All these articles contradict eachother.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/st...p-220037c.html
Still some fight left, but . . .
What a difference a week makes
Ron Artest went from slugging it out with fans ...
... to signing autographs within a matter of days.
It's been a little more than a week since that terrible night in Auburn Hills. With suspensions having been handed out and rap albums released, here's a look at some of the other fallout from the Pistons-Pacers slugfest:
Arbitration
The case is almost certain to go to arbitration, with Washington-based arbitrator Roger Kaplan having sole power to uphold or shorten the record suspensions. Kaplan has been on the job hearing league grievances since the NBA fired John Feerick, the former Fordham law school dean who gained infamy in the Latrell Sprewell case, nearly five years ago. Feerick ruled that the league did not have the right to terminate the final three years of Sprewell's deal after he choked P.J. Carlesimo.
Kaplan first will determine if he has jurisdiction in the Pistons-Pacers case, perhaps in the next 10 days. The league will argue that the riot in Detroit was strictly an oncourt matter, which would give David Stern the sole right to determine penalties. But several times in announcing the penalties, the commissioner said that Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson "crossed the line'' when they ran into the stands to fight unruly fans.
Does that line separate oncourt and offcourt activities? Kaplan will be the one who makes that determination. One question, though: If this were just an "oncourt'' incident, how could Stern ban Artest for the entire season, while nailing Jackson for 30 games?
Past imperfect
If Kaplan rules that he has jurisdiction, the case probably will be heard within the next 20-30 days. In that hearing, which would take up to five days, according to persons who have worked on NBA grievance hearings, witnesses will be called and evidence, such as videotape of the riot, will be introduced. The league is bound to bring up Artest's history of bad behavior and suspensions in justifying his penalty. Stern said it factored into his "unanimous, 1-0" decision to sit Artest the remainder of the season.
But the league also tried that in the Sprewell case, bringing up the fact that he once attemped to attack Jerome Kersey with a two-by-four, among other sordid details in his past at Golden State. But Feerick turned a blind eye to Sprewell's history when reinstating his contract, which totaled nearly $25 million.
The union will contend that based on previous fights, the suspensions were excessive. The only other player who ever ran into the stands to confront a fan and throw a punch was then-Rocket Vernon Maxwell. He got 10 games and a $25,000 fine for attacking a fan in Portland.
Players Association executive director Billy Hunter, who was as aghast at the level of violence displayed in the Pistons-Pacers fracas as anyone, wanted Artest to be banned through the All-Star Game, making it a 42-game suspension. Hunter could have lived with 20 games apiece for Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, who were bounced for 25.
Stern probably will contend that the riot was unprecedented, and that allowed him to hand out unprecedented penalities. The riot shook the league to its very foundation, so Stern had to do what he did to send a message to its players and the ticket-buying public. From this vantage point if he had bounced Jackson for the season as well, it would have been justifiable. From watching the tape, Jackson's sole mission as he entered the stands was to take out fans.
After the hearing, Kaplan will have 30 days to rule, but both sides will likely ask for a fast ruling.
Someone call security
The league has issued an alert to the 29 arenas: increase security where it's called for and deal swiftly with unruly fans. In actuality, the league probably needs to immediately address security only at the Palace, the cesspool of NBA arenas. Fans in Detroit are allowed to get away with more than anywhere else. More than one player, including one with a high-ranking position in the union, has said privately that the Palace is the worst place for a visiting player because of racist comments and the lack of security.
Rules for fools
Security sources say the league is working on new rules that deal with how players act on the court. One is going to prohibit players from lying down on the scorers table, as Artest did before he went into the stands to find the fan who threw the cup at him. Call it the "Artest Rule."
"We've never been told what consequences we would face if we ran into the stands and started fighting with the fans," said Cleveland's Drew Gooden.
Well, now they know. As Atlanta's Kenny Anderson said upon reflection, "You can't go into the stands. We have to act professional."
Playoffs? What playoffs?
Artest is under the mistaken impression that he gets to come back for the playoffs. "When those 73 games are over, I'll be ready for the first round," he said. "I'll have a lot of muscle, a lot of energy, a good jump shot."
