Ongoing saga of Artest and NY Knicks... (MERGED)

[Denio]

The hell with NY and any trade with them. They want us to take their leftovers..

Rumors are KG wants to stay in Minn. Maybe they would be interested in Artest..

Artest for the rights to Corey Brewer and expiring contracts and/or picks..

Too bad Miami traded Jason Smith to Philly. he would have been a good player in any deal for Artest.

 

[Rowdyone]

The way I see it is this;
1. We see Ron as un unsavoury but valuable commodity if managed properly and we should get value in return.
2. GM's around the league see him as a possible valuable player "if" they have a coach they think can handle him and "if " they view him as a potential piece to complete their team and not only put them in the playoffs but to also help them go deep into the playoffs...."But" they also know he only has one year on his contract and could bolt at the end of this year and don't want to just "rent" him for a year and give us value in return.

Therefore, I think it's entirely possible that Ron may be with us until at least the trade deadline in January when max pressure to make a move by these shy GM's will be greatest. But the better teams won't touch him until next year when he's a FA.

 

[SLAB]

I honestly don't see Artest as the evil force he's made out to be around here.

I will be perfectly happy, and probably relieved, when he is not traded for junk.

Despite what everyone says, he played really good after the NBA switched to the leather again...And his 'explosion' of the year was nothing more than extreme overreaction by everyone near the situation.

The way I see it is no matter who you have you aren't winning with the weakest defending PG and C in the league and the worst PF tandem in all of organized basketball.

Throw in off years by everyone else not named Kevin Martin and terrible coaching, and you have plenty of reasons why Artest should not be priority number 1 for shipping out.

 

[Smills91]

Oh, those of us who have been reading the Sacramento Bee for years are so totally used to that.

Oh I'm very familiar with the stupid Bee. BRING BACK THE UNION!

 

[Smills91]

New York is acting like Ron going to NYC in the next offseason is a certainty -- do they really think Ron is going to opt out of his contract and take the MLE to play for the Knicks? How is Ron going to accept not only not getting a raise, but taking a pay cut? I mean, you never know what Ron is going to do, but this strikes me as faintly ludicrous.

And if Ron won't take the MLE, do they really think someone is going to take on their crap in a S&T?

If the Knicks really want Artest, this is the opportunity.

EXACTLY!

Ron's already "underpaid" by market standards...so he's going to OPT OUT of his current deal to take an even LESSER deal just to play with NY...give me a break...Ron loves playing basketball, but he also likes to buy things at Circuit City.

 

[VF21]

Despite what everyone says, he played really good after the NBA switched to the leather again...And his 'explosion' of the year was nothing more than extreme overreaction by everyone near the situation.

You're falling right into the trap. You're making excuses for him and allowing the good Ron to totally dominate your thinking. Yes, he can bring a LOT to a team, but there's a price. If we learned nothing else, we should have learned by watching what happened in Indiana and then here that it's always one thing or another with Artest.

Sorry, but the ticking is really loud and annoying. If you can't hear it, you're just not paying attention.

 

[PFFFT!!]

I honestly don't see Artest as the evil force he's made out to be around here.

I will be perfectly happy, and probably relieved, when he is not traded for junk.

Despite what everyone says, he played really good after the NBA switched to the leather again...And his 'explosion' of the year was nothing more than extreme overreaction by everyone near the situation.

The way I see it is no matter who you have you aren't winning with the weakest defending PG and C in the league and the worst PF tandem in all of organized basketball.

Throw in off years by everyone else not named Kevin Martin and terrible coaching, and you have plenty of reasons why Artest should not be priority number 1 for shipping out.

I think the same, however you need to realize that the C and PG you talk about cannot be traded for the simple fact that no one wants them. They are currently overpriced. The only person who has any value on the team is Martin and Artest. Obviously Martin is going nowhere. This team needs to be rebuilt. I would throw out any short term championship dreams you have, however C and PG are major blocks to that too. PG does have a shorter contract however, so thats why his name is floating around.

