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Artest's teammates are tiring of him

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  • Artest's teammates are tiring of him

    Sure this isn't the first time. And yes I still call him Artest

    http://www.foxsportswest.com/02/13/1...26&feedID=7972

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Metta World Peace might be on the verge of a meltdown, according to some of his Lakers teammates, and coach Mike Brown might be at the core.

    World Peace is "walking around all crazy-like. We're just waiting for him to go off," one Lakers player recently told FOXSportsWest.com, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

    Added another teammate, also requesting anonymity: "He's always talking about how he should be playing no matter how bad he's shooting, but he can't figure out that when he takes bad shots and misses eight in a row it puts us in a hole."

    What's more, a source close to the team told FOXSportsWest.com that Brown wouldn't be averse to trading World Peace — not necessarily because of a personality clash but simply because he hasn't played well.

    And that would make some of his teammates happy.

    "There are a lot of guys in here who'd just like to see him gone," one player told FOXSportsWest.com on the condition of anonymity. "I think we'd definitely be a better team if everyone didn't have to walk on eggshells when he's around."

    World Peace — known as Ron Artest until this, his 13th NBA season — is averaging a career-low 22.4 minutes a game in the Lakers' first 27 games. He's averaging 4.7 points a game on 32.7 percent shooting, both career-low figures for him.

    World Peace was not available for comment after the Lakers' practice Monday, but he expressed displeasure with Brown during an interview with CBSSports.com.

    "I let him coach and I play," World Peace told the website Friday before the Lakers' game with the New York Knicks. "I'm just trying to win, and . . . coach is a stats guy. His background is video coordinator or whatever. So he's all stats. But Ron Artest is all feel."

    Brown — who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers for five seasons following stints as an assistant with San Antonio and Indiana, and as a scout and video coordinator with Denver — seemed surprised, but not concerned, when told Monday about the comments.

    "Really?" Brown said after having World Peace's quotes read to him. "I don't have a problem with that if that's how he feels or anybody else feels. I'm OK with it."

    The Lakers' first-year coach said he's unconcerned by how people might perceive him.

    "In this business there's not anybody who's a head coach that's not going to have guys say something (negative), publicly or privately, about them," Brown said. "If I was the type that would read or continue to believe or think about everything I heard, my focus would be off coaching and on something else.

    "Why waste the time and energy? There's nothing that really needs to be said or have me get into that, because it's not a thing where I have to waste my energy."

    Brown believes World Peace "was frustrated — like he should be."

    The night before expressing his displeasure, World Peace got his second-highest playing time of the season (34 minutes, 14 seconds) at Boston but recorded only two points (on 1-for-6 shooting), two rebounds and one assist. His numbers in the previous two games were similar, though with much less court time.

    "He wasn't shooting well, but Matt (Barnes) wasn't shooting well, either," Brown said. "But I continued to play both of them, so I can't be basing who's playing or not playing off of stats. I'm going to play whoever I think is going to help this team win. Simple as that."

    One can understand why stats might factor into Brown's handling of World Peace.

    The swing man is shooting 51.4 percent (19 for 37) percent from the free-throw line and 19.0 percent (11 for 58) from 3-point range, both career lows. But such stats, World Peace told the website, shouldn't determine whether he plays in key situations. "I'm gonna make a big stop and I may make a big shot."

    In the Lakers' close win at Toronto on Sunday, Brown chose to not put World Peace in the game at the end to guard the Raptors' Jose Calderon, who torched LA for 30 points.

    Five years ago, when the then-Ron Artest was a great defender, inserting World Peace in such a situation would be a no-brainer. Not anymore.

    According to Synergy Sports Technology, World Peace is the 192nd-ranked individual defender in the NBA, allowing .833 points per possession. Couple that with his sputtering offensive game and World Pearce has become an end-of-game spectator.

    World Peace has had a troubled NBA career, the most publicized being the "Malice in the Palace" brawl between Indiana and Detroit on Nov. 19, 2004. Then a member of the Pacers, Artest was suspended for 86 games — 73 in the regular season and 13 in the playoffs, an NBA record penalty — for punching a Pistons fan at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

    When he arrived in Los Angeles three seasons ago, it seemed as if he had put his volatile ways in the past, and he helped the Lakers win the 2010 NBA championship. He then auctioned off his championship ring and donated more than $600,000 from the sale to mental health charities.

  • #2
    Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

    if you are having nutjob problems i feel bad for you son.
    i got 99 problems but an artest isn't one.


    sorry having the most boring day at work, i had to do it.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

      tick tock tick tock - I'm glad we're not facing them again this season - would not need him exploding against us.

