Ron Artest: Does That Make Me Crazy?
Probably.
The reason Ron Artest is in the news again today is because, rather predictably, he’s in trouble. Word broke yesterday that Ron Ron had been arrested and charged with domestic violence. Today more details are being reported, and some of it is pretty incredible stuff. Putting this together as best I can…
• At some point on Monday morning, Ron Artest got into an argument with a woman. The woman is believed to be his wife, but in domestic violence cases the police do not release the name of the person making the allegations.
• Artest ran out of his house and hopped into his Hummer. According to a neighbor, the car was in reverse attempting to leave.
• The door of the house opened and a woman ran out with a frying pan. A frying pan! She then used the frying pan to smash the windshield of Artest’s Hummer.
• Why the anger? Because, allegedly, Artest shoved this woman to the floor during an argument and snatched a telephone away from her when she tried to call 911.
• At 9:23 a.m. yesterday morning, someone managed to call 911 from the Artest house in California. The police arrived and found Artest waiting on the front lawn, describing Ron as “very calm, cooperative.” After talking to Ron, they arrested him on suspicion of violence.
• Ron was taken in and booked and later released on $50,000 bail.
That’s where we stand right now. Honestly, considering Ron has a rap sheet as long as my…well, it’s long, it’s not that much of a surprise. (The most surprising bit may be that you can shatter a Hummer windshield with a frying pan. Who knew?)
When the Kings traded for Ron Artest last year, they knew what they were getting themselves in for. And it’s been one long, bumpy ride, involving questionable injuries, complaining to the media, an underfed dog named Socks and now this.
Last year, as the Kings were getting set to trade for Artest, I went to a Kings game and wrote the following on The Links the next day…
Last night in the Kings locker room, one of their players asked me if I knew Ron Artest. I told him I did, sort of.
“Really?” he asked. “What’s he like?”
Well…where to start?
“Remember JR Rider, and how much trouble he was?” I said. “Ron Ron is a lot like that, but times ten.”
I went on to explain that there is a pretty significant difference, though. JR Rider caused his fair share of trouble, sure, but he had kind of a vindictive spirit about him. Ron Ron just seems to stumble into trouble, like a cartoon character getting into some dopey weekly hijinks.
And the people in Indianapolis realized this. They liked the person, they just didn’t like what he kept getting himself into. After all the crap he put that organization through over the last four seasons, look at how the Pacers’ front office responded to him leaving:
Larry Bird: “We’ve done everything we could here to try to get him to feel like he’s needed and wanted, and it just didn’t work out.”
Donnie Walsh: “We wish Ron the best at Sacramento. There’s no doubt in our mind he’ll have an immediate impact on their team. We’ll miss him very much.”
Seriously? Has there been a more disruptive player in the NBA in the last decade? And that’s how you send him off? Wow. But that’s the kind of response that Ron Ron creates. You want to help him, you think you can help.
So many of Ron’s issues just seem like common sense things, where he could avoid all this trouble if he would just pause and think about it before reacting. So you think, “Hey, we’ll think for him. We’ll hold his hand and keep him from going to far. We’ll tame him.” As Donnie Walsh said, “If anything, I’ve probably gone too far with Ronnie because I felt like he was going to learn how to do things. At that point, which I thought was true, that as long as he was here, anything he did would get blown up and affect his teammates and affect everybody.”
The problem is, I think he does think before he reacts. He just doesn’t choose the right decision. How will he fit in with the Kings? I have no idea.
As I was talking to this Kings player last night, I said, “At least you guys have a lot of veterans, so maybe you guys can kind of strongarm him to keep him in line. I looked around the room and saw guys like Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim…and Bonzi Wells. Whoops.
One year later, and the song remains the same: People love Ron’s spirit, they just don’t like they way he behaves, or, rather, misbehaves. Constantly.
The Kings have suspended Artest (with pay) indefinitely. As of this morning, they’re a game-and-a-half out of the final playoff spot in the West, but the longer they’re without Artest, the further their chances of playing in the postseason drift away.
People are already weighing in, saying this should be the end of the road for Artest, if not in the NBA then at least with the Sacramento Kings. Which, to me, would be disastrous for Ron Artest.
I don’t know Ron well enough to provide any kind of groundbreaking psychological insight, but I do think that the only real hope for Ron turning into a consistently productive member of society is that he needs to be surrounded (inundated, really) with support. And he needs to realize that he’s wrong. He’s wrong to hit other people, he’s wrong to constantly react the way he does. Like a child, he needs to have someone with him to always remind him to think before he acts.
