So do you think Artest is done for the year?

Hard to speculate since I know so little about what happened and what is going to happen (yes, I have read the media reports, but media reports and the actual complete facts are generally two very different things); if I had to guess, I would guess he would be back in uniform by the end of the year; remember, Webber played while waiting to go to trial, why wouldn't Ron?
 
NO....he'll be back...........a gut feeling, or a prediction without anything real to go on.
 
I am actually guesses that he won't. I don't know why just my feeling. If he's found guilty they could actually void his contract. That might happen too (another feeling). Not sure how bad it is in the locker room with him around (so many different reports) but if it's bad then they could let him go and end the sideshow.
 
HE BETTER NOT BE DONE FOR THE YEAR!!!!!

Listen, I agree that The team is giving Artest time to sort through these things. And even if you want to run him out of town, that is for the summer and the off season. But for the remaining 20 plus games this season, when Ron is ready to play, THEY BETTER LET HIM PLAY!!!! PERIOD.

Either you suspend him, or let him play. The thing that angers me to no end :mad: :mad: :mad: , is when the media, the team, the fans think they know what is best for Ron Artest. I am not saying he is right or wrong, but this case is under investigation. And until the facts come out, there is no reason to sit him, unless he himself say he is not able to play.

I don't care if the team is trying to appease the community or WEAVE, or their stakeholders, legally they can not keep him out.
 
HE BETTER NOT BE DONE FOR THE YEAR!!!!!

Listen, I agree that The team is giving Artest time to sort through these things. And even if you want to run him out of town, that is for the summer and the off season. But for the remaining 20 plus games this season, when Ron is ready to play, THEY BETTER LET HIM PLAY!!!! PERIOD.

Either you suspend him, or let him play. The thing that angers me to no end :mad: :mad: :mad: , is when the media, the team, the fans think they know what is best for Ron Artest. I am not saying he is right or wrong, but this case is under investigation. And until the facts come out, there is no reason to sit him, unless he himself say he is not able to play.

I don't care if the team is trying to appease the community or WEAVE, or their stakeholders, legally they can not keep him out.

as long as they are paying him - they don't have to play him
 
I'm going to have to say no. I don't think he is done for the year although I do think he will be out for quite a few games.

Do I want him out for the year? Yes I do...
 
If he's found guilty they could actually void his contract.

Only if he's found guilty of a felony. And, with millions of dollars on the line, you can be sure that his lawyers will do everything possible to ensure that, even if he has to plead guilty to any number of misdemeanors, there won't be any felony convictions.
 
If Artest isn't convicted of a crime, the Players Association undoubtedly would intercede on his behalf regardless of whether the Kings are paying him. As distasteful as this episode is, he can't be guilty of conduct detrimental to the team simply for being accused of something unsubstantiated. The law and public opinion and the NBA's union bylaws are all mixed together in this thing.
 
When Kobe was going back and forth between the court of law and the basketball court he hardly missed a beat. And those were allegations of RAPE, which in my mind are a little more shocking than that of what Artest is dealing with. With that out of the way, it is up to the owners ultimately, so if they want to set a precedent so be it, I would hope they allow him to at least make an attempt at coming back if he can show some remorse and a pro-active attitude.
 
You want to see Artest's stock fall futher down than it already is? Bench him for the entire season... That would be an awful move. Plus, he hasn't done anything warranting a 20+ game suspension...
 
HE BETTER NOT BE DONE FOR THE YEAR!!!!!

Listen, I agree that The team is giving Artest time to sort through these things. And even if you want to run him out of town, that is for the summer and the off season. But for the remaining 20 plus games this season, when Ron is ready to play, THEY BETTER LET HIM PLAY!!!! PERIOD.

Either you suspend him, or let him play. The thing that angers me to no end :mad: :mad: :mad: , is when the media, the team, the fans think they know what is best for Ron Artest. I am not saying he is right or wrong, but this case is under investigation. And until the facts come out, there is no reason to sit him, unless he himself say he is not able to play.

I don't care if the team is trying to appease the community or WEAVE, or their stakeholders, legally they can not keep him out.


As I said in anaother thread... Look, think about it, you're the Kings and you got a guy that the Police just came out and said he slapped his wife, mader her bleed, and grabbed her and made marks. Think about what the public's feeling will be about this, especially women. If you let this guy play, even though he hasn't been convicted, (keep in mind the police chose to RELEASE the 911 tape, and they said he beat his wife in front of his kid!) your are basically saying it's ok to do that. This is an entertainment business, pure and simple, which means image. You absolutely cannot be seen as potentially tacitly condoning wifebeating! It's a no brainer for the management. And do you really think Geoff's wife is going to let Geoff let that guy play? Fat chance!

