Is he insane?

It finally came out that one of the reasons for his 2-game benching by the Pacers is that he...asked for time off from the team to promote his rap album!

Is he insane??

I'm going to try that excuse next week at work--do I actually have to have a rap record to promote?

~Adam

[ November 11, 2004, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Adam ]

Yes.

Yes.

I just saw a couple of interviews with this loon on Sportscenter. A reporter asked him about Carlisle saying that he had compromised the integrity of the team. Artest responded by saying that he needed to ask his dad or someone else what that means. "I don't know what integrity means". No shit, Sherlock.

He also wanted to clarify that it is not a rap album, but an R&B album as if that might make this more palatable.

Douche bags like this guy are making it more difficult than ever to stomach the NBA.

On PTI the guys mentioned that the out of touch Artest once applied for a summer job at Circuit City because he wanted the discount on electronics. This was after he was malready making millions in the NBA!

[ November 11, 2004, 03:14 PM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

It's not just that he wanted time off during the season...he wanted a MONTH off!

Although now they're all playing it like, his body is sore, he came into camp at 260 pounds, yada yada yada, and downplaying the album angle.

Spin control

Is it any wonder why fans get turned off by today's athletes especially Basketball. First Sprewell can't feed his family on 30 mil and now Artest needs a month to rest after working on an album. Maybe the players union needs to get a better benefits package that includes mental health holidays.

Artest is a LOON!....But we need him BAD!!!!

Artest returned to the court tonight against the 76ers. The world makes sense again. wink Not that it mattered because the 76ers got a career-high 23 from their Ashton Kutcher-lookalike Kyle Korver and the first career buzzer-beater game-winning shot by Allen Iverson to win in OT.

Speaking of Kyle Korver... interesting thing I read on the Sixers website: Korver exchaned #26 jerseys (his number) with the other #26's in Philadelphia: Chase Utley of the Phillies, Michal Handzus of the Flyers and Lito Sheppard of the Eagles. I know Korver can dunk, but did he Punk them, as well?

Ok, I just felt like sharing this since it made when I heard it.

So, I was listening to Wendy Williams (I know, I know, she is gossipy, but I felt like that today). Anyway, her guest was none other than crazy Ron Artest. As Wendy loves to do, she asks him if there are any gay players in the NBA.

He answers that there is NO homosexuality in the NBA. "There are no gay players. I can BANK on it." I am just cracking up, but then I realize that he is serious. He is convinced that not ONE player in the NBA is gay. HUH!?!?!

Um, ok. (For all the Wendy listeners - How U Doin' Ron). Whatever.

Tee hee, I love Wendy Williams. How U doing!

Seriously though, I don't think Ron is a closet case, but I do think he's pretty stupid--not just for his on court shenanigans.

Ron Artest is clearly in some kind of a bubble when he earnestly declares that there is no homosexuality in the NBA. The scariest part of all this is that he really believes that there are no gays in the league. Not only are there gays in the NBA--Artest has had at least one gay teammate. Randy Boyd has confirmed the existence of a gay Pacer during Artest’s tenure.

Wendy Williams had John Starks on her show last fall and she called out two members of the Knicks. Starks pretended to be ignorant of the situations and did an end run around the subject.

You do realize that Artest is just a very goofy person by nature? Before he was the marquee idiot that people think he is, I have seen and read numerous articals, interviews, guest spots and more on him. Anyone that has some familiarity with this man probably can see through the attention he tries to bring to himself.

He says a lot of stupid things for reaction and fun. He obviously didn't ask for time off for his album, and even if he did, no one that wasn't a few bumps in the head away from retardation would suspend such a pivotal player for something like that.

He knows there are gay players in the NBA, in fact, just from what I have seen of him, I would count him as a major prospect for that field.

This is the guy that made a charade of his time in the 03' all-star game, continuously wearing a different pair of miss-matched shoes every time he realized he had been on camera so that he could "get a nice shoe deal".

This is the guy that did player-reporting for various sports shows and interviewed other players as if he was a 5 year old fan who was afraid to talk to them.

This is the guy that wanted to market shoes covered in dog shit as a tool to help make your defense better.

He is a joker, an actor, an attention-whore, and has been taken for an idiot and a thug, when most people don't realize the joke is on them.

-Kevin

LOL! Artest is undeniably weird, immature, and irresponsible, but I don’t get the impression that he’s gay. I have never heard any credible rumors about him being gay. Furthermore, with the enemies that he’s made with his antics—NBA insiders wouldn’t hesitate to put his business in the street if he were gay.

Personally, I believe he has some kind of psychiatric imbalance disorder. I don’t think that he suffers from depression (at least not in the clinical sense), but he definitely seems to have maniac phases. Consequently, I’m not sure just how clearly he’s able to grasp reality.

LOL lord...I'm with Chris Rock... why does everyone have to be diagnosed with something? Either they're depressed, they're manic, they're schizo...WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CRAZY?!!! People can't just be CRAZY no more? He is a THUG!!! Many of these players are thugs, have nothing, and get millions of dollars thrown at them in an instant and don't know how to act because they don't know any better.