At some point with Ron Artest, it’s going to become about something bigger than basketball. It hasn’t happened yet, though, because as long as he can back smaller forwards down in the post and defend positions one through four, Ron Artest will remain a puzzling bundle of promise and spirit.
And some team will always have a jersey for him.
54 Responses to “Ron Artest: Does That Make Me Crazy?”
Mar.6 at 1:14 pm
Tom Jackson says:
I am soo first.
Mar.6 at 1:19 pm
Tom Jackson says:
I like how the Kings stressed that he is “excused, not suspended, he is still being paid.” I wish I could get a job where if I did one of the stupidest possible things I could do to myself and to my employer’s image that they would essentially give me a paid vacation. I’d do stupid stuff all the time. Although I’d probably leave my baby’s mama and innocent dogs out of it.
Mar.6 at 1:20 pm
Tom Jackson says:
Hey Lang, do you think if you starved Starbury and held down wifey against her will you could finally get a chance to kick back in Barcelona for a grip?
Mar.6 at 1:23 pm
Tricky Ricky says:
He only been arrested three times, Lang. What does that say about your . . .
Mar.6 at 1:24 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Ocean’s 11 reference, Ricky. So I guess you’re really talking about Matt Damon’s…
Mar.6 at 1:26 pm
Ben Couch says:
This is a sad story. Being from the city, and rooting for St. John’s, I always rooted (and still root) for Ron, from the Elite Eight run to defending him after “Malice at the Palace.” I really hope the cat can figure out his before, like Lang said, he gets into sometimes disastrous, end-of-the-line ish. Such a good player …
Mar.6 at 1:26 pm
mutoni says:
ooh, yay, dick jokes.
Mar.6 at 1:43 pm
Skillet Forilla says:
this is end of the line-ish. Jesus, does someone or something have to die? Enough already.
Mar.6 at 1:47 pm
coach says:
artest basketball career is in jeopardy. his nba stint will be short like really brief in dog years . his dog .
Mar.6 at 2:01 pm
Cheryl says:
I wrote the following about Ron early last season, before the trade, and it still holds today: http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Cherrob/2005/12/20/Notes_on_Ron_Artest
I really feel for Ron the person. The kid needs help, y’all.
Mar.6 at 2:21 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Face it, ron artest is done.
Mar.6 at 2:21 pm
deestarbuckz says:
What will it take for him to get it? Not passing judgement, because anything can happen… but after a while a light has to go off to say, “Damn, I have all this talent and a team that wants me. I have to do right.”
Mar.6 at 2:34 pm
chiqo says:
so if ron artest is married, let’s presume the wife lives with him. she can’t feed the dogs?
Mar.6 at 2:41 pm
koshin says:
Damn when will he stop getting in trouble though this cat has got my respect pretty good player!
Mar.6 at 2:50 pm
Chris says:
He’s not done (assuming he doesn’t go to jail). C’mon he’s not the first athlete to beat his wife. (*coughJasonKiddcough) Sorry, i had something in my throat. Anyways, you’re telling me another team isn’t going to take a chance on someone that talented.
Mar.6 at 2:51 pm
William says:
Could the NBA teams JRRidered Ron Artest ?
You could always says that “there’s another team with a 93 or 99 or 87 or even 666 jersey for him” but JR Rider was out of the league after 9 years, still within his prime and still a threat on the court.
Could this be happening to Artest ?
Mar.6 at 2:55 pm
Ron says:
Ron Ron is the modern day JR Rider, or Dennis Rodman, without the cross-dressing. We as fans of the game need to either accept him and enjoy the circus, like Rodman, or make him a forgotten castoff a la JR Rider. No matter what, the court of public opinion holds his fate in it’s collective hands. For me I’d prefer the Rodman approach. I like his on court play, and although domestic violence is a serious issue, I don’t take his off court antics seriously. I can’t categorize him with Rider because most of Jr’s issues centered around drugs, alcohol, and illegal gambling. As a better parallel to his personality, Ron is to the NBA what T.O. is to the NFL. Get your cotton candy and your popcorn, and enjoy the circus.
Mar.6 at 3:40 pm
Rick Kang says:
I heard Ron Artest had a bunch of stolen cell phones in his back pocket, too…
Mar.6 at 3:49 pm
Ric Bucher says:
Honestly who throws a pot at winshiled. That pot has to worth so much now. Any Dibs on how much that will sell for on ebay?
Mar.6 at 4:25 pm
LordGefroh says:
nice ocean’s 11 reference. i used that in a column in my high school newspaper a couple of years ago.