 

[Smills91]

I'm with pffft...Ron's incidence's at this point in his career are overly dramatized and sensationalized by a pathetic bunch of media members who are incapable of adequately reporting REAL news in an unbiased manner.

 

[SLAB]

You're falling right into the trap. You're making excuses for him and allowing the good Ron to totally dominate your thinking. Yes, he can bring a LOT to a team, but there's a price. If we learned nothing else, we should have learned by watching what happened in Indiana and then here that it's always one thing or another with Artest.

Sorry, but the ticking is really loud and annoying. If you can't hear it, you're just not paying attention.

Tell me, what has he done in Sacramento that has made this ticking louder? Guaranteed the playoffs when they were clearly out of reach? Sat a few games with various knicks and bruises?? Sure, he has had an off the court issue (Two if you count the whole dog thing which was also blown totally out of proportion), but those don't have anything to do with on court/team oriented explosions.

Is this ticking you hear still the hangover from what he did in Indiana...I like to call that living in the past...Seriously, he has done nothing in Sacramento to implicate he's going to explode.

As you claim, I guess I have fallen into the trap...I just want to know why the ticking has grown since he got here.

 

[VF21]

I'm with pffft...Ron's incidence's at this point in his career are overly dramatized and sensationalized by a pathetic bunch of media members who are incapable of adequately reporting REAL news in an unbiased manner.

While there was exaggeration, there are ongoing problems with Ron that you simply cannot ignore. It's not about calling the reporters names. It's about recognizing the emperor isn't, in fact, wearing any clothes.

And while I may complain frequently about the Bee and some of the articles, I certainly don't think it's fair to paint everyone who has ever written a story about Ron Artest as a "pathetic bunch of media members." There's a helluva lot of smoke and there is/has been fire.

Bottom line, though, is that it's always something with Ron. Whether it's destroying equipment, wanting time off to pursue a rap career, domestic problems of one sort or another, trying to do it all on the court despite the obvious problems it caused the team, or a myriad of other things, it's always something.

If you're willing to accept all the baggage, that's of course up to you. But please don't act as though it's all the media's fault and that RonRon should actually be considered for sainthood.

 

[VF21]

Tell me, what has he done in Sacramento that has made this ticking louder? Guaranteed the playoffs when they were clearly out of reach? Sat a few games with various knicks and bruises?? Sure, he has had an off the court issue (Two if you count the whole dog thing which was also blown totally out of proportion), but those don't have anything to do with on court/team oriented explosions.

Is this ticking you hear still the hangover from what he did in Indiana...I like to call that living in the past...Seriously, he has done nothing in Sacramento to implicate he's going to explode.

As you claim, I guess I have fallen into the trap...I just want to know why the ticking has grown since he got here.

I didn't say the ticking had grown. But it is still there, just as it always will be ... until the next time.

You can deny it, but that doesn't change it. Instead of acting as though he's pure as the driven snow, why not just admit you're willing to accept the problems because of how good a player he is? That's the bottom line, isn't it? Why try and deny the obvious to justify your personal opinion? It's sure not necessary and, in fact, it just looks a little silly IMHO.

But hey, whatever you choose to prefer is up to you.

Peace.

 

[LPKingsFan]

You may want to re-read this timeline, which somehow got lost in the end of season shuffle around here: http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/158566.html

Kings 2006-07 season timeline
By Joe Davidson - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 12:43 pm PDT Friday, April 20, 2007

Print | E-Mail | Comments (0) | Digg it | del.icio.us

June 3, 2006: Eric Musselman is hired as the 20th coach in franchise history.

Oct. 12, 2006: Musselman basks in his Kings debut, a 111-90 exhibition triumph of defending Western Conference champion Dallas.