[ August 19, 2005, 12:40 AM: Message edited by: ltskinmdterp ]

Well last year he wanted some time off to promote a rap record he produced. Now Ron Artest wants to be traded. I'd be happy to post a link to the story on ESPN.com, but you have to be an Insider. I, happily, am an Outsider.

Anyway, I say the Pacers cut ties with this guy already. He is a great talent, but he can't keep cutting his team out at the knees. He is the Terrell Owens of the NBA.

Here's a USA Today article on the story -- it can be read by both Insiders and Outsiders! wink

A spoiled professional athlete....who'd have thought it? Were I the Pacers, I'd say "Go," and work to trade him to the Hawks.

~Adam

As crazy as this guy is, I would trade for him in a heart beat.

So he wants to be traded so that he can get to a team where he can rack up points in order to get a max contract.

He's as disruptive as he is talented. Sound familiar?

I'm sure he has a great work ethic, and he's one of the league's best defenders. But he's just not worth it.

The rumors right now have Artest going to Sacramento for Peja or to Minnesota for Olowokandi or to the Lakers for Lamar Odom.

Don't be silly! Oh, wait...

This does sound familiar...

There are reports that a deal is in place to send Ron Artest to Sacramento for Peja.

~Adam

And now the deal's off, because Artest doesn't want to go to Sacramento. Is this the greatest circus on earth or what? How much more wreckage can this guy leave in his path (imagine being Stojakovic now)?

They told Peja to stay in the hotel instead of going to the Wachovia Center for the game against the Sixers anticipating the trade. D'oh!

And then the Kings wind up losing the game.

Just another fine mess Artest gets an NBA team into.

It's good he missed the game, Philly could use all the help they can get.

Since the big trade of the day fell through, I wonder if the Pacers would accept Kyle Korver for Artest? He's a pure shooter like Peja.

Looks like Artest's agent is the NBA version of Drew Rosenhaus. Here's what his agent said:

Why would the Kings, or any other team for that matter, try to acquire him? I'd love to see every team in the league blacklist this douchebag.

The Sixers have shown no interest in Artest. On the one hand it's stupid because the team is so utterly lacking in talent that it's pathetic. It's a miracle they're at .500. Samuel Dalembert is wildly overrated, and most of the non-starters are worthless. As they stand now, until such a time that the huge contracts are gone and they're not at/over the salary cap again -- years down the road, I think -- they will NEVER be a serious contender. Artest would be a huge addition and trading a Korver wouldn't be a big loss. On the other hand, after seeing the mess T.O. created...

It may be moot, though. The Sacramento deal may be on after all:



[ January 25, 2006, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

There's no way that Indiana would trade Artest for Korver -- they'd have to be out of their minds. But it does indeed look like the Sac deal is back on. At least until the next time Ron plugs his brain in.

Wouldn't you have loved to be the cproverbial fly on the wall during the meeting Ron Artest and the Pacers had this morning? I imagine the Pacers' stance went something like this: "Either accept this trade or we're suspending you without pay for the rest of the season."

Does his deal with Sacramento include a complete mental health workup? Many of his actions--wanting to take time off to promote his rap career, his participation in the malice at the palace, his wide swings on his desire for a trade--show a real need for some kind of therapy.

~Adam

I'm sure Indiana was required to throw in cash sufficient to fund 10 years of intensive psychotherapy. Not that it will be enough...

If Toronto can trade Vince Carter for a bag of peanuts, then anything's possible.

The reason why ron artest says there is no gay players in the NBA is because he has a 21 year old brother who is out of the closet as a gay man. I knew his brother at indiana university and he was out of the closet as a gay man. supposedly, ron didnt handle it too well in the beginning altho they have a good relationship now.

So since his brother is gay that means no one in the NBA is gay? That makes sense.

I think Ron must have borrowed his brother's gaydar. I wonder if he returned it, 'cause it needs repairing.

A bag of moldy, decayed peanuts at that. Babcock (now fired, fortunately) could do anything. But I could never see Larry Bird doing something stupid.

well, ron was in denial for the longest of time about his brother's sexuality. so, i am guessing he refuses to think a gay guy could be in the nba. who knows with ron

This is just more evidence that Artest is a psychotic freak!

The theory that Artest is in denial about homosexuality in the NBA because he can't cope with this brother being gay makes some sense. But even then, there are several guys in the NBA who are known to be gay in league circles. They're not out to the general public, but Artest and other insiders are well aware of them. T-Mac (and others) have spilled that tea already....

Ronnie is in more trouble after being arrested (or should I say Artested) for domestic violence.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2788871

What a swell guy! Instead of jail time how about the court force him to lsiten to one of his rap albums.

Amazingly, some magazine has given Ron Artest...an advice column. I can't think of anyone more qualified, can you?