Mar.6 at 4:42 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’d love to give Ron the benefit of the doubt. Assume his wife is a nutjob (she sort of has to be if she married him, right?) and that the whole mess wasn’t entirely his fault. But with his history, he’s sort of used up those chances. And that’s sad. At some point the negatives outweigh the positives. I don’t know if that’s happened yet. But if he’s convicted of something? Yikes. Let’s hope he kept that BestBuy application.
Mar.6 at 4:47 pm
J says:
He bought her a Nascar race car because she wanted one for Christmas.
Mar.6 at 5:10 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
All of this drama because it is Ron Artest. There have been numerous other incidents of domestic violence in the NBA and it was never treated with this hostility (don’t get me wrong - I firmly believe that domestic violence is totally unacceptable and should be dealt with whatever is necessary). Didn’t Jason Kidd beat his wife when he was in Phoenix? The Suns traded him, but never suspended him. There are probably other countless examples of NBA players and domestic violence. The real problem here is that domestic violence is being associated with someone who is ‘crazy’, and that person (Ron Ron) is being treated differently. If it were up to me any criminal activity would result in an immediate suspension (WITHOUT PAY) - not just for the ‘crazy ones’
Mar.6 at 5:36 pm
true says:
I dont’t know me being a woman and all if I was scared (enough to call 911) and somebody pushed me to the floor when he walked out the last thing I would have done was run after him and smash his Hummer windshield. Wonder how things would have turned out had he not already been in the Hummer and she cracked his damn head. Would they have arrested her? Here in the good ole state of VA the police come to a domestic violence call and both parties were actively attacking each other they both go to jail.
Mar.6 at 5:49 pm
jay says:
interesting stuff lang…you the man! great links as usual. always bringin the heat!
Mar.6 at 6:17 pm
Sparker says:
um… aren’t we jumpin’ the gun here? if ron was mad enough to hit his wife indoors, why was he so calm with her outdoors, esp since she busted up his car? why was he so devoid of emotion when the police showed up? i’m not saying it’s impossible he hit her, or even unlikely; but there is no corroborating evidence at all to back up his wife’s story (at least in lang’s recap)… other than that we all know what a wingnut artest is. isn’t it possible that his wife was just really mad about something else and decided to teach him a lesson? in terms of actual crimes, as of this moment, the only one who clearly did something wrong (vandalism with intent? assault with greasy weapon?) is her.
Mar.6 at 6:17 pm
albie1kenobi says:
that ocean’s 11 line put a smile on my face. i remember you using that line one or two times in the old days of The Links.
and there’s just too much shit going on nowadays that a domestic violence case barely raise my eyebrows. it feels like the same old news.
Mar.6 at 7:18 pm
jj says:
thing is… he ain’t done… someone will find a place for him… That doesn’t make this any less sad though
Mar.6 at 7:39 pm
Tom Jackson says:
Russ, it was Circuit City. Step ya electronics superstore game up, homie.
Mar.6 at 8:24 pm
Johnson says:
Sparker: The sherriff reported that the woman had visible injuries. Sounds like corroborating evidence to me.
Mar.6 at 8:44 pm
thesubwayconnection says:
Man, this is bad news for Ron, but I honestly feel like someone else will give him a chance. Hell, Isaiah’d probably pick him up. They’d probably get along, too.
Mar.6 at 8:57 pm
BigL says:
Ron, Ron. Always reminded me of a friend I used to have. Cool dude to hang out with; just an awful decision maker when shit hits the fan. I respected how Ron Ron played the game but never how he played himself. From Tru Warrior, Circuit City, teammates, and the brawl; I really don’t want to see Ron end up like Mo Clarett but it may end up that way. I wonder if K1X is still going to endorse him…
Mar.6 at 9:02 pm
Julian says:
forget about ron ron, how crazy is his wife? i mean really; who would bash in Ron Artest’s windshield, let alone with a very angry, provoked Artest in it??
Mar.6 at 9:30 pm
nick says:
If my wife didn’t feed the dog (like she was supposed to their would be some abuse (verbal of course) but come on it’s Ron Artest
Mar.6 at 9:41 pm
g says:
i think ron ron needs to go to the lakers. dr. phil would straighten him out. it worked on the worm.
Mar.6 at 9:41 pm
cigarro says:
this points to a lot of whats wrong wrong with pro sports today and it’s frankly an indictment of our society in general. someone will put up with this guys lack of character because of his talent on the court. i would rather have a 2nd place team of real men of character…honorable,respectful and charitable regardless of their background, than a first place team of thugs.