Oct. 21, 2006: Hours after his home-court coaching debut, a 112-96 exhibition victory over Utah, Musselman is pulled over by police and arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. His blood alcohol level registers 0.11 percent. California's legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Nov. 4, 2006: Center Brad Miller hurts his foot in Milwaukee. Foot tissue inflammation slows him the remainder of the season.

Nov. 28, 2006: The Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers to end their first month under Musselman at 8-5.

Dec. 1, 2006: After the Kings fall 109-90 at Dallas, small forward Ron Artest complains publicly for the first time about his playing role on the team.

Jan. 9, 2007: After the Kings' loss to Cleveland at Arco, Artest reportedly demands a trade.

Jan. 13, 2007: Between the third and fourth quarters in an eventual overtime loss to Houston, Corliss Williamson confronts Artest in the huddle. Rookie center Justin Williams intervenes.

Feb. 3, 2007: Musselman serves the first game of his suspension against Denver at Arco. The second is a Feb. 5 home game against New Orleans.

Feb. 4, 2007: Animal control officers arrive at Artest's Loomis estate, seize his underweight Great Dane, Socks, and investigate Artest for failure "to provide proper sustenance."

Feb. 9, 2007: With trade rumors swirling, Kings guard Mike Bibby says, "it just shows what type of people you're dealing with, really. I just have to wait it out, to see if they're going to turn their back on me or whatever."

Feb. 18, 2007: The NBA All-Star Weekend does not include a King for the third consecutive season, the longest such run in the NBA.

Feb. 25, 2007: With Artest tending to personal matters in New York, the Kings roll Indiana 110-93 in perhaps the team's best road effort of the season.

March 2, 2007: Sacramento County Sheriff's officials reveal that Musselman was given a health waiver allowing him to serve 48 hours of home detention instead of completing his work project sentence. The detention was served Feb. 5-7.

March 5, 2007: Artest is arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse, and the Kings excuse him from the team indefinitely. Also, guard Kevin Martin is named Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 28 points during a 3-1 week.

March 14, 2007: Forward Kenny Thomas suffers a chip fracture in his big toe at Charlotte. The ailment ultimately ending his season.

March 19, 2007: After the Kings lose to lowly Atlanta 99-76, Artest has a lengthy locker-room tirade.

March 22, 2007: In a Placer County courtroom, Artest is reminded of the terms of his restraining order, restricting him being any closer than 100 yards to wife and three young children, their residence or their schools. He also pleads not guilty to 4 misdemeanor counts of domestic violence against wife.

March 23, 2007: Musselman dispels rumors that he's interested in the coaching job at the University of San Diego job, his alma mater.

March 24, 2007: Artest text-messages teammates, saying he intends to retire at the end of the season; days later he tells The Bee that he doesn't mean it.

March 25, 2007: The Kings beat red-hot Phoenix 107-100 at Arco behind Bibby's franchise-record nine three-pointers, and players are left to wonder why they hadn't performed like that more this season.

April 4, 2007: The Kings lose 120-115 at Denver, their 12th setback in 14 games.

April 9, 2007: With the Warriors defeating Utah 126-102, the Kings are eliminated from the playoff race for the first time in nine seasons.

April 20, 2007: After completing the season with a 33-49 record, Musselman is fired.

 

[SLAB]

I didn't say the ticking had grown. But it is still there, just as it always will be ... until the next time.

You can deny it, but that doesn't change it. Instead of acting as though he's pure as the driven snow, why not just admit you're willing to accept the problems because of how good a player he is? That's the bottom line, isn't it? Why try and deny the obvious to justify your personal opinion? It's sure not necessary and, in fact, it just looks a little silly IMHO.

But hey, whatever you choose to prefer is up to you.

Peace.

Nowhere did I say Ron Artest was pure as the driven snow. What I did say was that since coming to Sacramento he has more or less been a changed man. He has his issues, but doesn't everybody? Because of the brawl everything is shoved under a microscope and magnified 10fold. Something off the court happens to an apparent saint and theres nothing.

