Basically your first argument was that we can't keep Artest around because he doesn't want to be here. That's where you're assuming you know what Ron Artest is thinking. Yes he said he wants to win a championship, yes he said that he hates losing -- but that's what every NBA player says, especially the good ones. Everyone was convinced Kobe had played his last game as a Laker over the summer when he demanded a trade. I live in LA, the buzz was that Kobe was gone. Everyone was pretty sure of it. And now he's happy again and people are talking MVP. Now obviously Pau Gasol isn't going to fall into our lap, but Kobe was already happy before that happened because his teammates stepped up. Just because Ron is a competitive guy doesn't mean he wants out of Sacramento. Maybe he would relish the opportunity to rub Sacramento in the Lakers faces like he did this weekend. Maybe he wants to be there when a losing team turns the corner and starts to demand respect. I don't think rebuilding has to mean sending all the competitive players on your team packing so that the guys who are okay with losing can feel better about themselves. We need somebody with fire to keep everyone motivated and playing like a team.
I am not assuming that Ron doesn't want to be here. He said so himself, if I remember correctly. And if I remember incorrectly, it's irrelevant, because he also said that he wants to play for a contender and win a championship. That's not the Kings. If he's a free agent after this season, why wouldn't he sign elsewhere? The only reason I can think of is that we offer him more money, and I think that's a mistake, because Ron Artest is not a cornerstone type of player.
And this is the problem. Ron Artest is NOT Kobe Bryant, and we are certainly not the Los Angeles Lakers. The comparison is not a valid one, considering the fact that Kobe Bryant's contract isn't getting ready to expire this or next summer, and Ron Artest isn't the type of player (talking strictly on the court here) that you build a team around.
Staying completely away from Ron's "other" issues, the fact that he is not - in my opinion - a cornerstone that you build a contender around means that, for a rebuilding team, we have to heavily weigh whether or not we want to spend long-term money on him. For a player who considers himself to be one of the best all-around players in the NBA (again, not assuming, but taking words from his mouth), he will be asking for a lot of it. Do we offer him a new deal or let him walk? I don't think we should offer him a new deal, and I have yet to hear justification that we should, speaking strictly in terms of his basketball value.
And that's why I don't think we should leverage the future on Ron Artest. We don't even have to say anything about his behavior and attitude.
I bolded the part in your quote that I wanted to emphasize because I think that pretty much clarifies your attitude. Why is it acceptable for some players to say they hate losing but when Ron says it he's a team cancer and a danger? Because you're convinced that he's mentally unstable and not to be trusted.
Now who is assuming what?
We've been back and forth about this issue already many times on this board. Neither of us knows Ron personally, we just know what we see in the games and what we read in the newspaper. I still think most of this "Ron Artest is crazy" perception is a myth created around him because it makes for a good story. The dog thing? The domestic violence incident? If you look at the details of those cases, there's nothing to suggest Ron handled them any differently than someone else would have. Getting angry at the coach? Yeah, like we haven't ever seen that in Sacramento before. Players get upset all the time. The key thing is that the good ones make the adjustments and come out to play afterwards, and Ron has done that. If you're convinced Ron Artest is crazy, than nothing he says or does is going to change your mind because you're just going to fit them into the mold you've already created.
How can you separate Ron Artest's history as a wishy-washy, unpredictable, volatile, at times violent person from his career as a basketball player?
I could understand this thinking if it was just one or two isolated incidents, but this guy has a wrap sheet now. A
record of serious incidents, maybe not standing alone, but certainly together, and we should just forget about that record because he plays hard? Because he's a good defender?
It's not just media perception.
He has created a
pattern of questionable behavior, and hasn't shown a clear inclination to staying as far away as possible from that type of behavior, at least not to me. And the reports about spats with the coach and alienating teammates on the court give me an insight into his attitude, which is not a healthy one for a young team with a young coach trying to build for the future.
And if he's so hell-bent on playing for a winning team that he's willing to make comments that the coach considers detrimental to the franchise, then why would we want to keep him on a rebuilding team? If he's that frustrated after two losing seasons, how's he going to be after five (which is where we're clearly headed, especially given how good the West is)?
So yes, I do think you're trying to read Ron Artest's mind and tell us what he's thinking. Just admit that you think Ron Artest is guilty until proven innocent and that's why you want him gone. Admit that and we don't have any disagreement.

Puh-lease.
You don't know what I think, and you are actually doing your best to prove that I think something that I've clearly come out and stated I DO NOT think! I do not care to admit to something for the sake of not disagreeing with you, because it doesn't matter what you think I think. And I reserve my right to stand by my stated opinion, whether you believe that my stated opinion is honest or not.
And again, my point is NOT that we need to get rid of Ron Artest. My point is that we should not re-sign him, and that, if we are going to let him walk, we should have dealt him for
something before the deadline, since we are now at his mercy.
But I'm sure you'll find a way to interpret that as me feeling like we should cut him now and file a restraining order on him to keep him 1000 yards away from Arco Arena, because I hate the crazy, dog-killing wife beater and I hope he gets exiled from the NBA.