Artest to Pacers: Trade me - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Dtownsfinest · 12-13-2005, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelli

Nick and Rasheed have much more pleasant personalities than Artest IMO. I think he could easily destroy the chemistry of the team. We are are doing well right now, and we will become even better as the season progresses. No major tinkering with the team now, please!!!

Do you know Artest personally or is this just pure assumption on your part?

Dtownsfinest · 12-13-2005, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Artest would never take a backseat to dirk and honestly after seriously watching him the this year and the little he played last year, he hasnt been anything near what he is cracked up to be defensively. He had a qoute that whoever is guarding him its a mismatch. What???? If Dirk says that fine. If Garnett says that fine. If shaq says that or kobe or tmac or lebron or.... you get my point. Also Bucher said today that by and large he is considered a top 10 player in the nba. Did I miss something??? When he said that I just started naming people that I think are better in my head and I came up with(in no order just numbered to know how many i have.)
1. Duncan
2. Dirk
3. Kg
4. Jo
5. Shaq
6. Kobe
7. Tmac
8. Lebron
9. Wade( though i think he is overrated)
10. AI
11. Pierce
12. Brand
13. Arenas
14. Nash
15. Marion (as good a defender if not better for the time being, better rebounder, not a nut)

That is 15 guys off the top of my head. I mean do the guys on espn even think about stuff before they say it? I can come up with 10 more who are equivalents of artest. If you get him for KVHs contract some how, (though they dont match) then do it. Otherwise nope. Just let him go.

Only guys on that list that bring the same thing Artest does are Duncan, Garnett, Marion, JO and Kobe. Artest plays both sides of the ball very well. And no way in hell is Marion a better defender than Artest. He can defend Dirk pretty well but as far as other 2's and 3's in this league go? He has nothing on Artest.

Five-ofan · 12-13-2005, 05:03 PM

The other guys may not do exactly what he does but they are still better.

twelli · 12-13-2005, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Do you know Artest personally or is this just pure assumption on your part?

pure assumption

EricaLubarsky · 12-13-2005, 08:58 PM

whoops

Dtownsfinest · 12-14-2005, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelli

pure assumption

The reason I ask is because I never hear bad things about Artest from the Pacers. It seems the only thing they have a problem with are his on court tactics. AJ CAN handle Artest. I know he can. If one man can disrupt a team's chemistry then the chemistry wasn't there to begin with.

u2sarajevo · 12-14-2005, 11:02 AM

Bad things from the Pacers about Artest?

What about wanting to take a break to promote his CD?

And on your point about Chemistry..... in Dallas with the 3 J's it only took one Woman.

Five-ofan · 12-14-2005, 11:05 AM

I just dont think he is that overwhelming of a talent. There are at least 10 more guys to go with the above list that arent worse than artest. He is top 25 or so. Better than anyone but dirk but not good enough to screw up the team. If you can get him for some combo of stack and kvhs contract or either one then hey go for it. If not oh well.

Dtownsfinest · 12-14-2005, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Bad things from the Pacers about Artest?

What about wanting to take a break to promote his CD?

And on your point about Chemistry..... in Dallas with the 3 J's it only took one Woman.

Okay i'll admit I forgot about that little stint. But I was referring to things being caught with drugs or getting in bar fights etc. But your're right. Things like wanting time off to promote rap cd's are the things to worry about with Artest. But this season I haven't heard any bad things from. Maybe he's gotten his head on straight? A season out the league should do that to you. And the 3 J's didn't have any chemistry. That's why they let Toni get to them.

kriD · 12-15-2005, 09:06 AM

Bitter situation

O'Neal says Artest let teammates down

By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com

BOSTON -- Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest don't hate each other.

The Pacers' All-Star forwards have had their problems, but both say this season is the closest they've ever been.

That's what made Artest's recent trade request so painful, O'Neal said Wednesday.

He thinks Artest turned his back on the same teammates who were suspended, had their images tarnished and lost millions of dollars for coming to his defense during last season's brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.).

"I've been through a lot with him," O'Neal said. "I was one of the guys that went to bat for him. For him to talk about another team and other players while he's still on this team, it was disrespectful not only to me, but to the rest of the guys. I don't wish any bad things on Ron. I wish Ron still goes out and accomplishes his goals. It's just a painful thing when you went through what we went through. The money I lost while I was out was extremely high. Now it's like, what was it for?"