Look at Jason Kidd and his whole divorce issues...If that was Ron Artest, the media would have a feeding frenzy and there would be a mile long line of buses waiting to have him thrown under...Just a thought.

I accept what comes with Ron, and Im choosing to think he's going to play out the rest of the contract without issue.

Another thought...He may be Ron Artest, but he isn't stupid...I firmly believe that he isn't going to do something to absolutely destroy his value in free agency. He will play and he will play hard for the paycheck we all know he wants.

That said, my personal preference with what to do with him is trade him ONLY if you can get near value in return. Not just expirings, but young pieces. Ron's contract alone isn't large enough to have expiring make a difference in the cap. Young pieces that can be paired with Martin and Hawes and Cisco would be fine.

None of the "take my baggage and I'll give you my garbage" crap the Knicks are apparently trying.

 

[VF21]

...That said, my personal preference with what to do with him is trade him ONLY if you can get near value in return. Not just expirings, but young pieces. Ron's contract alone isn't large enough to have expiring make a difference in the cap. Young pieces that can be paired with Martin and Hawes and Cisco would be fine.

None of the "take my baggage and I'll give you my garbage" crap the Knicks are apparently trying.

Now on this part, we are pretty much in agreement although I might actually consider the "expirings" AND either a young player or future draft pick.

 

[NewMonkey]

I'm with pffft...Ron's incidence's at this point in his career are overly dramatized and sensationalized by a pathetic bunch of media members who are incapable of adequately reporting REAL news in an unbiased manner.

From http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=25137

Ron Artest grabbed a woman numerous times, shoved her to the floor and slapped her, according to the arrest report made public one day after the Kings star was charged with domestic violence.

From: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2806837

Sheriff's deputies said they have responded to 911 calls from Artest's home five other times since last August, and at least two of the calls involved domestic disturbances.

Damn media, always sensationalizing domestic violence.

 

[Merdiesel]

The hell with NY and any trade with them. They want us to take their leftovers..

Rumors are KG wants to stay in Minn. Maybe they would be interested in Artest..

Artest for the rights to Corey Brewer and expiring contracts and/or picks..

Too bad Miami traded Jason Smith to Philly. he would have been a good player in any deal for Artest.

Seriously... Now all of the sudden Isiah is going to act like hes this slick GM? Give me a break, Lee and Rose for Artest. take it or leave it.

 

[Warhawk]

From http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=25137:


From: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2806837


Damn media, always sensationalizing domestic violence.

Not arguing your point, but the first link doesn't go anywhere with a Ron Artest story....

 

[Smills91]

From http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=25137:


From: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2806837


Damn media, always sensationalizing domestic violence.

Wasn't ron's dogs malnourished due to a virus?

 

[NewMonkey]

Not arguing your point, but the first link doesn't go anywhere with a Ron Artest story....

Fixed the bad link. Thanks.

 

[gunks]

I'm with everyone against trading Ron for crap.

So what if he has offcourt issues? Lots of players do...Fact is, he brings it everynight. Petrie should not trade a top 25 player for a bunch of scrubs.

Zeke's a punk...I hope the Knicks finish 9th in the east.

 

[kennadog]

Wasn't ron's dogs malnourished due to a virus?

Yes, the dog was sick. Unfortunately, Ron apparently had malnorishment issues with the same dog when he was in Indiana.

 

[yaboy]

I also agree with the above posters, the media over exaggerated a few of Artest's actions last season. The only games I could remember him not playing in was the one's where he was injured. Other than that he was the hardest working King on the defensive end and played exceptionally well on the offensive end in the 2nd half of the season.

With that being said I would never trade Artest for the Knicks garbage. GP has to act like he's not desperate to trade Artest and wait it out till the season before he gets involved in any Artest trades.

