Oh good then it was know ones fault.

Who's Artest?

After all that, all Artest can manage is the classic non-apology apology? He's an even bigger douche than I thought. If anyone in the NBA deserves a career-ending injury, it's Artest. Can Stern extend his suspension for the entire playoffs (not that the Lakers will make it past the second round anyway, with or without Artest)?

bottsicus: Who's Artest?

The other guy who lives in World Peace's head.

Yeah, damn his bad timing. It's completely Harden's fault he was standing with his head at the same level as your elbow while you were charging your Heavy Melee.

Congratulations, Metta World Peace, for having the most ironic surname ever.

I don't blame Artest. He's just an idiot.

velvet_fog: After all that, all Artest can manage is the classic non-apology apology? He's an even bigger douche than I thought. If anyone in the NBA deserves a career-ending injury, it's Artest. Can Stern extend his suspension for the entire playoffs (not that the Lakers will make it past the second round anyway, with or without Artest)?

I'm not sure if "douche" is the word I'd use. I'm pretty convinced he's just completely crazy. I do agree that he should've been drummed out of the league a long time ago, though...

I sincerely hope his brain is donated to science after his death. His startling lack of self-awareness needs to be explored.

exploding pork: Congratulations, Metta World Peace, for having the most ironic surname ever.

It's so Metta.

IAmRight: If they rarely even suspended Bruce Bowen for intentionally trying to injure guys and almost never bother with Garnett and his trying to injure guys/punching guys in the groin on jump shots, they really have no cause for kicking MWP/Artest out.

At least Bowen never went for the head...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edb6bz_C9ms

Oh.

IAmRight: bottsicus: I do agree that he should've been drummed out of the league a long time ago, though...

If they rarely even suspended Bruce Bowen for intentionally trying to injure guys and almost never bother with Garnett and his trying to injure guys/punching guys in the groin on jump shots, they really have no cause for kicking MWP/Artest out.

/I do kinda wonder what was going on with him in 2003 - over half of his suspensions come from a two-month span in 2003.

Or John Stockton for tripping a generations worth of guards, it is almost like intentionally elbowing someone to the head is more noticeable or something. And it wasn't just over those two month spans, he had been raking up flagrant and techs all season. Part of that was Isiah telling him that it was ok to be violent on the court, and well Ron can be a scary guy. That seasons worth of problems just came to a head when he went nuts and destroyed those cameras for trying to steal his soul. The next season before the malice he was on pace to be suspended again for flagrant fouls. Ron Artest does as Ron Artest does. He got help for his mental issues after the Malice, but that doesn't mean the dude is 100% sane he needs to have a harsher penalty then other guys because with out that short leash when his emotions get hot he just stops thinking and loses control of his internal struggle not to rage and kill the closest living creature..

IAmRight: bottsicus: I do agree that he should've been drummed out of the league a long time ago, though...

If they rarely even suspended Bruce Bowen for intentionally trying to injure guys and almost never bother with Garnett and his trying to injure guys/punching guys in the groin on jump shots, they really have no cause for kicking MWP/Artest out.

/I do kinda wonder what was going on with him in 2003 - over half of his suspensions come from a two-month span in 2003.

I think you are missing the point that during his interviews, he is still talking about himself most of the interview (i.e about how he has gotten better and how guys who could guard him in past can't guard him now and how no one on the court had any chance of preventing him from the dunk). A normal person would be smart enough to just apologize that what happened was unfortunate and that he will accept the penalty and move on.

justtray: I like the wishful thinking from Laker haters though. You can tell they don't even believe their doom and gloom. Best active center in the league and Pau Gasol on the court at the same time is trouble for ANY team in the league.

There's always the possibility in any given Lakers game that Kobe will jack up 35 bad shots, the big guys won't get their touches, and everyone will start to mope.

Also, as far as "big 3's" go, they're even worse 4-9 than Miami especially with Artest out.

badsah11: A normal person would be smart enough to just apologize that what happened was unfortunate and that he will accept the penalty and move on.