O'Neal was suspended for 15 games and lost $2.7 million for his part in the brawl. Stephen Jackson missed 30 games and lost $1.9 million. O'Neal also was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery. Jackson, Artest and two other Pacers were charged with one count. All five Pacers received probation, community service and a fine.

O'Neal criticized Artest's timing and the manner in which he asked out.

"We felt betrayed, a little disrespected," O'Neal said. "It caught me off-guard because our relationship was at an all-time high. I just wish it was handled differently because as a player, you're always for the players. It's a team sport."

As for their basketball relationship, O'Neal said: "The business relationship is over. That's fact."

O'Neal also said Artest had not contacted any of the Pacers since his trade demand became public.

Artest, who is on the inactive list for at least two more games, said in a phone interview Wednesday he understands O'Neal's frustration. He again said his decision was based on his dislike of playing for coach Rick Carlisle, not on his relationship with O'Neal.

"Jermaine has the right to be mad at me," Artest said. "I don't have a right to be mad at him. What I'm doing is a little selfish, but I still think this will help the team by me leaving. This has nothing to do with Jermaine. Me and Jermaine are cool. I've always said from the beginning that it's Jermaine's team. He's the most qualified for the job to lead this team."

O'Neal backed Artest's comments by saying, "In the off time, when we're in the streets, when I see him and he's with another team, we can talk."

Artest had more to say, however, about his relationship with Carlisle. Artest told The Star on Saturday that his role in Carlisle's offense led to his trade request.

Wednesday, Artest questioned whether Carlisle wanted him on the team.

"I believe coach didn't want me there," Artest said. "I think he did things to make me tick. Why keep fighting coach, when I have enough problems, when I can go elsewhere and play?"

Said Carlisle: "Ron Artest is a great player. He was leading the team in minutes played and was on track to have his best statistical year as a pro. Why would I not want to have a guy like that on my team?"

While Artest leads the team in minutes played and is second in scoring average, he felt stifled in Carlisle's structured system.

"Coach's offense is a distraction," Artest said. "I'm one of the best players in the league, and he won't call a play for me for most of the quarter. That's why I feel like I messed up the offense because I can take my man any time I want. He would call plays for me at the wrong time. He's always constantly switching things up and it's confusing."

MavKikiNYC · 12-17-2005, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

It's a shame that teams like the Pacers can't sue a player like Artest for damaging his trade value by making statements like this.

So the league IS fining him. Good. But it should be something like $250,000 or $500,000. Enough to at least begin to deter a punk like Artest from tying to force a team's hand so that he can negotiate a better contract later on. It's like a sabotage...a breach of contract. As if another team were tampering with him.

December 17, 2005
Union Challenges N.B.A. Over Its Fining of Artest

By LIZ ROBBINS
The National Basketball Players Association is preparing to file a grievance to protest the $10,000 fine that Ron Artest received Thursday from the N.B.A. over his public request for a trade from the Indiana Pacers.
Artest made his request during an interview published last weekend in The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers' chief executive, Donnie Walsh, said yesterday that he had received interest from many teams but that the Pacers were "not in a hurry to do a trade."

Union officials say they want to protect Artest's rights. During collective-bargaining talks last summer, the N.B.A. discussed with the union its stance against a player making trade demands to further a personal and premeditated agenda. The talks did not include specific punitive guidelines.

But the union argues that even if there were an understanding during bargaining, Artest's statements were spontaneous and did not warrant a fine.

"It certainly wasn't premeditated; he did not have an agenda," Ron Klempner, a lawyer for the union, said in a telephone interview yesterday. "The league is just piling it on right now. It's a bad precedent to set."

The union's plan to file a grievance is an example of its increasingly contentious relationship with the league over its authority. The union contends that the league has become more autocratic in its crackdown on behavior and has overemphasized image.

This week, the N.B.A. fined the Houston Rockets organization $100,000 for taking its players to Las Vegas for a day between games in Sacramento and Portland on a six-game Western Conference trip. The N.B.A. said it was a circumvention of salary-cap rules, because teams cannot provide benefits or compensation not covered by the players' salaries.

But Klempner said that the league had not followed policy before fining the team. To prove there was a circumvention of salary-cap rules, he said, the league first had to put the matter before an arbitrator.

kriD · 12-18-2005, 11:53 AM

On 2nd thought, Artest wants to stay in Indy

Week after trade request, Pacer says, 'I should have been a man'

By Mark Montieth and Mike Wells
mark.montieth@indystar.com

NEW YORK -- The Ron Artest saga has taken yet another turn.