For the Kings, it's not a matter of what is morally and legally right. It's a business decision. Pure and simple. No brainer. I think that no matter what happens in court, the guy is done with the Kings. And honestly, based in part on the article that came out today, I think the players are secretly relieved, although they would never publicly admit that.
 
I think we're going to see the Kings slowly, calmly, but unalterably, distancing themsleves from Ron Artest. And there will be nothing the players union can do about it.

At this point it's the Maloof empire vs. Ron Artest. I think I know who's going to win.
 
As I said in anaother thread... Look, think about it, you're the Kings and you got a guy that the Police just came out and said he slapped his wife, mader her bleed, and grabbed her and made marks.

The police never said that he made her bleed. She made it sound that way, but she also tried to paint him as a car thief for trying to drive his own vehicle.

They said that he shoved her, more than once, and took a phone out of her hand. The only thing we know for sure about the context was that he tried to get into his car and leave, but that she smashed the windshield with a frying pan, and then called the police to report that he was stealing their car. She wasn't calling to make a domestic violence complaint! Was her finger bleeding because she'd just smashed the windshield? Quite possible. Did he shove her and take the phone because she was making herself extremely unpleasant to be around, and he just wanted to get out the door until she got out of that mood, but she wanted him to stay? Sadly enough, also possible -- I've known people who liked drama and yelling in their relationships, they felt that it showed that the person cared. :( Or maybe she thought he just needed a good screaming at right then, and didn't want him to be able to escape it, who knows? It's obviously a completely dysfunctional relationship, and I don't see any way to justify jumping to a conclusion when one doesn't have the facts. Ron has had temper problems before, but so has she.

Until we know more, I'm not going to try to determine whether one, the other, or both of them deserve jail time. As things stand now, I only know enough to hope that they will consider getting divorced. It might not be ideal for the kids, but it's got to be better than watching them fight all the time.
 
The police never said that he made her bleed. She made it sound that way, but she also tried to paint him as a car thief for trying to drive his own vehicle.

They said that he shoved her, more than once, and took a phone out of her hand. The only thing we know for sure about the context was that he tried to get into his car and leave, but that she smashed the windshield with a frying pan, and then called the police to report that he was stealing their car. She wasn't calling to make a domestic violence complaint! Was her finger bleeding because she'd just smashed the windshield? Quite possible. Did he shove her and take the phone because she was making herself extremely unpleasant to be around, and he just wanted to get out the door until she got out of that mood, but she wanted him to stay? Sadly enough, also possible -- I've known people who liked drama and yelling in their relationships, they felt that it showed that the person cared. :( Or maybe she thought he just needed a good screaming at right then, and didn't want him to be able to escape it, who knows? It's obviously a completely dysfunctional relationship, and I don't see any way to justify jumping to a conclusion when one doesn't have the facts. Ron has had temper problems before, but so has she.

Until we know more, I'm not going to try to determine whether one, the other, or both of them deserve jail time. As things stand now, I only know enough to hope that they will consider getting divorced. It might not be ideal for the kids, but it's got to be better than watching them fight all the time.

You're right, the police never said he made her bleed. But I do believe they said he slapped her, shoved her, and grabbed her.

I understand what you are saying about the case itself. But my point is that from the Kings point of view, and the Maloofs, none of those details are really going to matter. I think we've reached a point of no return here. Yes she may be completely psycho, an instigator, etc., but the bottom line for the Kings is image and money. So, while the actual facts of the case have yet to be determined in a court of law, the "fact" is that the Kings have on their hands a player about whom many people have heard from uniformed police officers say is a wifebeater.

Right or wrong, the guy is done. In a sense, those ARE the facts.

It may bug some poeple that Ron is being judge in the court of public opinion, but that's the way business goes. Businessmen are successful because they respond to peoples needs and feelings, not because they impose their morality on people. That's the job of the preachers!

And especially in Sacramento, with it's small town feel and one-team-town situation, the PR impact is much greater.
 
I hope that you're mistaken. If management only thinks about the bottom line, and doesn't care about right and wrong, then this team's going to Vegas.
 
It's a no brainer for the management. And do you really think Geoff's wife is going to let Geoff let that guy play? Fat chance! For the Kings, it's not a matter of what is morally and legally right. It's a business decision. Pure and simple. No brainer. I think that no matter what happens in court, the guy is done with the Kings. And honestly, based in part on the article that came out today, I think the players are secretly relieved, although they would never publicly admit that.

Then suspend him. If he has done such a wrong act that validates him not playing. Suspend him. The Kings should "Man Up" and stop hiding behind this "we want what is best for ron and to gather the facts" nonsense. If what you say is true and correct he should be suspended for the rest of the season.......

......but they are not going to do that will they.
 