Just because he didn't say those exact things in that excerpt, he has done that. Although the "move on" part is probably going to be the hardest part since he is going to be constantly asked about it, particularly if the Lakers and Thunder see each other in the playoffs

you have pee hands: justtray: I like the wishful thinking from Laker haters though. You can tell they don't even believe their doom and gloom. Best active center in the league and Pau Gasol on the court at the same time is trouble for ANY team in the league.

There's always the possibility in any given Lakers game that Kobe will jack up 35 bad shots, the big guys won't get their touches, and everyone will start to mope.

Also, as far as "big 3's" go, they're even worse 4-9 than Miami especially with Artest out.

If the Lakers make it out of the second round I will be extremly surprised. I honestly feel it is 60/40 that they won't make it out of the first round, well except that I am pretty sure Mr. Mcgee will do something awesomely stupid to help Denver lose. You have to love that guy.

Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Ron Artest

I bet that drives him crazy.

/ Ron Artest

IAmRight: Was that on the video? Because he didn't say it anywhere in the article.

Also, it's weird how people keep acting as though he was confrontational or as though his not checking on him means that it was intentional. Seems far more likely that he honestly didn't know he got him that good and his eyes look pretty confused when he sees Ibaka coming for him.

To most of us it doesn't.

Is there anyone in sports in more need of medication than this guy?

is he drinking again?



*go bulls

IAmRight: Was that on the video? Because he didn't say it anywhere in the article.

If you're going to complain about falsehoods, you might want to start with your username.

Quotes from the interview:

"It was, ooh, it was a brutal elbow. When I seen it, arrgh, immediately

"I didn't lose it. It was bad timing for me. Physically it was bad time for Mr. Harden."

"The way I'm feeling right now, back to that elite level ... A lot of guys that were able to guard me early they cant guard me. My game's feeling great. Just the worst timing for me right now. But I'm happy James is OK."

jst3p: To most of us it doesn't.

If that's true then that just makes the majority wrong.

My favorite player in the NBA.

IAmRight: Well, I'm not viewing it through biased eyes. I have no love for the Lakers or Artest, but looking at it, he seems not to have any clue about what has happened, and he's wondering why the Thunder are coming at him. He's an assclown and the elbowing was stupid, but to act as though he knew he knocked Harden down/out doesn't jibe with anything in any video.

Yea, man, the guy just blacked out in a fit of bloody rage. That makes it *okay*.

That guy's like a volcano that can go off at a moment's notice.

To be fair, if you're guarding a player, and he scores on a fast break, don't then watch where he is going, and walk directly into him with your chest unless you want him to assume you are being aggressive.


I'd have done the same farking thing as Artest on this one. Step to me, you'll get knocked the fark out.

ChaffedTitty: To be fair, if you're guarding a player, and he scores on a fast break, don't then watch where he is going, and walk directly into him with your chest unless you want him to assume you are being aggressive.


I'd have done the same farking thing as Artest on this one. Step to me, you'll get knocked the fark out.


Wow, you must be a real bad ass.

IAmRight: Rozotorical: The next season before the malice he was on pace to be suspended again for flagrant fouls.

But didn't. The thing is, 90 percent of his image comes from 2003 and 2004. Since then, he's been suspended four times in eight years - once that surprised even the person that got fouled, as he didn't think it was that big a deal. Once for an off-the-court incident. Once for the Barea incident (I'm willing to concede that it might have been a suspension if it were someone else, though I think a huge part is that the ejection was with 24 seconds to go in the game - if it occurred earlier in the game, then the ejection would have been considered sufficient punishment, along with a fine). And this. Hardly the worst rap in the world since getting some mental health treatment.


Ok but my point was, that if he wasn't suspended for a season after the malice, the flagrant suspensions were around the corner so it wasn't just a 2 month period of time. In reality he wasn't instantly better after the Malice, he was starting to improve, where you can notice the real difference is when he was forced to get mental help after the domestic violence charges in '07. When you have a history of violent and impulsive behavior that has hurt the people around you, when you act violent and impulsive you should be treated differently. As far as his rapping you mentioned at the end, sure it is not as good as Shaq's but it is alright, if extremely over produced. Link

Well, that's mighty large of you, Mr. Peace.
What a swell guy.