Artest, who announced a week ago that he wanted a trade from the Indiana Pacers, said Saturday in a phone interview that he would like to return to the team.

"I should have been a man and spoken with coach (Rick Carlisle) about my differences with him," Artest said. "Yes, I would like to return to the team."

Artest has been the talk of the NBA the past week after making his trade demand through The Star. He cited a dislike for coach Rick Carlisle's offensive system and the feeling that his past controversies continue to haunt him.

Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, has told several media outlets in the past couple of days that he hopes the All-Star forward is not traded. Stevens has not returned phone messages left by The Star.

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh declined comment when reached at home Saturday night. Walsh said Friday that he would leave Artest on the inactive list if he cannot trade him.

Even if management would allow Artest back, it appears he would have difficulty regaining the trust of his teammates. Most of the Pacers approached following Saturday's 102-96 victory over New York at Madison Square Garden -- their fourth win in five games without Artest -- did not want to discuss the issue.

"I don't want to comment on that," forward Austin Croshere said. "And you can say I said it (in a disgusted tone of voice)."

Jermaine O'Neal has been blunt in his viewpoint.

"We can never play together,'' he said after Friday's game against Utah. "If he came back somehow, it would be him or me.''

O'Neal didn't back down from that Saturday, and offered no olive branch.

"Right now it's all about us," he said. "Ron's not part of this team right now. We're winning games. Asking questions about Ron doesn't make any sense right now."

Carlisle said he has not talked with Artest since Artest's trade demand, and is deliberately staying away from the issue.

"This is a franchise decision," he said before the game. "Fortunately for us, it's in the hands of Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird, who are two of the best basketball people there have ever been in this league. So, they'll decide which is the best way to go."

Stephen Jackson departed from the majority of his teammates, indicating he's still willing to forgive and forget. Jackson said Artest called him recently and indicated he wants to stay in Indiana.

"I think he wants to play basketball with us. He loves his teammates," Jackson said.

"He's told me personally that he doesn't have any problems with his teammates. I talk to him, we have no problems, we're both on the same page. We want to win basketball (games). We want to come out and play basketball and win games. That's all we have to do.

"I almost lost my job for him last year, so that's my friend. I respect his decision. Whatever he feels, he feels. If he's here, I'm going to play basketball and come and do my job. If he's not here, I'm still going to do my job."

Sarunas Jasikevicius noted that the Pacers have been more cohesive since Artest left the lineup -- first with a wrist injury and then with his trade demand -- regardless of whether it's because of Artest's absence or because the team has stepped up their effort in the face of adversity.

"This team is as tight as it's been all year," Jasikevicius said. "We're playing like one group, sharing the ball well and helping each other defensively and the results are here.

"We've been put in a difficult situation, but it looks like the Pacers are a better team when they're dealing with adversity. Things are much better now in Pacerland."

MavKikiNYC · 12-18-2005, 02:01 PM

Artest's "advisers" finally got through to him.

Pacers are talking about suspending him with pay for the season a la Keshawn and T.O.

2 years out of basketball is not likely to increase his contract value if and when he gets traded.

So now he has to pretend that he wants to play for the Pacers, so that he'll have a legal straw at which to grasp if/when they decide to suspend him.

I hope they list his a$$. League will be much better without him.

Drbio · 12-19-2005, 07:30 PM

A very good friend of mine who works in the Denver press tells me that Denver will trade Nene and another player for either Peja or Artest. Interesting huh?

Dirkenstien · 12-19-2005, 08:30 PM

haha...so the drama continues. Send him to LA already.

MavKikiNYC · 12-19-2005, 08:41 PM

Denver? Interesting.

Camby
K-Mart
Melo
Artest
Miller

That's some serious thug-court at the 2, 3, 4.

And I have half an intuition that Denver is one of the few places where Marbury might be saleable.

If Kiki pulls this off, I'll have to change my name.

TripleDipping · 12-20-2005, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drbio

A very good friend of mine who works in the Denver press tells me that Denver will trade Nene and another player for either Peja or Artest. Interesting huh?

Don't think the Pacers will bite... Sacramento, on the other hand, might just be desperate enough to ship Peja.