Sorry, Ron. The league defines its season as including playoffs, too. See you in 2005-06.
Deal's a deal
In case the Pacers are thinking of voiding Artest's deal - which has four years left at $29.16 million - they can't. According to a lawyer who has looked at Artest's contract, it doesn't contain a clause that triggers termination for the behavior Artest engaged in.
Forget Paris
With the rest of the season off, Artest might be thinking of picking up some extra money by going overseas to play. But Indiana would have to give permission and the Pacers aren't going to do him any favors.
Slam Dunks
Something to keep an eye on: Allen Iverson's tardiness and aversion to practice is already starting to wear thin on coach Jim O'Brien, and teammates as well. . . . Karl Malone is not interested in playing in Indiana, which certainly could use him. The Mailman would have to accept the vet's minimum of $1.1 million, pro-rated. There's only a 50-50 chance he'll return and it would be only for the Lakers, anyway - and not before Jan. 1. He told friends this past week his knee is 100%. . . . Malone's old teammate, John Stockton, had his No. 12 retired last week in Utah. No surprise that his speech to the Delta Center fans ran all of about 20 seconds - probably twice as long as he had intended.
One scout's take on Vince Carter, the subject of more trade rumors than anyone else these days: "He's still a talented player, but he no longer plays with that fearlessness he had when he came into the league. Back when he first started, he got to the basket, no matter what. That separated him from a lot of guys. But age and injuries have taken their toll on him."
Seattle, yes, Seattle, became the first team with 10 wins when it held Minnesota's Kevin Garnett to a season-low 16 points Tuesday. Over the course of two games, the undersized Sonics held Garnett and Tim Duncan to a combined nine-of-32 shooting and only 33 points, while posting double-digit wins over the Spurs (by 19) and Timberwolves (by 11). They used the same strategy for both superstar big men: Push them off the block, surround them, constantly body them and make them work. "This shows that our style of ball, we can win with this," said Seattle's Danny Fortson. We'll see about that in May.
An Enigma In the Hall Of Infamy
Suspended NBA Player Is Full of Contradictions
By Mike Wise and Sally Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A01
The basketball player branded America's menace is on the telephone, calling from a children's pizza parlor in suburban Indiana. Ron Artest knows television does not lie. That's him on videotape, balling his fists, over and over.
He also explains that trauma is relative, pleading for everyone to move on -- beyond even the endless televised loop.
Ron Artest is restrained following a fight with fans at a game in Detroit on Nov. 19. He was suspended for the season and could lose $5 million in salary. (Duane Burleson -- AP)
After all, when Artest was 12, he saw someone get shot in front of his housing complex in New York City, but life kept moving then, too. "We just gathered the kids around us and told 'em it would be all right," Artest recalled. "They could go outside again.
"People say I'm a thug or whatever," Artest said. "But my cousin got life for killing someone. I have other cousins who sold cocaine and drugs. So what type of person am I supposed to be? Don't I deserve some credit for overcoming that? I didn't see a lot of nice stuff growing up, so really, who am I supposed to be?"
Who is Artest supposed to be? Villain to many, victim to some, today the all-star forward of the Indiana Pacers is at the epicenter of one of the most violent altercations in the annals of American sports, a free-swinging brawl nine days ago between players and fans in the final minute of an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in a suburban Detroit arena. Repeated televised replays of the fight have spot-shadowed the widening disconnect between millionaire basketball players and their suddenly emboldened customers.
Two days after the melee, National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern suspended Artest for the remainder of the 2004-05 season -- a total of 73 games, the longest non-drug related suspension in NBA history. The NBA Players Association has appealed Artest's suspension, and those of Pacers teammates Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, who were docked 30 and 25 games, respectively, for their role in the brawl.
But it was Artest's behavior that thrust him into a select hall of infamy, alongside basketball's Latrell Sprewell, who choked his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, seven years ago, and Todd Bertuzzi, the NHL player who is awaiting trial on assault charges stemming from an on-ice sucker punch last season.
