What a great read. Like the NYT mag story did with Battier, this one really captures Artest's quirks and charms. With Yao and Artest, we've got one of the most unusual combinations of star players in the league, personality wise.
[rquoter]While those experiences have no doubt reshaped Artest, he credits his steadier play to the Rockets' coach, Rick Adelman, who spent half of the 2005--06 season with Artest in Sacramento. "He's nothing more and nothing less than a coach," says Artest. "He doesn't hold grudges, he doesn't try to teach you to be a man, he doesn't teach you how to become a boy, he's not trying to tell you how to handle your life."[/rquoter]
Ron Artest is not the perfect player. He occasionally takes ill-advised shots early in the shot clock instead of running the offense. He sometimes over-extends while defending an individual player, allowing penetration into the lane. But Ron Artest is the perfect player for our team. When looking back at the previous seasons, so much talent, so much promise, what were the Rockets deficient in? Heart. Desire. That fire inside that makes the difference between good and great. Ron Artest has brought that to our team. Every night, every possession, he is pouring himself into the game. The coaches might need to be sure he's playing within the schemes they want, getting the ball into Yao, playing solid defense, but at the end of the day I want Ron Artest on my squad. I want him there to be Yao's soldier. I want him to win a ring with the Houston Rockets. Artest has found his home here in Houston. Do you know why the fans still chanted "We Want Steve, We Want Steve" when Francis, a shell of his former self, came back to play here? Because Houston is the kind of city that values a guy who will go out there, give you everything he has, and put on the hard hat and go to work. It's a hard-working place, built on swamp, sweat, and struggle. And every night, you knew Francis, for better or worse, had given you 110% of his effort. And Artest is the same way.
I can see how artest would bring up things during huddles that dont even relate to anything in the game. he seems to drift a lot during interviews where we wont really understand the question and just goes his own path. "Artest cannot be interviewed, only artest can interview artest" its so funny that he baffles so many reporters... its like his mind is racing a hundred miles per hour even after games. hes a great competitor tho. im glad he's on the team and i hope they sign him for another 3 years.