Mar.6 at 10:25 pm
ktokyo says:
Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Jackson, Zack Randolph, Bonzi Wells, Rasheed Wallace are all still in the league. They all have incidents like this under their belts. Is this any different? I know it’s the NFL but Ray Lewis was suspected of MURDER and he’s now accepted by the fans. If he plays good, people tend to have short memories.
Mar.6 at 10:26 pm
ktokyo says:
I forgot Allen Iverson…
Mar.6 at 10:27 pm
ktokyo says:
And I should clarify before I get blasted that Rasheed had nothing to do with violence - just drugs.
Mar.6 at 10:53 pm
catrina says:
I think Ron should just be left alone and not judged on every thing he does just because he is famous. I respect him for who he is on the court, because I believe that is the only place we have a right to judge him. we all have skeletons in our closet.
Mar.6 at 11:24 pm
JOE says:
LETS JUST WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE STORY COMES OUT BEFORE JUDGING
Mar.7 at 12:08 am
Julian says:
i judge that his wife is a wild woman.
Mar.7 at 12:49 am
Adam says:
The doberman named “Socks” pretty much epitomizes Artest. It just doesn’t make sense. I also have been a big fan since the Elite Eight run with St. John’s. When he’s on, he’s electric. But his synapses just don’t seem to fire right. And its a good point - Jason Kidd was accused of the exact same thing - and there is ZERO Jason Kidd backlash.
Mar.7 at 2:08 am
Lang Whitaker says:
Adam, your first sentence said it all.
Mar.7 at 2:32 am
Paolo says:
I hope Ron Artest realizes how blessed he is. he is one of the most talented and complete basketball players of the past decade. he is this generation’s Scottie Pippen. I hope there is still time for him to look at things at a perspective. There are people, like me, who goes through everyday, sweating with blood from hardwork just to earn a small portion for my family. I sleep 2-3 hours daily. And because of partying. But because I have to grind it out. he earns millions to play a child’s game. he should appreciate that. What he did wasn’t connected at all to basketball, but it is twined with who he is. And he should answer to life. I hope he doesn’t waste it.
Mar.7 at 4:13 am
Froggiestyle says:
“Hey there’s a reason to kick an old man down a flight of stairs…” JUST DON’T DO IT, Ron. Maybe he should run with Nike with the anti-slogan - just don’t do it. Or Chris Rock should just school him for a week or two - comedy intervention style.
Mar.7 at 4:57 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
As more details are leaking out (it now appears Ron did repeatedly grab, slap and push her, causing physical injury; and there’ve been FIVE other 911 calls from his house since August), I’d like to repeat what I said earlier: the Ron Artest Rehabilitation Project is now officially on its last legs. I’m pretty sure the Kings won’t have him around for much longer, and no team will believe it anymore that he will eventually clean up his act, ’cause he won’t - he seems unable to escape his natural tendencies. Unless, of course, he got some help for the mental health issues he so clearly has. The problem is, I remember him saying in the past that he’s been diagnosed with something but doesn’t really wanna take pills or anything. A court order might help though…
Mar.7 at 1:24 pm
Tricky Ricky says:
I have know idea what your’e talking about, Lang. I was referring about your ellipsis.
Mar.7 at 4:14 pm
DEVILb0y says:
Ron-ron is gone-gone..Only phil jackson can salvage his career, cause phil has a reputation of bringing out the best with headcases(e.g rodman, pippen, JR rider dont forget he was a member of the threepeat lakers, bison dele,horry, odom etc.etc)
Mar.7 at 6:35 pm
Julian says:
lol at tricky ricky. anyway i think the kings should release him so he can go back to my bulls. then we can have an inside presence. word.
Mar.8 at 2:02 am
JpT says:
get him to miami. he’ll behave.
Dec.15 at 3:51 pm
Sit says:
I was at the Sixers Sacramento Game yesterday, and saw Ron Artest in Action for the first time. He was fascinating. Obviously a great player, but his behavior was amazing. I sat near the Kings bench, and watched him get up and down. The coaches have no control over him. They took him out of the game, and within 10 seconds he put himself back in the game. The coach took him out again, told him to sit down. Once of the coaches on the bench grabbed his hand (timidly) to pull him into his seat. He didn’t and he was right back in the game. It was an amazing thing to watch.
Apr.1 at 7:25 pm
lovepreet says:
bitches ron artest has changed hes helping his kids and the team
Apr.1 at 7:27 pm
lovepreet says:
so shut up the hell up mutoni