good ole Ronnie has asked Coach Carlisle for some time off..

 

 

 

to promote is rap album that will come out later this month

 

yea, thats pathetic

what a great guy

haha damn that's a Leon move right there

Are you kidding me?

I can't wait til that comes out. Supposedly he's gonna have a track on it with his 80 year old neighbor.

That is honestly so incredible, it defies both logic and words.....

yo Admin legend this whole championship thing is nice and everything but you think you could hook me up with some time off to promote my rap album.

 

Bird: *throws chair at ron*

This sums up what is wrong with the NBA in a nutshell.

Ron Artest is the definition of team player, why is everyone on his case, LOL, but in all seriousness he "claims" his body is all beat up and needs rest, whatever, but he should look at his own teammate in J. O'Neal who came back early from an injury, to battle and help his team win, I use to really think Artest is the type of player every team needs, a scrappy, tough, in your face, nasty player that can play offense too, but this guy is a whacko

haha damn that's a Leon move right there

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And ccording to his website, a goal of his is to wear as many numbers as he can before he retires. LMFAO

he definitely has a screw loose

They have lots of numbers in prison. I know he's not a bad person, but damn, what a freakin' idiot. That'd be like the President saying he needs time off to get on the BMX bike tour or some crap. Amazing.

Well Artest has said he already had a tough summer promoting his rap album and now wants to rest - not the other way around. Hey, he's scoring 24 per, but if he's that tired he's gonna have a tough time getting through the long season.

By the way he wears no. 91 this season, a tribute to another class act.....Dennis Rodman.

Admin wont let this just blow over...

trust me there on the phones right now seeing who wants to trade for this chump...

Artest is wearing those numbers to contribute to the Bulls.

The time is now to unload problem

 

 

November 11, 2004

 

 

In the end, it doesn't matter exactly what Ron Artest did to get himself booted by his coach. It doesn't matter if it was a disagreement over touches, a hygiene issue or some strange request to take a month off to concentrate on the promotion of his rap album.

 

What matters is, Artest is The Story again. What matters is, Artest is a distraction again. What matters is, after all this time, Artest still has no idea how to be part of a team, and remains a player the Indiana Pacers simply can't trust -- now, or when the big pressure comes to bear in May and June.

 

If they couldn't count on him to step up and help fill the void caused by all these early injuries, how can they count on him when the season is on the line?

 

They can't.

 

Deal him. Deal him before his trade value is diminished even further. Deal him before he destroys a team that has a chance to win an NBA championship.

 

It doesn't matter that they won't get equal value in terms of raw talent. This is addition by subtraction. And there's a lot to be said for bringing in another player who will show up to work every day.

 

"Can you trust him?" I asked coach Rick Carlisle before Wednesday night's Pacers game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

 

"Yeah," he said. "He's part of the team."

 

Then he paused and said, "It's up to him and the other guys on the team to prove they're trustworthy. Trust has to be earned all the way around. We're all accountable."

 

That is, with all respect to Carlisle, a bunch of disingenuous gobbledygook. And in his heart, he has to know that.

 

How can any straight-thinking basketball coach or executive believe they can count on Artest to be there?

 

The cover-ups, the half-truths, even the lies -- like Carlisle telling reporters Monday there was nothing going on with Artest -- are bathing this organization in an unflattering light. Carlisle said he booted Artest for "compromising the integrity" of the team, but by continuing to play these insipid games with Artest, management is compromising its own integrity.

 

"You know, this is a family," Carlisle said, "and we're needing to remind ourselves that we need to be a family."

 

Compassion, patience, understanding, those are all noble things.

 

I'm sorry that Artest has troubles, and nobody wants to throw him under the bus, but we all have crosses to bear. At some point, you owe it to the rest of the family to do what's best for the larger group.

 

Here we are, just a week and a half into the season, the Pacers limping around with an injured roster, and Artest is talking nonsense about taking time off.

 

Now, I'd be happy to share the gist of Artest's pregame comments Wednesday, but I don't speak Artest-ian, nor did I have a translator at my disposal. Suffice to say this was a performance at the Theater of the Absurd.

 

Somewhere between the mumbles and forays into circular logic, I deduced that Artest wanted some time off, possibly to pursue his musical interest, expressed that desire to Carlisle in a hugely inappropriate way, and the coach benched him for two games.

 

Which seems bizarre, even by Artest's lofty standards.

 

But, then, at one point Wednesday, he was asked about his burgeoning music career. His answer suggested maybe that scenario wasn't so bizarre, after all.

 

"Yeah, I think I've been doing a little bit too much music and I needed some rest," he said. ". . . I've still got the album coming out Nov. 23. After that, I'm going to make sure all my energy is focused on winning a championship."

 

Huh?

 

How about if the Pacers bench him -- without pay, this time -- until after Nov. 23?

 

Artest had a lot of other odd things to say, but it's what he didn't say that was most bothersome.

 

He didn't say he was sorry.

 

Usually, we can count on a heavy dose of contrition, but not this time. He just insisted "there wasn't that much harm done," and "what happened wasn't too negative."

 

Really?

 

Carlisle and team president Admin Bird know this better than anybody else: Championships are built on a foundation of trust and a shared willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.

 

Where does Artest figure into that equation? He doesn't. And the longer the Pacers kid themselves into believing they can control him with tough love, the more likely it becomes that Artest will be at the root of their demise.

 

I not only believe the Pacers can win without Artest, I believe they can win a championship. Already, we've seen what Stephen Jackson brings. We've seen how Fred Jones has developed. We've seen how Austin Croshere and Scot Pollard have come back from the end of the bench.

 

Put it this way: If the Pacers want to keep Artest, they lose the right to complain about his eccentricities.

 

"Ron, should your teammates be concerned that they can't trust you?" I asked Artest.

 

He shook his head.

 

"No," he said. "I'm not worried. I'm just worried about winning games."

 

Could have fooled us.

 

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or e-mail bob.kravitz@indystar.com .

Can't compare Artest to Rodman..

 

Rodman knew what he was doing. He just wanted the attention and was a party animal. Artest is just a plain weirdo who doesn't realize what he is doing is ridiculous.. like Ramp said, dude has a screw loose.

 

And while Artest is a helluva player, he doesn't compare to Rodman defensively... Artest is a great defender but isn't near the level of the Worm.

Artest is a great defender but isn't near the level of the Worm.

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yet... if he wins 4 or 5 more D awards.... just sayin..

http://www.truwarierrecords.com/Truwarier.htm

 

You can download some of Artest's songs here.

http://www.truwarierrecords.com/Truwarier.htm

 

You can download some of Artest's songs here.

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Ill pass.

just saw his interview on sportscenter. its not a rap album, its an r&b album about "love and stuff" that he hopes will go platinum. he wants to be a platinum selling musician who owns his own label.

 

 

dude is f***ing dillusional and crazy. you can tell he's not all there by listening to him talk. i actually feel bad for him.

he's pretty dumb. Didnt know what intergrity meant( i so probably spelled that wrong)

just saw his interview on sportscenter. its not a rap album, its an r&b album about "love and stuff" that he hopes will go platinum. he wants to be a platinum selling musician who owns his own label.

 

 

dude is f***ing dillusional and crazy. you can tell he's not all there by listening to him talk. i actually feel bad for him.

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You can only buy the album online too....what a joker.