Sam Smith "clock ticking on Artest meltdown"

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BMiller52

All-Star
The Kings seem to be fooling themselves into believing Artest, Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin will make them contenders. News bulletin: They have zero chance of making the playoffs.

Besides, they have a nice thing going with young players like Beno Udrih and John Salmons.

So last week's terrific win in Detroit -- where Artest was booed at the site of the famous brawl -- saw Artest blow up at Bibby for failing to see him in the post. Later, Artest unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at coach Reggie Theus.

It was all downplayed because the Kings won.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-28-smithbritejan28,1,171407.column?ctrack=1&cset=true

there's more in the link. What do you guys think??
 
So they can hear the ticking all the way in Chicago? This is now officially scaring the crap out of me.
 
VF21 said:
So they can hear the ticking all the way in Chicago? This is now officially scaring the crap out of me.
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Yeah it makes sense for Smith to recognize it also. He saw how Ron acted in his rookie year and his 1st 2 or 3 years in the league. But we just need to move him, I have no idea why Petrie won't make a move.
 
Sam must read KingsFans.

Seriously, Sam you're a bitter, bitter old man. What happened in your life to cause this, and stop leeching off us.

More proof the average KingsFans member can write a Smith piece. I could write one a day. My first piece would be why Lebron is overrated and the 9 players I'd choose ahead of him.
 
Just as an FYI, even though 90% of Sam Smith's NBA articles are unsubstantiated rumors and/or "if I were GM of <insert NBA team here - usually Bulls> I would trade XYZ for...", he does get some good source info on the Bulls. He was the first to write that Ron Ron is ticking bomb, way back when Ron was just a second year player with Bulls and totally under the radar. Back then the only signs that something is missing up there with Ron were ill advised 3-pointers and cringe-inducing post game interviews. But someone from within organization blew whistle on Ron Ron the ticking bomb well before his trade to Indiana.
 
Packt said:
Sam must read KingsFans.

More proof the average KingsFans member can write a Smith piece. I could write one a day. My first piece would be why Lebron is overrated and the 9 players I'd choose ahead of him.
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ok, that was really funny, seeing as how i just left that thread.
 
Does Artest exploding really change anything though?

Kings are bad before the time bomb, and will be bad after. Considering he's gonna opt out he doesnt really have much trade value anyways.

The Artest thing is hyped up. He was great for about a seasons worth of games. Now he's kinda losing it. Oh well, we still have a low chance of a good draft pick and an equally low chance of making the playoffs. Artest bomb or not this is kinda another bust season for our beloved Kings.
 
Petrie has been pretty open about the team building for the future. I've never heard anyone in the front office say anything about being playoff contenders this year. Now, actually backing up that point of view with moves is a different story......
 
One thing to keep in mind about all this is that Artest may not have as much financial incentive to opt out as people have assumed all along. Basically only Philadelphia is going to have significant cap room in the offseason, and they're probably not going to make Artest a target since they're building for the future. Artest is going to be hard pressed to make more than the MLE in the offseason except through a S&T -- and I can't imagine teams are going to be trying too hard to give up much since he's such a risk.

If Artest does implode he could wipe out whatever remaining value he has and we could be stuck with him through next year. He's still a relative bargain at the salary he's making, but it's going to be hard to rebuild with him still on the roster.
 
nbrans said:
One thing to keep in mind about all this is that Artest may not have as much financial incentive to opt out as people have assumed all along. Basically only Philadelphia is going to have significant cap room in the offseason, and they're probably not going to make Artest a target since they're building for the future. Artest is going to be hard pressed to make more than the MLE in the offseason except through a S&T -- and I can't imagine teams are going to be trying too hard to give up much since he's such a risk.

If Artest does implode he could wipe out whatever remaining value he has and we could be stuck with him through next year. He's still a relative bargain at the salary he's making, but it's going to be hard to rebuild with him still on the roster.
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If he implodes, he will become another player who sits at home and lives on the money he's getting for not stepping foot on the court. In a way his implosion would be a blessing - at least the blasted ticking would stop. And we would know once and for all that it was over...
 