      Seems like it was Phil Jackson who was managing to keep him in check more than anything else - not much surprise there...

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

        There will never be a time when Artest doesn't have destructive emotional problems, that's part of who he is. That doesn't mean he's not a good person or an effective player, but you have to have the right system around him to keep him locked in. Mike Brown is a weak willed coach and Kobe Bryant isn't the kind of leader who will help a guy like Ron.

        I'd like to see him traded to a team like Boston or Miami where his emotion and aggressiveness would probably be positives.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

          I hate articles like this. Why would a player make these comments to someone in the media under a condition of anonymity? What does that accomplish?

          So many articles that just quote "sources" or "sources close to the situation." How do we know it's not just made up?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

            Originally posted by PacersAllDay View Post
            I hate articles like this. Why would a player make these comments to someone in the media under a condition of anonymity? What does that accomplish?

            So many articles that just quote "sources" or "sources close to the situation." How do we know it's not just made up?
            Whichever Lakers commented anonymously about Metta is a coward
            Being unable to close out a game in which you have a comfortable lead in the 4th Q = Pulling a Frank Vogel

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

              But Ron Artest is all feel.
              Epic use of the 3rd person. It's like a porn star audition, or maybe he's going with Colbert's "truthiness" angle.

              And then this...
              "I'm gonna make a big stop and I may make a big shot."
              And by "may" he means it's 20-30% possible that if he takes a big shot the team won't lose....even though they wouldn't have been in the hole in the first place if he hadn't missed all 4-5 of his previous shots.

              This is IDENTICAL to what he said about Rick, and then later went back on his comments. Rick didn't use him right, Rick didn't understand his game, etc. That's Rick with assistant Mike Brown no less.

              So the surprise level is pretty low here.

              You should want to play, but you should also understand why you aren't playing. Can you imagine Ron trying to figure out JOB's logic? At least Brown has reasons.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
                Can you imagine Ron trying to figure out JOB's logic? At least Brown has reasons.
                I'd like to nominate this post in the category "Most Gratuitous Use of a Jim O'Brien Slam".
                BillS

                A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
                Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                  This is really, really surprising.
                  There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                    Originally posted by PacersAllDay View Post
                    I hate articles like this. Why would a player make these comments to someone in the media under a condition of anonymity? What does that accomplish?

                    So many articles that just quote "sources" or "sources close to the situation." How do we know it's not just made up?
                    I appreciate articles like this because they are an effort to tell us what is really happening with a team, rather then just accept the standard fake PR spin the players give with their on the record comments. Would you rather have a fully attributed, positive story about Artest, even if the information it contains is untrue? Reporters should try their best to report the truth and sticking with what people are willing to say publicly with their name attached to it often won't come anywhere near the truth. How do you know that when players are being quoted using their names that they aren't just making it up and saying what's most acceptable to the organization and their teammates for them to say?

                    Another point about this -- a reporter who covers a single team regularly and is making up sources won't last long. The team would figure out very quickly that false information is being reporter and call that reporter out on it or refuse to speak to him or her. Using the current example about Artest -- if it was false that teammates are saying such things about him, don't you think the players would have some idea about that and have a problem trusting or talking to this reporter again?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                      Originally posted by Pacergeek View Post
                      Whichever Lakers commented anonymously about Metta is a coward
                      It's not Artest's fault that he can't control himself, it's everyone else around him who fails to support him!
                      There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                        He would fit well with what Khan's doing.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                          We could probably get him for a 2nd Round pick!!! Energy and D off the bench!!!11!! Pull the trigger Larry!!1!!!

                          On a side note, I don't know how to make my font green.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                            Originally posted by King Tuts Tomb View Post
                            There will never be a time when Artest doesn't have destructive emotional problems, that's part of who he is. That doesn't mean he's not a good person or an effective player, but you have to have the right system around him to keep him locked in. Mike Brown is a weak willed coach and Kobe Bryant isn't the kind of leader who will help a guy like Ron.

                            I'd like to see him traded to a team like Boston or Miami where his emotion and aggressiveness would probably be positives.
                            I'd like to see him go to those places too. but, not for the reason that he would be a positive. i think he would be more like a team-wrecking disease. he is easily one of the most selfish players i have ever seen. he may be a nice person off the court but he is a selfish jerk on it. i think it is funny that the Lakers are sick of him. Miami or Boston would grow sick of him very quickly too.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Artest's teammates are tiring of him

                              Artest is going to end up doing something incredibly stupid when he finally retires. Dude needs some serious help.

                              Comment

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