that "interview" to give away how he really feels. Not that it would make much of a difference anyway.

Remember the first rule of being a fan with Ron Artest on your team:

PAY NO ATTENTION to anything he says.

The first corollary to The First Ron Artest Rule would, therefore, be:

PAY NO ATTENTION to anything he doesn't say.

 

[BMiller52]

But it's like if he didn't want out, why wouldn't he just say to the reporter "I don't want out"? Does anyone have a clip of this or something, cuz this is confusing me.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

??????

Nothing here to indicate any pot stirring, Circa. I think you may have mixed up the threads...

Sorry...I guess I made my post a bit to broad...I was referring to the 'Artest for Maggette' rumor as a whole, and it being a bit of a distraction, the 'cause and effect' theory, I guess...and how we have our good friends at the L.A. Times to thank for it.

 

[VF21]

But it's like if he didn't want out, why wouldn't he just say to the reporter "I don't want out"? Does anyone have a clip of this or something, cuz this is confusing me.

He doesn't say a word. NOTHING. NOT one sound comes from him.

That's the whole point. He was asked multiple questions, with the reporter trying to get Artest to say something they could use later. Artest didn't oblige.

You seem to be under the mistaken impression that people have to respond to reporters. They don't; in fact, a lot of times the best thing you can do if a reporter asks you a question is say NOTHING.

Reporters going in to the locker room after the game should be talking about the game. They shouldn't be trying to add fuel to a fire about something that's already garnered way too much press.

No matter what Artest might have said, someone would have thought of a way to take it and twist it to whatever suited their purpose. The Marc Stein interpretation of Artest's emails is a perfect case in point. Sometimes saying absolutely nothing is the only way to make sure your words aren't used against you, and even then it's not a guarantee.

There is nothing to be read into this little incident. The fact Jim Crandell even used it was, IMHO, a bit of a joke on Cunningham, who tried to get the scoop all the regular guys had failed to get ...

 

[BMiller52]

He doesn't say a word. NOTHING. NOT one sound comes from him.

That's the whole point. He was asked multiple questions, with the reporter trying to get Artest to say something they could use later. Artest didn't oblige.

You seem to be under the mistaken impression that people have to respond to reporters. They don't; in fact, a lot of times the best thing you can do if a reporter asks you a question is say NOTHING.

Reporters going in to the locker room after the game should be talking about the game. They shouldn't be trying to add fuel to a fire about something that's already garnered way too much press.

No matter what Artest might have said, someone would have thought of a way to take it and twist it to whatever suited their purpose. The Marc Stein interpretation of Artest's emails is a perfect case in point. Sometimes saying absolutely nothing is the only way to make sure your words aren't used against you, and even then it's not a guarantee.

There is nothing to be read into this little incident. The fact Jim Crandell even used it was, IMHO, a bit of a joke on Cunningham, who tried to get the scoop all the regular guys had failed to get ...

So basically he just took bricklayer's advice and shut up and played hard? Does he read this board or something?

I'm glad he didn't say he wants out though...

 

[Gargamel]

I'm gonna go against my own personal fear of crawling into Artest's mind, but I take that silence to signify that he didn't wanna get whatever he said twisted. Any answers to such questions only serve perpetuate those questions.

 

[VF21]

So basically he just took bricklayer's advice and shut up and played hard? Does he read this board or something?

I'm glad he didn't say he wants out though...

I'm reasonably sure Bricklayer wasn't the only person making that kind of recommendation. And I don't know if he - or any other player - reads the board. They certainly must be gluttons for punishment if they do...

He didn't say he wants out. But he didn't say he doesn't, either.

This is a non-story.

 

[VF21]

I'm gonna go against my own personal fear of crawling into Artest's mind, but I take that silence to signify that he didn't wanna get whatever he said twisted. Any answers to such questions only serve perpetuate those questions.

Here, grab my hand! Quick!

You do not want to risk getting trapped in there.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Here, grab my hand! Quick!

You do not want to risk getting trapped in there.

Totally! At least leave a trail of bread crumbs so you can find your way back out!

 

[SLAB]

Here's what happen's if he speaks.

True quote: "Absolutly not...I do not want out of Sacramento...We are going to the playoffs, and me and Mike are going to lead the team to big things...These rumors are deinatly not true."

LA Times says:

Artest on if he wants out of Sacto: "Absolutly..." Ron Artest goes on to say, "I do ... want out of Sacramento. ... These rumors are definatly ... true."

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Here's what happen's if he speaks.

True quote: "Absolutly not...I do not want out of Sacramento...We are going to the playoffs, and me and Mike are going to lead the team to big things...These rumors are deinatly not true."

LA Times says:

Artest on if he wants out of Sacto: "Absolutly..." Ron Artest goes on to say, "I do ... want out of Sacramento. ... These rumors are definatly ... true."

Nice! Gotta love the folks in LA for getting us 'semi-civilized rednecks' here in Sacramento all riled up...again. It's been a few years, hasn't it?

edit: Anyone seen my cowbell around??

 

[Bricklayer]

Nice! Gotta love the folks in LA for getting us 'semi-civilized rednecks' here in Sacramento all riled up...again. It's been a few years, hasn't it?

edit: Anyone seen my cowbell around??

I think you are going entirely too far other other way now. Nothing that has happened in the last 24 hours remotely points to this being a made up rumor. Doesn't mean it will happen, but there's way way too much smoke here for there not to be a significant issue underneath.


I think that a major problem here is the Sacto fan mindset of rejectionphobia. The merest hint of a player rejecting "the greatest fans in the NBA" sends them into a tizzy of "it can't be trues" "that bastard!" and spasms of incredible relief at every slight hint that no, it might not true and he really does love us! But that's not what we have here. There is a problem, and its not made up. The only question is how/if its going to be resolved.

 

[Gargamel]

Here, grab my hand! Quick!

You do not want to risk getting trapped in there.

I imagine the final scene in Poltergeist where you throw the rope into the parallel dimension and I am pulled out covered in strawberry preserves.