Artest will be gone before the trade deadline...that's my prediction. Theus is growing tired of his escapades, and once again the on court chemistry just isn't clicking with he and Bibby.

If they don't trade one of those two, we will get a great lottery pick.
 
I agree that Artest is untradeable. His present contract makes him untradeable.

The good part is that when he destroys the team, we get a better draft pick, right?
 
I think I'm the probably the only Kings fan who ISNT worried about Ron exploding...I just dont think its going to happen. If Ron Artest goes 'Bobby Knight' while he's still with us, I'll stand corrected. But, I think Ron will quit before he blows up again...I think at this point even HE knows he has everything still to lose and nothing to gain, because of his reputation...and it would behoove him to behave, especially in a contract year...and even HE knows this, because he's still in his prime as a player with probably 4 years of good basketball left if he plays his cards right. But, I'll say it again, I think I'm probably the only Kings fan that doesnt believe he's about to go postal(so-to-speak, of course:D )
 
SacTownKid said:
Maloofs/Petrie can't be that clueless....right??? :eek:
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Just because they aren't publicly throwing themselves off the Tower Bridge doesn't mean they're not fully aware of what's going on. What would you expect them to do? Call a press conference to announce that their starting small forward is a loose cannon? Or a time-bomb whose fuse is nearly at the bottom?
 
VF21 said:
Just because they aren't publicly throwing themselves off the Tower Bridge doesn't mean they're not fully aware of what's going on. What would you expect them to do? Call a press conference to announce that their starting small forward is a loose cannon? Or a time-bomb whose fuse is nearly at the bottom?
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I was mainly referring to the part that said they think they have a contender in Bibby, Artest, and Martin. That scares me more than them possibly being in denial about Artest exploding.
 
SacTownKid said:
I was mainly referring to the part that said they think they have a contender in Bibby, Artest, and Martin. That scares me more than them possibly being in denial about Artest exploding.
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It's just talk. If they were to say "we can't win with Artest" it would insure his trade value drops to zero. It's almost there anyway.
 
Petrie needs to come to the conclusion.....artest value was at a all time high a month or so ago.....now since detroit and inddy....its low again. I say if you cant trade him, send him home for the rest of the year. he can record some albums....and opt out after the season. give john salmons the mins he has earned!.
 
=LarryLegend= said:
Petrie needs to come to the conclusion.....artest value was at a all time high a month or so ago.....now since detroit and inddy....its low again. I say if you cant trade him, send him home for the rest of the year. he can record some albums....and opt out after the season. give john salmons the mins he has earned!.
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And if Artest finds out that his value will not be much in the offseason because of this and doesn't opt out???? Then what? Keep him around next year? Pay him to sit on the bench with KT?
 
Warhawk said:
And if Artest finds out that his value will not be much in the offseason because of this and doesn't opt out???? Then what? Keep him around next year? Pay him to sit on the bench with KT?
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UGH!!:eek: That's alot of dead weight on your bench...like $17 million worth between the 2 of them! I dont think Ron would go for that anyway, that's why I think he's going to make good coming up for as long as he can until his value is up again, then Geoff can do something with him if he wants.
 
I was so angry after his last stunt in Utah that I'm willing to eat his salary. (Not like I have to pay it anyway. :rolleyes:)

But you know what I mean. I'm done making excuses for him. I want him gone and I don't care how.
 
Circa_1985_Fan said:
But, I think Ron will quit before he blows up again...I think at this point even HE knows he has everything still to lose and nothing to gain, because of his reputation...and it would behoove him to behave, especially in a contract year...and even HE knows this, because he's still in his prime as a player with probably 4 years of good basketball left if he plays his cards right.
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That's assuming that Ron acts logically with full consideration of the consequences. Which is completely not Ron-like. The reason he explodes is precisely because of a lack of impulse control. When Ron gets stressed enough, logic and contemplation of consequences goes right out the window.

He has deep-seated, long-term, documented problems with anger management and impulse control. His behavior in the last few games has scared me. He seems really on the edge.
 
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