Give Artest half a season to play under Theus and let his value go up. Thats the best option at this point... I mean for crying out loud, Jeffries!!!! I would rather let artest walk than to take Jeffries big contract along with the Knicks few other garbage players.

 

[VF21]

...With that being said I would never trade Artest for the Knicks garbage. GP has to act like he's not desperate to trade Artest and wait it out till the season before he gets involved in any Artest trades.

Give Artest half a season to play under Theus and let his value go up. Thats the best option at this point... I mean for crying out loud, Jeffries!!!! I would rather let artest walk than to take Jeffries big contract along with the Knicks few other garbage players.

I think most people are unwilling to dump him just for scraps from the Knicks. And, luckily, I'm willing to bet that's how Petrie feels.

 

[Entity]

I think that if Ron wasn't as good of a player as he is the media would care near as much. I mean how much media attention has Keon Clark gotten vs. Artest or Marcus (Canibus) Camby or Byron Houston former Kings player. Lonny Baxter. None of these got the media attention that artest did.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think that if Ron wasn't as good of a player as he is the media would care near as much. I mean how much media attention has Keon Clark gotten vs. Artest or Marcus (Canibus) Camby or Byron Houston former Kings player. Lonny Baxter. None of these got the media attention that artest did.

No they didn't -- they simply got ushered out of the league as being mor trouble than they were worth.

These are image conscious professional organizations. The ONLY reason ron is tolerated is because the rules are already being bent for him because he can really play. If he was a lesser player, he would be out of the league and everybody would just wash their hand of him and say good riddance. More trouble than he's worth.

 

[supamari0]

at this point, the rockets offer actually looks kind of good. I thought our GM was trying to rip off the Kings but at least we offered expiring contracts, Kirk Snyder, and a draft pick.

Nice job Maloofs.

 

[uptempo-kings]

how come thomas seems to think david lee, is the missing link to every NBA team? this guy seems to be in his own world overrating his own players, who is in his possession, he is bluffing as soon as ron artest is off the block , isiah will throw everyone he can at us to land artest, i believe he's just playing the cards, and so far we are lucky that petrie is not folding, giving up crap for a star player like ron artest, man isiah sucks as a coach, gm, can't even believe he was a NBA great! i believe petrie won't deal ronron to the knicks simply cause they can't help us, david lee would be nice but he won't be in our future plans he can rebound, and put up garbage points, but down the line we need a low post offensive threat, and i don't see that in lee. energy guy off the bench? maybe, if the price is right but like mo willams i think lee will seek compensation above MDL exception, and I believe he isn't worth it.

 

[Bricklayer]

EXACTLY!

Ron's already "underpaid" by market standards...so he's going to OPT OUT of his current deal to take an even LESSER deal just to play with NY...give me a break...Ron loves playing basketball, but he also likes to buy things at Circuit City.

You certainly can't trust that to be true in Ron Artest's case. His value system is not normal. Besides which, at the point he opts out and says he wants to go to New York we likely take whatever we can get in an S&T to help the deal along. At that point there is NO possibility of him coming back to play for us (I can only imagine the joy of Ron Artest, on a team he wanted to leave, and which prevented him from going home to New York -- that would be just stupid).

Ron's value appears to be almost miraculously low -- we have really managed to net ourselves one of the least valauble pieces in the league apparently. Our assorted options seem to have been Malik Rose & scrubs, Hedo, maybe Kirk Snyder and Sura's ender and a late pick, maybe Udonis Haslem or Antoine Walker. Remarkable.

Nothing for it but to wait it out. But he's in the way now, he's got an opt out next year which is going to prevent teams from giving up large chunks of their future for fear of him just being a midseason rental (and a potentially disruptive one), and he may very well leave us for nothing next year. Might have to just sit tight and take the best offer before the end fo the summer that does not prejudice the future with crappy contracts, no matter what that offer may be. Don't want to be Kevin McHale sitting there endlessly waiting for a perfect offer that will never come.

