Dallas-Mavs.com Forums - View Single Post - Artest is one of the two best players in the NBA... according to himself.

kriD · 04-04-2006, 06:04 AM

Missing person

By DWAIN PRICE
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

DALLAS -- If anyone knows Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest, it's Fran Fraschilla.

Fraschilla recruited Artest out of La Salle Academy in New York and was his college coach during Artest's freshman year at St. John's University. In a nutshell, Fraschilla has seen more of Artest's temper tantrums than he cares to remember.

However, there's one quality about Artest that Fraschilla will always defend.

"Anybody who says he's a bad guy off the court is totally mischaracterizing him," Fraschilla said. "He's really a good guy.

"He gets in trouble because of his temper. The weird part about it is he would not be the same player without this competitive streak."

Artest's game -- and his competitive streak -- will be on display at American Airlines Center at 7:30 tonight when the Kings (38-36) face the Mavericks (55-19).

Artest has revitalized the Kings since they acquired him from the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 25 for Peja Stojakovic. The Kings were 18-24 and going nowhere before Artest's arrival and are 20-12 since and in the Western Conference's eighth playoff spot.

Fraschilla never doubted Artest would be an NBA standout, but he did wonder whether Artest, now in his seventh season, could get a handle on his emotions.

"The problem with Ronnie is he plays on the edge, which means he sometimes goes over the edge," said Fraschilla, an ESPN college basketball analyst who lives in the Dallas area. "But when he channels that energy, he's probably one of the five, six or seven best players in the league.

"Ronnie's a freak of nature athletically and strength-wise. To be that big (6-7, 260) and that strong, the only guy that comes to mind is John Mackey, who was a tight end with the Baltimore Colts when I was growing up."

Fraschilla says away from basketball, Artest is different.

"He's the type of guy that when he was in Indianapolis, I know for a fact that he would get out of the car after a ballgame, in 20-degree weather, and hand a homeless guy a $100 bill and get back in the car and drive away."

Artest created a national stir when he was in the center of a Nov. 19, 2004, brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons that spilled into the stands. After a fan tossed a cup filled with liquid at him, Artest charged into the stands, leading to an altercation with fans.

The NBA subsequently suspended Artest without pay for the remaining 73 games of the 2004-05 season and the playoffs. Then, 16 games after returning to the Pacers this season, Pacers president Larry Bird said he felt betrayed when Artest demanded to be traded.

So far, though, it seems the Kings have been the big winners of the Ron Artest Sweepstakes.

"If he can keep it on the court, you're essentially getting a guy that's definitely one of the best defenders in the league," said Kings center Brad Miller, who also played with Artest in Chicago and Indiana.

During his 32-game stint with the Kings, Artest is averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 40.4 minutes.

"I'm doing the same thing that I did [with the Pacers] over here, but it's just a little bit better for me," Artest said. "I was blessed to get a good situation, because it could've easily gone against me.

"I could've been somewhere where I wasn't happy. This is the first time in a long time that I've been complimented for leadership skills."

Elton Brand and Artest played youth AAU basketball together for four years for Riverside Church in New York. They also were Chicago Bulls teammates from 1999 until Artest was traded to the Pacers on Feb. 19, 2002.

"His personality hasn't changed that much at all," said Brand, who now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. "I think the things he does or has done are misconstrued. It's all about him wanting to win."

Brand was almost Artest's teammate again. A deal for the Clippers to acquire Artest from the Pacers for Corey Maggette was squashed when Maggette failed a physical.

"We needed that cat," Clippers point guard Sam Cassell said. "He's a beast."

Three games after Artest's arrival in Sacramento, the Kings defeated the Denver Nuggets 98-91. Before the game, Artest told Nuggets coach George Karl that the Kings would regroup and qualify for the playoffs, even though they were 18-26 at the time.

"I thought they were a little too far out [of the playoffs], so I must say I'm a little surprised," Karl said Sunday while the Nuggets were in Dallas to face the Mavericks.

It's that kind of impact that had numerous teams, including the Mavs, inquiring about Artest before he was traded to the Kings.