If Artest isn't convicted of a crime, the Players Association undoubtedly would intercede on his behalf regardless of whether the Kings are paying him. As distasteful as this episode is, he can't be guilty of conduct detrimental to the team simply for being accused of something unsubstantiated. The law and public opinion and the NBA's union bylaws are all mixed together in this thing.

the kings don't have to play anyone. they could waive artest right now if they wanted to.
 
Then suspend him. If he has done such a wrong act that validates him not playing. Suspend him. The Kings should "Man Up" and stop hiding behind this "we want what is best for ron and to gather the facts" nonsense. If what you say is true and correct he should be suspended for the rest of the season.......

......but they are not going to do that will they.

So what are you saying? That the Maloofs are wusses? What would you do if you were in their shoes? And you had a wife the does charity work for WEAVE?
 
Then suspend him. If he has done such a wrong act that validates him not playing. Suspend him. The Kings should "Man Up" and stop hiding behind this "we want what is best for ron and to gather the facts" nonsense. If what you say is true and correct he should be suspended for the rest of the season.......

......but they are not going to do that will they.

Exactly, that's a bunch of crap. They don't care about Ron, and really with this new development they will not love him anyways regardless of the outcome, but to say they are relieving him indefinately is not for Ron's benefit, but the organizations. I can see if they need a few days to make a final decision once all the facts are there, but until he is tried and the judgement is made, he is innocent "innocent until proven guilty."

Isn't the trial in late March? I could see him being out of action until then at the least and then if he is found guilt, he is definately gone.
 
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the kings don't have to play anyone. they could waive artest right now if they wanted to.

Play or pay. I know they aren't playing him now, but still paying him. Can we waive him outright based on this arrest alone, or do we need to wait till he is convicted and then can? It's a tough situation of distancing yourself from Artest and at the same time giving him the playing time to showcase his skills to hopefully trade him, if you cannot waive him outright that is. Artest is no doubt a talented player and I really like him, I'm very disappointed he has reverted to his old self though.
 
So what are you saying? That the Maloofs are wusses? What would you do if you were in their shoes? And you had a wife the does charity work for WEAVE?

All I am saying is do the right thing. And IMHO, the right thing is to let Ron Artest play, when he is ready to play that's all. Let Due Process play itself out. And then when these last 20 plus games are over, if you want to put up an image to WEAVE and who ever else, then you trade him. Sitting him out right now, does nobody any good, except those that already have tried, convicted and executed him. Once Artest is ready to play, as an organization the maloofs are going to have to decide if sitting him out is going to be worth the headaches it will create (losses, NBA Players Association, and fans that are waiting for the facts.)
 
I think some of you are reading way too much into what has been rumored and has yet to come to light.

As far as what the police said, what they reported was what was alleged to have happened based on Mrs. Artest's report. We don't know if she was telling the truth or not.

In fact, we don't really know much of anything at this point except Ron and his family are going through a difficult time. There are children involved and the Kings organization is doing the right thing all around by allowing Artest to try and take care of his family problems first.

The Artest marriage is obviously not one you'd see on the Ozzie and Harriet show. There have been many incidents in the past that show this is an ongoing and continuing problem.

The idea that the Kings need to "man up" and suspend Ron is ludicrous to me. There is no need for a rush to judgment in this situation. It is a family problem gone horribly wrong. The attitude around the league seems pretty much to be that the Maloofs and Petrie are handling this in exactly the right way for all concerned. I think we, the fans, need to quit trying to play Court TV and wait and see what happens.
 
Can we waive him outright based on this arrest alone, or do we need to wait till he is convicted and then can?

We can waive anyone, any time, but we have to pay them everything they'd make for the remainder of their contract unless they agree to other arrangements.

The standard player contract currently lets a team terminate a player without pay if they are convicted of a violent felony. I assume that Ron's contains this provision. But even if Ron is eventually convicted of anything, it's unlikely to be a felony, so we're probably looking at a $17M bill to cut him from the roster.
 
Artest is no doubt a talented player and I really like him, I'm very disappointed he has reverted to his old self though.

If we conclude from the number of 911 calls to his house since he's been in Sacto then you could probably say he never stopped being "his old self".
 
The idea that the Kings need to "man up" and suspend Ron is ludicrous to me. There is no need for a rush to judgment in this situation. It is a family problem gone horribly wrong. The attitude around the league seems pretty much to be that the Maloofs and Petrie are handling this in exactly the right way for all concerned. I think we, the fans, need to quit trying to play Court TV and wait and see what happens.

My "man up" comment was to have the Kings make a decision, if they are holding him out as some form of punishment as many on this board seems to assume.

I am as you VF21, I hope that the paid time off is in the best interest of all parties. Not some veiled suspension because Artest now has created this community crisis. I do not believe this is a community crisis. This is a problem between a man and his wife and when that man is ready to go back to work, let him do so. If as an employer you do not want him back, then you must suspend or terminate him.
 
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