Talk about reverse psychology. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Artestrsquos_approach_to_the-292041-34.html Friday December 5, 2008 1:28 PM Artest's Approach To The Game Rockets vs. Warriors, 7:30 PM, FSNHOU Ron Artest's ability to better channel his fire and intensity is paying dividends with the Rockets. Adjust Font Size Get articles like this on your desktop! RSS NEWS FEED Jason Friedman Rockets.com Staff Writer Houston - Read Ron Artest’s postgame comments and a definite pattern emerges. After wins, the rugged forward emphasizes everything he and his team need to do to realize their seemingly enormous potential. Following losses, Artest shifts gears and becomes the world’s biggest optimist, promising better days as the club learns to absorb the lessons offered in defeat. For some (read: those of us in the media), such comments can often come across as boring and bland. Others might find Artest's analysis strangely counter-intuitive: How can someone be so seemingly upbeat after losses and critical after wins? But the reality is that this approach is more than a decade in the making for a man who owes so much of his effectiveness to his nearly unmatched passion and fire. When one has spent a lifetime feeding off the intensity of one's feelings, finding that on/off switch figures to be a significant challenge. Artest was no exception. "Before, I would get really upset after losses and that would lead me to fines and suspensions," says the tenth-year player from Queensbridge, New York. "I had to find a way to accept losing and to get better from it. It was hard. It took a long time. "When you make it to the NBA there are a lot of different pressures that come with it. Some people mature faster than others – like LeBron James matured faster than I matured and that’s just how it works sometimes. But last year I got a little bit better with it and this year I’m getting a little bit better, too." The end result is what you see now: A man armed with an approach which better enables him to harness his one-of-a-kind passion on and off the court. The strategy Artest employs is nothing novel. In fact, it's similar to a technique taught by cognitive behavioral experts: Stay balanced, and recognize that one's thoughts ultimately impact one's actions. Like just about everything in life, it's easy to describe and difficult to master. But all the years Artest has put in to altering his mental approach are paying off now with the Rockets, and he's determined to make sure the end result benefits not just himself, but the entire team as well. "I just think after you win a game, if you didn’t play your best then you have to understand that you’ll lose the next game [if you play the same way]. You can’t be satisfied, because once you get satisfied there’s a good chance you’ll lose that next game. "And after losses, for some reason I always feel we should have won and I always think we’ll win the next game. So I guess it gives me something to keep me on my toes; not getting too comfortable and not feeling too down after you lose."
I like this... "I just think after you win a game, if you didn’t play your best then you have to understand that you’ll lose the next game [if you play the same way]. You can’t be satisfied, because once you get satisfied there’s a good chance you’ll lose that next game."
I used to have a negative opinion about Ron Artest, but now that I'm learning more and more about the man, I think he's a great guy. He's much much better person than a T-Mac. I like guys who are honest, standup type, and who is willing to improve themselves. I think Ron Artest is a great teammate, and a great player. He is also a better player for Yao Ming than T-Mac. The two are developing an inside-out chemistry that was never there with T-Mac / Yao.
i never thought ron of a bad guy, everyone makes mistakes when they were young, when they get older, some get matured and learn from mistakes, some still can't control their behavior, i'm glad ron is one of former ones. and i think ron was talking what he thought
I think people should be using this thread to celebrate Ron's approach to his game and not to bash T-mac who isn't even mentioned in the article. People may have issues with T-mac perceived performance on the court, but that doesn't make him less of a good person than Ron.
I don't agree with you to often, but this one you hit the nail on the head. Ron was a gift from the basketball gods, Tracy well who knows a gift from ???
Another article that is not about T-mac but people still end up talking crap about T-mac, and don't even make sense doing it.
Ron Artest is supposed to be resting his sprained right ankle during practices, sitting on the sidelines, putting his feet up, doing nothing. Ron Artest can't do nothing. "You should have seen him the past few days during practices," said Shane Battier. "He can't sit still. We're running up and down in 5-on-5 drills and all he's supposed to be doing is watching. "But there's Ron. He's got a ball in his hand and he's shooting jumpers at one end of the floor. He's moving around, running all over the place, putting up shots, chasing them down. "I tell him, 'Ron, you're supposed to resting that ankle. Rest means rest. It doesn't mean shooting.' Ron just looks at me like I'm crazy." So you try to imagine the doctors telling Artest what they told Battier with his sore left foot at the start of training camp: One month. Total rest. Doing nothing. "Oh," said Battier laughing. "They'd have to put him in whatever is the equivalent of a basketball player's chastity belt. You know, lock him up and throw away the key. That's the only way you'd get him to sit still." http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2008/12/love_hurts_rockets_131_warrior.html I like Artest a lot. Whatever else the guy is tough, and he understands hard work is the only way to get anywhere.
imagine being 20 years old and all amped up and you get hit in the face with a beer, would you be able to maintain control? Not saying Ron was right, but I don't think of him as some street thug either. He is a good person at heart, you can tell. Just emotional at times. He is not the type of person to bring a handgun to a nightclub for example.
