http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14244210p-15062794c.html
Ailene Voisin: Looks like Artest does know best
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, April 17, 2006
Ron Artest said it with a straight face, said it when the season was in shambles, when Arco Arena was a mausoleum, when it would have taken a saw - never mind a knife - to slice through the tension in the front office.
The Kings would stage a comeback.
The Kings would play defense.
The Kings would reach the playoffs.
Guess we know the guy can deliver a punch.
"It took a 26-year-old kid (Artest) to come in here and revitalize all of Northern California," said Kings co-owner Joe Maloof, exaggerating just a little while attending the Board of Governors meetings Sunday in New York. "He revived the owners, the coaches, the other players. He put all the negatives behind him and instilled confidence in all of us. He said we would make the playoffs before we even won a game with him."
And now that a postseason berth is secure, Artest is reiterating his guarantee that the Kings will advance into the second round of the playoffs. (Insert new punch line here.) But, seriously, who's laughing now? The before-and-after shots should be preserved for future reference or, if nothing else, for the sheer wonder of it all.
Before the Jan. 25 swap of small forwards - Peja Stojakovic for Artest - the Kings were 18-24.
After the trade, the Kings went 25-14. And though Sunday night's victory ultimately proved to be of little significance because the Utah Jazz lost earlier in the evening, there is something to be said for taking control of a situation, which is what Artest has done since his arrival. Of equal significance, he has regained control of a volatile, erratic career that was careening toward a place of no return.
There was the 73-game suspension a season ago for his involvement in the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills and the 25-game banishment this season from Conseco Fieldhouse, along with David Stern's heavy-handed warning: Another episode of extreme behavior, and his NBA career would be in final jeopardy.
So what happens when Artest moves west?
Nothing, nothing out of the ordinary, unless one considers the Kings' vastly improved defense.
Though still an obvious target because of his reputation, and the nightly recipient of sharp elbows and sharper taunts, Artest has been cool and composed while simultaneously performing at a highly charged, even ferociously competitive level. The man remains a muscular, 6-foot-7, 260-pound chunk of contradiction, if a well-mannered one of late: One technical foul, one or two animated chats with an official. Too little nonsense to headline.
"I've worked hard at not doing emotional things," Artest reflected while seated at his locker late Sunday night. "It's something that I've practiced, and you get better over the years. There's too much at stake now. There's a bigger picture than gaining the moment. So, yeah, I'm proud of myself. I think I've helped the Kings."
How can he possibly understand how much his presence has meant to the organization? Or, as Brad Miller said while endorsing the trade that sent his next-door neighbor (Peja) to Indianapolis for his close friend and former teammate, "We needed a kick in the butt."
The players needed a boot, the coaching staff needed a boost, and the fans needed a reason to continue investing their emotions in an organization that had gone from national heartthrob to local heartache.
As a matter of fact - or as a matter of just plain common sense - Artest's acquisition has resulted in at least three major developments: (1) It preserved the league's longest home-court sellout streak, because even the most loyal and inspired Kings partisan was weary of watching uninspired millionaires punching the time clock and taking the 48-minute coffee break; (2) it undoubtedly saved Rick Adelman's job because, in professional sports, extended losing streaks and repeated lousy performances eventually claim a victim, and that victim usually is the head coach; and (3) it ensured that television sets in the local bars and restaurants once again would be tuned into the playoffs.
"I'm just happy he's here," noted Corliss Williamson, "because I don't see how the (postseason) could have happened if he wasn't. He came in here and changed the personality of our team. He imposed his will, in a good way."
Who knew? Who knew Artest was this good?
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Looks like Artest does know best
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, April 17, 2006
Ron Artest said it with a straight face, said it when the season was in shambles, when Arco Arena was a mausoleum, when it would have taken a saw - never mind a knife - to slice through the tension in the front office.
The Kings would stage a comeback.
The Kings would play defense.
The Kings would reach the playoffs.
Guess we know the guy can deliver a punch.
"It took a 26-year-old kid (Artest) to come in here and revitalize all of Northern California," said Kings co-owner Joe Maloof, exaggerating just a little while attending the Board of Governors meetings Sunday in New York. "He revived the owners, the coaches, the other players. He put all the negatives behind him and instilled confidence in all of us. He said we would make the playoffs before we even won a game with him."
And now that a postseason berth is secure, Artest is reiterating his guarantee that the Kings will advance into the second round of the playoffs. (Insert new punch line here.) But, seriously, who's laughing now? The before-and-after shots should be preserved for future reference or, if nothing else, for the sheer wonder of it all.
Before the Jan. 25 swap of small forwards - Peja Stojakovic for Artest - the Kings were 18-24.
After the trade, the Kings went 25-14. And though Sunday night's victory ultimately proved to be of little significance because the Utah Jazz lost earlier in the evening, there is something to be said for taking control of a situation, which is what Artest has done since his arrival. Of equal significance, he has regained control of a volatile, erratic career that was careening toward a place of no return.
There was the 73-game suspension a season ago for his involvement in the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills and the 25-game banishment this season from Conseco Fieldhouse, along with David Stern's heavy-handed warning: Another episode of extreme behavior, and his NBA career would be in final jeopardy.
So what happens when Artest moves west?
Nothing, nothing out of the ordinary, unless one considers the Kings' vastly improved defense.
Though still an obvious target because of his reputation, and the nightly recipient of sharp elbows and sharper taunts, Artest has been cool and composed while simultaneously performing at a highly charged, even ferociously competitive level. The man remains a muscular, 6-foot-7, 260-pound chunk of contradiction, if a well-mannered one of late: One technical foul, one or two animated chats with an official. Too little nonsense to headline.
"I've worked hard at not doing emotional things," Artest reflected while seated at his locker late Sunday night. "It's something that I've practiced, and you get better over the years. There's too much at stake now. There's a bigger picture than gaining the moment. So, yeah, I'm proud of myself. I think I've helped the Kings."
How can he possibly understand how much his presence has meant to the organization? Or, as Brad Miller said while endorsing the trade that sent his next-door neighbor (Peja) to Indianapolis for his close friend and former teammate, "We needed a kick in the butt."
The players needed a boot, the coaching staff needed a boost, and the fans needed a reason to continue investing their emotions in an organization that had gone from national heartthrob to local heartache.
As a matter of fact - or as a matter of just plain common sense - Artest's acquisition has resulted in at least three major developments: (1) It preserved the league's longest home-court sellout streak, because even the most loyal and inspired Kings partisan was weary of watching uninspired millionaires punching the time clock and taking the 48-minute coffee break; (2) it undoubtedly saved Rick Adelman's job because, in professional sports, extended losing streaks and repeated lousy performances eventually claim a victim, and that victim usually is the head coach; and (3) it ensured that television sets in the local bars and restaurants once again would be tuned into the playoffs.
"I'm just happy he's here," noted Corliss Williamson, "because I don't see how the (postseason) could have happened if he wasn't. He came in here and changed the personality of our team. He imposed his will, in a good way."
Who knew? Who knew Artest was this good?
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