 

[Smills91]

You certainly can't trust that to be true in Ron Artest's case. His value system is not normal. Besides which, at the point he opts out and says he wants to go to New York we likely take whatever we can get in an S&T to help the deal along. At that point there is NO possibility of him coming back to play for us (I can only imagine the joy of Ron Artest, on a team he wanted to leave, and which prevented him from going home to New York -- that would be just stupid).

Ron's value appears to be almost miraculously low -- we have really managed to net ourselves one of the least valauble pieces in the league apparently. Our assorted options seem to have been Malik Rose & scrubs, Hedo, maybe Kirk Snyder and Sura's ender and a late pick, maybe Udonis Haslem or Antoine Walker. Remarkable.

Nothing for it but to wait it out. But he's in the way now, he's got an opt out next year which is going to prevent teams from giving up large chunks of their future for fear of him just being a midseason rental (and a potentially disruptive one), and he may very well leave us for nothing next year. Might have to just sit tight and take the best offer before the end fo the summer that does not prejudice the future with crappy contracts, no matter what that offer may be. Don't want to be Kevin McHale sitting there endlessly waiting for a perfect offer that will never come.

Well if you think he'd choose LESS/WORSE things from Circuit City over MORE/BETTER things from Circuit City then I think you've misinterpreted Ron's own value system. Money is a means to getting/doing what you desire. Ron has strong desires. Therefore money allows Ron to do those things that please him, like electronics from Circuit City, promoting his rap album, giving things to his family and friends.

His world may be different from your's or mine, but it's not THAT different to where he'd take a salary at probably 1/2 to a 1/3 of what he could get on in the free market. That's just questioning his math skills, and the last time I checked, he was a math major.

 

[Bricklayer]

The Latest Part 1: Always amusing when the New York tabloids suddenly scream betrayal! Did the same thing with Webb. That said, that quote by Geoff was just...grotesque and gratuitous. Note to Petrie: when you announce coming into the offseason that you are going to be "aggressive", that typically implies something more than drafting in your regularly scheduled position and then pasting your hands to your *** again.

ARTEST: KING ME!
RON CHANGES TUNE, DOESN’T WANT TRADE TO N.Y.
By MARC BERMAN

July 10, 2007 -- LAS VEGAS - In a stunning reversal, the flaky Ron Artest told The Post yesterday he wants to retire a Sacramento King and isn’t advocating a trade to the Knicks.

Artest, a Queens native who played for St. John’s, had been baking in the scorching Las Vegas sun poolside at the Palms Hotel for several hours before he made the unpredictable remarks. On multiple occasions, Artest had said his dream was to play for the Knicks.

“I really want to finish my career in Sacramento because of my relationship with some of the players,” Artest said. “I want to finish with Sacramento. I feel attached to Sacramento. I want to be their franchise player.

Artest claims Kings GM Geoff Petrie told him a couple of weeks ago he would not deal him, and Artest told Petrie he probably would not opt out after next season.

“They’re not going to trade me,” Artest said. “I had a good talk with [Petrie]. That’s what he told me. That’s the only thing I can go on. He’s happy to have me.”

Petrie backed up Artest’s claim.

“Ron is going to be a King,” Petrie told The Post last night before the Knicks beat the Sonics 87-74 in a summer-league game. Petrie denied he’s had any substantive talks with the Knicks. “People are having conversations with themselves,” Petrie said.

Artest’s remarks conflict with comments made last week by his agent, Mark Stevens, who indicated Artest would love to come back home. It’s very possible Artest is insulted at reports Isiah Thomas would not part with either David Lee or Renaldo Balkman in an Artest deal. Artest’s family members were stunned to hear that report. Artest’s brother, Daniel, who’s playing for the Kings’ summer-league team, said Artest is a better player than Lee.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07102007/sports/knicks/artest__king_me__knicks_marc_berman.htm