"I think everybody knows we were very interested in Ron and we, as an organization, have a tremendous respect for him," Karl said. "He has defensive toughness and focus. It seems like [the Kings now play] with more purpose at the defensive end of the court, and they have a stopper.

"Offensively, he's a little bit behind. But defensively he's still the man, and he's still one of the top five defenders in basketball."

And it's because of that ability that Artest will likely draw the assignment tonight of guarding Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 30 points in Sunday's 103-79 win over the Nuggets.

"He's going to be in Dirk's face 24-7," Mavs forward Josh Howard said. "So we've just got to be out there ready to help him."

IN THE KNOW

Artest at a glance

Some highlights and lowlights of Ron Artest's career:

the Good stuff

Averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in two seasons at St. John's.

At age 19, chosen in the first round (No. 16 overall) of 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Selected to the All-Rookie second team after averaging 12 ppg and 4.3 rpg in the 1999-2000 season.

League leader with 3.29 steals per game for every 48 minutes played in the 2002-03 season.

Runner-up for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2002-03.

NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the 2003-04 season.

Named an NBA Eastern Conference All-Star in 2004.

are you kidding?

Before his rookie season he applied for a job at Circuit City to get an employee discount.

Once attended a Bulls practice wearing a bathrobe over his practice uniform.

Broke two of Michael Jordan's ribs in a pickup game in June 2001.

Traded by the Bulls to the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 19, 2002.

Suspended three games by the NBA and fined $35,000 in 2003 for destroying video equipment at Madison Square Garden.

Suspended by the NBA for four games in 2003 for a confrontation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley.

Suspended for two games early in the 2004-05 season by the Pacers. He had reportedly asked coach Rick Carlisle if he could take a month off because he was tired from promoting an album on his production label.

Key figure in a Nov. 19, 2004, brawl that spilled into the stands at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Suspended by the NBA on Nov. 21, 2004, for the remainder of the season (73 games and the playoffs) for his part in the brawl. Lost $4,995,000 in salary.

Last December, after playing 16 games, he was fined $10,000 and placed on the Pacers' inactive list after requesting to be traded.

Traded by the Pacers to the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 25.