The image of Artest leaping into the stands to confront a fan after being pelted with a large beverage -- and the subsequent punches Artest landed to another fan who approached him on the court in a threatening manner -- became career-defining. The NBA's reigning defensive player of the year stands to lose more than $5 million for his actions.
"I just plan to move on with my life and come back on the court," he said during an interview Friday night arranged by his business partner in a record-label venture. Artest phoned back to emphasize how much he deeply regretted the brawl and its impact. But on the advice of his lawyers, Artest refused to discuss specifics of the incident.
'He's Emotional'
Before the events of Nov. 19, Artest, 25, had been fined $87,500 and suspended a total of 15 games during his six seasons as an NBA player. Stern acknowledged Artest's past had influenced his decision.
When Artest was confronted with his litany of suspensions, he pointed out that most of his physical anger was channeled toward inanimate objects, such as the video monitor he destroyed at Madison Square Garden two years ago. Many of his fights, Artest said, have pitted him against immovable basket stanchions or telephones he yanked from the wall.
"I never hurt anybody in the NBA, you know?" he said.
Artest is often guileless, displaying an emotional candor that is raw and unsparing. He fits into no narrative. He seldom recognizes the magnitude of his deeds or, often, his words.
Artest seemed not to fully comprehend the fallout earlier this month when he asked the Pacers for a month off to help promote a record he was financially fronting and to rest his sore body.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...7.html?sub=new
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/st...p-220037c.html
Still some fight left, but . . .
What a difference a week makes
Ron Artest went from slugging it out with fans ...
... to signing autographs within a matter of days.
It's been a little more than a week since that terrible night in Auburn Hills. With suspensions having been handed out and rap albums released, here's a look at some of the other fallout from the Pistons-Pacers slugfest:
Arbitration
The case is almost certain to go to arbitration, with Washington-based arbitrator Roger Kaplan having sole power to uphold or shorten the record suspensions. Kaplan has been on the job hearing league grievances since the NBA fired John Feerick, the former Fordham law school dean who gained infamy in the Latrell Sprewell case, nearly five years ago. Feerick ruled that the league did not have the right to terminate the final three years of Sprewell's deal after he choked P.J. Carlesimo.
Kaplan first will determine if he has jurisdiction in the Pistons-Pacers case, perhaps in the next 10 days. The league will argue that the riot in Detroit was strictly an oncourt matter, which would give David Stern the sole right to determine penalties. But several times in announcing the penalties, the commissioner said that Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson "crossed the line'' when they ran into the stands to fight unruly fans.
Does that line separate oncourt and offcourt activities? Kaplan will be the one who makes that determination. One question, though: If this were just an "oncourt'' incident, how could Stern ban Artest for the entire season, while nailing Jackson for 30 games?
Past imperfect
If Kaplan rules that he has jurisdiction, the case probably will be heard within the next 20-30 days. In that hearing, which would take up to five days, according to persons who have worked on NBA grievance hearings, witnesses will be called and evidence, such as videotape of the riot, will be introduced. The league is bound to bring up Artest's history of bad behavior and suspensions in justifying his penalty. Stern said it factored into his "unanimous, 1-0" decision to sit Artest the remainder of the season.
But the league also tried that in the Sprewell case, bringing up the fact that he once attemped to attack Jerome Kersey with a two-by-four, among other sordid details in his past at Golden State. But Feerick turned a blind eye to Sprewell's history when reinstating his contract, which totaled nearly $25 million.
The union will contend that based on previous fights, the suspensions were excessive. The only other player who ever ran into the stands to confront a fan and throw a punch was then-Rocket Vernon Maxwell. He got 10 games and a $25,000 fine for attacking a fan in Portland.
Players Association executive director Billy Hunter, who was as aghast at the level of violence displayed in the Pistons-Pacers fracas as anyone, wanted Artest to be banned through the All-Star Game, making it a 42-game suspension. Hunter could have lived with 20 games apiece for Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, who were bounced for 25.
