At first I was pretty pumped, now I'm in between. I love how amazing the rockets look on paper, but after hearing 790 this morning list his outside of basketball resume on the radio with the numerous, and I mean numerous domestic disputes and situations: choking his wife, hitting/scratching his girlfriend, persuasion, extreme dog abuse, etc. It's tough to get behind this guy. Everyone knew about the basketball baggage he brings, but after hearing them read that off the court stuff made me go "damn....". I'm sure it's on their podcast. Ultimately, you don't need to "know him" to realize he's simply not a good person. And, you can sugar coat it all ya want... As a rockets basketball fan, I'm excited. As a person, I'm a little disappointed. Everyone deserves a chance to correct their mistakes, I hope he's learned from the past.
This pretty much summarizes this whole thread. I also hope to be able to genuinely cheer for him. I dont hate the guy. I just hate what I know about him. If he proves me wrong I will be the first to admit. If he gets along with all of our players and he gets things done without complaining and just does what he does best, which is play ball, then I will happily eat some crow.
I personal witness Ron Artest destroy every pro player in the Fonder Summer League on offense and defense. He refused to allow Rashard Lewis and anyone else to score on him. This is the beast. I will go back and get my prior posting on Artest
When I found out, I wasn't especially giddy. It felt like we were (in a minor way) selling our soul a little for a win-now splash. I've loved that over the years I could feel proud about the caliber of guys we've had on the team: Dream, Glide, Yao - not just elite players but true class acts that you can feel good about. I would have a tough time getting behind a true loser like Antoine Walker, Zach Randolph, etc. I know Ron Artest is a good guy, but he's also got problems. I'm not going to judge him outright - Barkley relished in his (false) ******* public persona while a player. Still, Artest will need to win me over. That said, it's extremely hard to trash this move. -We were NOT going to win a title standing pat. Between injuries and lack of determination, Yao & McGrady weren't taking us there. -We gave up next to nothing. I was angry on draft night that we landed a guy that was not going to help us anytime soon, if ever. Losing only Green and Jackson for a major player is fantastic. -Contract year. He's playing for us at a bargain price, we won't have any trouble dropping him if he Bonzi's us, and he's almost certain to be at his absolute best on- and off-court since this is his audition for one last payday. The honeymoon period should at least be fine for this year. In the worst possible scenario (Yao and McGrady both miss the entire season and we're a 10-win team in January), he'd fetch a nice return at the trade deadline - better than Bobby Jackson would. Even if we lose, we win. -He's the perfect person on the roster for McGrady. I wanted T-Mac GONE by the end of last year. Between his chronic injuries, decreased willingness to play hard through them, and steep increase in his pansy play...I was pissed. Artest is double insurance. McGrady gets hurt? We've got a 20-5-5 stand in. If McGrady won't take 3 steps inside the arc for fear of contact, Artest can wreck havoc near the basket and be our And-1 machine for him. You have to have a guy that can generate fouls and push teams into the penalty - it disrupts defenses like nothing else, and is a crucial late game factor. Pierce, Wade, Bryant, LeBron, and most other truly elite swingmen give you that and Tracy avoided it like the plague. Artest is a perfect answer. -Artest's versatility is a major asset. He can obviously play the 2 and 3 very well, but he can also work as a 4 in certain matchups. He's undersized at 6-7, but he's as strong as they come, good on the boards, and can give guys like Dirk, Odom, West, and Boozer fits. We've struggled badly when matching up with mobile frontcourts - but Scola and Artest are a nice duo to send against teams (Utah) that try to exploit Yao's perimeter defense. -This should expedite the Landry standoff. There's not too much that Landry gives us that Artest doesn't offer as well, especially if the Rockets are earmarking Artest for a few minutes a game at PF. Landry continues to demand 5 years @ $5M per with no look at his knee? Enjoy the Serbian League.
I agree with this post. I was stoked until I read about that list... I didn't realize how much he had done off the court. I don't like this conflicted feeling... I really want to be behind this team 100%.
terrell owens was fine last year, maybe it was wade phillips? Ron was also fine under Adleman. I didn't like the idea of artest on this team for the same reasons you did, but I felt that way because I thought we'd have to give up Battier. The deal is done, so I have no choice but to root for Ron Artest the player. like another guy said, I never root for any athlete as a person. They have their personal life as I have mine. Go Rockets.
The thing is that you can't really separate yourself as a fan and yourself as a person that easily. By supporting a player as a fan, you are supporting them as a person. We are the people who support this league with both our money and our voices... So when we show we don't have a problem supporting a guy like Artest, it sort of sets a bad precedent. I don't know... I liked how I felt last night a lot better, heh. I can deal with all of Artests attitude problems and his craziness... but the whole domestic and animal abuse stuff is really pushing it for me. I wish I never even knew about that stuff now. Ignorance really is bliss.
i dont think its right for you to say what kind of a person he is...have you met him before? talked to him before? sure you watched the news and saw what happened with him..but that doesnt mean he's a bad person -_-
I don't want to downplay Artest's positive contributions to the community, etc. But it doesn't absolve him of hitting his wife. Why does everyone keep saying 'but he donated money, but if you only got to know him, but but but'. He did some horrible stuff, at least admit it to yourselves.
So everytime you see someone on the news arrested for domestic abuse you think 'there's a guy who's just misunderstood?'
maybe I am just that kinda guy, who can look passed that. I don't go to/watch the games to catch up on players personal life. the way I am looking at this deal to make me feel better about his personal issues.........he could have possibly gone to LA, and that would spell ultimate blow to almost any western conference team, so ask yourself this....... ron artest in a lakers uni? or ron artest in a rockets uni? ron artest isn't the first guy houston has had with off court issues. he won't be the last.
We got Battier and Deke to keep him in line. If RonRon acts up, Battier will simply confuse him by talking circles around him while Deke sneeks up from behind and elbows him in the back of the head.
bottom line, all you have to do is ask yourself is if the rockets got worse after this deal. there's no sane way you can say that they did, so, you can't dislike this trade