04-04-2006, 06:04 AM	#47
kriD Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2,039	Missing person By DWAIN PRICE STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER DALLAS -- If anyone knows Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest, it's Fran Fraschilla. Fraschilla recruited Artest out of La Salle Academy in New York and was his college coach during Artest's freshman year at St. John's University. In a nutshell, Fraschilla has seen more of Artest's temper tantrums than he cares to remember. However, there's one quality about Artest that Fraschilla will always defend. "Anybody who says he's a bad guy off the court is totally mischaracterizing him," Fraschilla said. "He's really a good guy. "He gets in trouble because of his temper. The weird part about it is he would not be the same player without this competitive streak." Artest's game -- and his competitive streak -- will be on display at American Airlines Center at 7:30 tonight when the Kings (38-36) face the Mavericks (55-19). Artest has revitalized the Kings since they acquired him from the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 25 for Peja Stojakovic. The Kings were 18-24 and going nowhere before Artest's arrival and are 20-12 since and in the Western Conference's eighth playoff spot. Fraschilla never doubted Artest would be an NBA standout, but he did wonder whether Artest, now in his seventh season, could get a handle on his emotions. "The problem with Ronnie is he plays on the edge, which means he sometimes goes over the edge," said Fraschilla, an ESPN college basketball analyst who lives in the Dallas area. "But when he channels that energy, he's probably one of the five, six or seven best players in the league. "Ronnie's a freak of nature athletically and strength-wise. To be that big (6-7, 260) and that strong, the only guy that comes to mind is John Mackey, who was a tight end with the Baltimore Colts when I was growing up." Fraschilla says away from basketball, Artest is different. "He's the type of guy that when he was in Indianapolis, I know for a fact that he would get out of the car after a ballgame, in 20-degree weather, and hand a homeless guy a $100 bill and get back in the car and drive away." Artest created a national stir when he was in the center of a Nov. 19, 2004, brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons that spilled into the stands. After a fan tossed a cup filled with liquid at him, Artest charged into the stands, leading to an altercation with fans. The NBA subsequently suspended Artest without pay for the remaining 73 games of the 2004-05 season and the playoffs. Then, 16 games after returning to the Pacers this season, Pacers president Larry Bird said he felt betrayed when Artest demanded to be traded. So far, though, it seems the Kings have been the big winners of the Ron Artest Sweepstakes. "If he can keep it on the court, you're essentially getting a guy that's definitely one of the best defenders in the league," said Kings center Brad Miller, who also played with Artest in Chicago and Indiana. During his 32-game stint with the Kings, Artest is averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 40.4 minutes. "I'm doing the same thing that I did [with the Pacers] over here, but it's just a little bit better for me," Artest said. "I was blessed to get a good situation, because it could've easily gone against me. "I could've been somewhere where I wasn't happy. This is the first time in a long time that I've been complimented for leadership skills." Elton Brand and Artest played youth AAU basketball together for four years for Riverside Church in New York. They also were Chicago Bulls teammates from 1999 until Artest was traded to the Pacers on Feb. 19, 2002. "His personality hasn't changed that much at all," said Brand, who now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. "I think the things he does or has done are misconstrued. It's all about him wanting to win." Brand was almost Artest's teammate again. A deal for the Clippers to acquire Artest from the Pacers for Corey Maggette was squashed when Maggette failed a physical. "We needed that cat," Clippers point guard Sam Cassell said. "He's a beast." Three games after Artest's arrival in Sacramento, the Kings defeated the Denver Nuggets 98-91. Before the game, Artest told Nuggets coach George Karl that the Kings would regroup and qualify for the playoffs, even though they were 18-26 at the time. "I thought they were a little too far out [of the playoffs], so I must say I'm a little surprised," Karl said Sunday while the Nuggets were in Dallas to face the Mavericks. It's that kind of impact that had numerous teams, including the Mavs, inquiring about Artest before he was traded to the Kings. "I think everybody knows we were very interested in Ron and we, as an organization, have a tremendous respect for him," Karl said. "He has defensive toughness and focus. It seems like [the Kings now play] with more purpose at the defensive end of the court, and they have a stopper. "Offensively, he's a little bit behind. But defensively he's still the man, and he's still one of the top five defenders in basketball." And it's because of that ability that Artest will likely draw the assignment tonight of guarding Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 30 points in Sunday's 103-79 win over the Nuggets. "He's going to be in Dirk's face 24-7," Mavs forward Josh Howard said. "So we've just got to be out there ready to help him." IN THE KNOW Artest at a glance Some highlights and lowlights of Ron Artest's career: the Good stuff Averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in two seasons at St. John's. At age 19, chosen in the first round (No. 16 overall) of 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Selected to the All-Rookie second team after averaging 12 ppg and 4.3 rpg in the 1999-2000 season. League leader with 3.29 steals per game for every 48 minutes played in the 2002-03 season. Runner-up for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2002-03. NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the 2003-04 season. Named an NBA Eastern Conference All-Star in 2004. are you kidding? Before his rookie season he applied for a job at Circuit City to get an employee discount. Once attended a Bulls practice wearing a bathrobe over his practice uniform. Broke two of Michael Jordan's ribs in a pickup game in June 2001. Traded by the Bulls to the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 19, 2002. Suspended three games by the NBA and fined $35,000 in 2003 for destroying video equipment at Madison Square Garden. Suspended by the NBA for four games in 2003 for a confrontation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley. Suspended for two games early in the 2004-05 season by the Pacers. He had reportedly asked coach Rick Carlisle if he could take a month off because he was tired from promoting an album on his production label. Key figure in a Nov. 19, 2004, brawl that spilled into the stands at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Suspended by the NBA on Nov. 21, 2004, for the remainder of the season (73 games and the playoffs) for his part in the brawl. Lost $4,995,000 in salary. Last December, after playing 16 games, he was fined $10,000 and placed on the Pacers' inactive list after requesting to be traded. Traded by the Pacers to the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 25.