IAmRight: Slow To Return: Yea, man, the guy just blacked out in a fit of bloody rage. That makes it *okay*.

Why is it so hard for people to understand that there is a vast gulf of reality in between "what he did was okay" and "he clearly intended to elbow him in the head, was happy he knocked him down, and wanted to start a fight with the whole team"?

No one has said that anything makes it okay. He should have been suspended. Seven games is stupid, though, which is par for the course for Stern's suspension "system."

I should point out that I am not bashing Ron Artest to bash him. I have an extreme amount of respect for the amount of work he has put into getting healthy, I also find him to be amusing pleasant person. But he should be treated differently then other players. He has had a history of violent and behavior at every step and stop he has made in his career playing basketball, he has to have these limits to keep him focused on what is acceptable behavior.
Ron was extremely lucky Harden wasn't hurt more. If he keeps up these kinds of actions he is going to seriously hurt someone he doesn't want to. Like it or not that would be horrible for Ron as a person, but much worse for a league as a business.
Dude has been given another chance because of how hard he has worked at his personal life, that doesn't mean his bosses should forget what he has done on and off the court.
This just isn't a Rasheed Wallace situation where you have a bad rep for biatching at every call and you get ejected for looking at a Ref.

Rozotorical: ... of that was Isiah telling him that it was ok to be violent on the court...

Well, shiat. No wonder I couldn't find the incident where Doc Rivers said "You better not take it to the hole."

It was Coach Isiah Thomas that said that to an opposing player.

Dammit.

IAmRight: digistil: If you're going to complain about falsehoods, you might want to start with your username.

Go ahead and quote the paragraph in the article that says "I don't blame James (or Harden). He just has bad timing." In fact, find where it says "I don't blame."

I'll wait. Like I said, maybe it says it in the video or the audio clip, but it sure as hell ain't in the article. Unless Chrome's Ctrl+F is bullsh*tting me.

Where did I state the contrary?

digistil: IAmRight: digistil: If you're going to complain about falsehoods, you might want to start with your username.

Go ahead and quote the paragraph in the article that says "I don't blame James (or Harden). He just has bad timing." In fact, find where it says "I don't blame."

I'll wait. Like I said, maybe it says it in the video or the audio clip, but it sure as hell ain't in the article. Unless Chrome's Ctrl+F is bullsh*tting me.

Where did I state the contrary?

C'mon, you know better than that. IAmRight constantly argues things that you didn't actually say. He may well be the world's biggest asshole, though I may not be far behind for allowing myself to be sucked in to arguing with him.

IAmRight: 2012 flagrants: 1
2011 flagrants: 1
2010 flagrants: 0
2009 flagrants: 0
2008 flagrants: 0 (1 ejection...weird)
2007 flagrants: 0
2006 flagrants: 1
2005 flagrants: 1 (of course, this resulted in the Malice and he was only around for 7 games)
2004 flagrants: 1 (suspended a game for it)
2003 flagrants: 9
2002 flagrants: 3
2001 flagrants: 1
2000 flagrants: 0

So in the years where the Lakers were winning (or playing in) championships, he managed to control his temper? Interesting.

Slow To Return: So in the years where the Lakers were winning (or playing in) championships, he managed to control his temper? Interesting.

He hasn't been a Laker for all that long. He's... not the kind of guy teams tend to keep around.

Slow To Return: So in the years where the Lakers were winning (or playing in) championships, he managed to control his temper? Interesting.

Yeah, don't post in basketball threads anymore.

you have pee hands: He hasn't been a Laker for all that long. He's... not the kind of guy teams tend to keep around.

Whoops, he came on board in 2009, but that's "2010" on his list, isn't it? The stupid cross-year thing gets me every time.

I get the suspension and everything, but whyTF would you crowd Ron Artest when he is in the middle of a celebratory fit?

hate all you want but MWP is indeed insane

and a damn good bball player