So the artist formerly known as Ron Artest, Metta World Peace, small forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, was just suspended seven games by the NBA for elbowing James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the head during a game this past weekend.
*By the way, for the sake of this writing, I will use his given name, Ron Artest, instead of Metta World Peace because I still cannot bring myself to continuously refer to him as that.
Over the weekend, Artest delivered what was definitely a brutal shot to the head of Harden, and a suspension was warranted. He claimed it was accidental, and I'm not sure whether or not to believe him because the whole thing looked very awkward. Either way, he will be out seven games (which will include playoff games), and the Lakers have to deal with that.
I like Artest. He plays the game hard, he works well as a piece with the Lakers because he doesn't need to score a lot, and he is still one of the best defensive players in the NBA. I try to give him the benefit of the doubt, and for the most part, I feel like a lot of people try to do the same thing. However, it seems like it is getting harder and harder to do so, and this suspension sure does not help matters.
Early in his career, he was known as a good player with an attitude problem. His ability overshadowed some of his problems, and that seemed to be the way it would be until 2004.
On a night in Detroit, Artest was at the center of what is, in my opinion, probably the worst incident in modern professional sports. Members of the Indiana Pacers climbed into the stands in Detroit and fought some of the fans at the arena. Where the blame lies for that is no matter right now, but the bottom line is that Artest was suspended for 86 games. In the eyes of some people, 86 games may have been too lenient, and I think an expulsion from the league might have been warranted.
Since then, Artest has also been suspended for seven games in 2007 for a no-contest plea in a domestic violence case. Now if all of these things had happened to some players that I already didn't like (such as Flozell Adams or Nyjer Morgan, for example), I would absolutely hate them. Yet, there is something about Artest that, at least for me, makes it hard to hate him, and it seems as though the NBA feels the same way. Harden, who is a very important part of the Oklahoma City Thunder, may miss more time than Artest will. If that is the case, the Thunder will be without a player that could be essential in helping them win a championship this season.
It seems like every time Artest has accomplished something in his career (winning an NBA title, winning defensive player of the year), he has done something stupid to offset the good. His career has been marked by extreme highs and extreme lows, and it seems as though you can never tell which will come next. He has been a role player his entire career, and he has been an excellent role player. Many players in the league are not satisfied with their roles as complementary parts, and it is guys like those that prevent teams with a lot of talent from winning anything significant (a.k.a. the Knicks). Ironically, the man Artest took out with that elbow, James Harden, is one of those players that is more than satisfied with his role as a complementary part, and he is part of the reason the Oklahoma City Thunder are so good.
Artest knows his role on the Lakers, and he plays it perfectly. He defers to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum on offense, and guards the opposing team's best perimeter player on defense. I think that is part of the reason that I do like him. Just looking at his play on the court, he seems to be one of the most unselfish players in the league. However, off the court, he seems like the complete opposite of that many times. And when his career is over, he will probably be remembered more for those off-court problems than his play on the court. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I know I'm not the only one that feels that way, but it seems like he continues to offset some good with more bad, and it gets harder and harder to accept that each time even though I really wish that I could accept it.
Daily Rangers Update: Game 7 is less than 48 hours away. Madison Square Garden will be rocking on Thursday night, and I have full confidence that the Rangers will win. Some of the big names finally made an appearance in Game 6, so hopefully that is a sign of good things to come. Let's Go Rangers!
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Joe Paterson did all he could to try to give away a 9-0 lead last night, surrendering 5 runs without recording an out in the 9th inning, but Craig Breslow came in to restore order, and the game ended in a 9-5 win over a Phillies team that has been decimated by injuries so far this year. We are in the bottom of the 2nd inning tonight in a scoreless game. Josh Collmenter is on the mound, and he has to know that Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs are waiting to kick the door down and take his spot in the rotation, so hopefully that can push him to some victories in his next few starts.
Daily Giants Update: Hopefully, by the time the Giants make their first round selection, the Rangers will have moved on in the playoffs. Eli Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, will be hosting Saturday Night Live in two weeks as well, so that is definitely something that should be fun to watch.
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