Stern probably will contend that the riot was unprecedented, and that allowed him to hand out unprecedented penalities. The riot shook the league to its very foundation, so Stern had to do what he did to send a message to its players and the ticket-buying public. From this vantage point if he had bounced Jackson for the season as well, it would have been justifiable. From watching the tape, Jackson's sole mission as he entered the stands was to take out fans.
After the hearing, Kaplan will have 30 days to rule, but both sides will likely ask for a fast ruling.
Someone call security
The league has issued an alert to the 29 arenas: increase security where it's called for and deal swiftly with unruly fans. In actuality, the league probably needs to immediately address security only at the Palace, the cesspool of NBA arenas. Fans in Detroit are allowed to get away with more than anywhere else. More than one player, including one with a high-ranking position in the union, has said privately that the Palace is the worst place for a visiting player because of racist comments and the lack of security.
Rules for fools
Security sources say the league is working on new rules that deal with how players act on the court. One is going to prohibit players from lying down on the scorers table, as Artest did before he went into the stands to find the fan who threw the cup at him. Call it the "Artest Rule."
"We've never been told what consequences we would face if we ran into the stands and started fighting with the fans," said Cleveland's Drew Gooden.
Well, now they know. As Atlanta's Kenny Anderson said upon reflection, "You can't go into the stands. We have to act professional."
Playoffs? What playoffs?
Artest is under the mistaken impression that he gets to come back for the playoffs. "When those 73 games are over, I'll be ready for the first round," he said. "I'll have a lot of muscle, a lot of energy, a good jump shot."
Sorry, Ron. The league defines its season as including playoffs, too. See you in 2005-06.
Deal's a deal
In case the Pacers are thinking of voiding Artest's deal - which has four years left at $29.16 million - they can't. According to a lawyer who has looked at Artest's contract, it doesn't contain a clause that triggers termination for the behavior Artest engaged in.
Forget Paris
With the rest of the season off, Artest might be thinking of picking up some extra money by going overseas to play. But Indiana would have to give permission and the Pacers aren't going to do him any favors.
Slam Dunks
Something to keep an eye on: Allen Iverson's tardiness and aversion to practice is already starting to wear thin on coach Jim O'Brien, and teammates as well. . . . Karl Malone is not interested in playing in Indiana, which certainly could use him. The Mailman would have to accept the vet's minimum of $1.1 million, pro-rated. There's only a 50-50 chance he'll return and it would be only for the Lakers, anyway - and not before Jan. 1. He told friends this past week his knee is 100%. . . . Malone's old teammate, John Stockton, had his No. 12 retired last week in Utah. No surprise that his speech to the Delta Center fans ran all of about 20 seconds - probably twice as long as he had intended.
One scout's take on Vince Carter, the subject of more trade rumors than anyone else these days: "He's still a talented player, but he no longer plays with that fearlessness he had when he came into the league. Back when he first started, he got to the basket, no matter what. That separated him from a lot of guys. But age and injuries have taken their toll on him."
Seattle, yes, Seattle, became the first team with 10 wins when it held Minnesota's Kevin Garnett to a season-low 16 points Tuesday. Over the course of two games, the undersized Sonics held Garnett and Tim Duncan to a combined nine-of-32 shooting and only 33 points, while posting double-digit wins over the Spurs (by 19) and Timberwolves (by 11). They used the same strategy for both superstar big men: Push them off the block, surround them, constantly body them and make them work. "This shows that our style of ball, we can win with this," said Seattle's Danny Fortson. We'll see about that in May.
An Enigma In the Hall Of Infamy
Suspended NBA Player Is Full of Contradictions
By Mike Wise and Sally Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A01
The basketball player branded America's menace is on the telephone, calling from a children's pizza parlor in suburban Indiana. Ron Artest knows television does not lie. That's him on videotape, balling his fists, over and over.
He also explains that trauma is relative, pleading for everyone to move on -- beyond even the endless televised loop.
Ron Artest is restrained following a fight with fans at a game in Detroit on Nov. 19. He was suspended for the season and could lose $5 million in salary. (Duane Burleson -- AP)
After all, when Artest was 12, he saw someone get shot in front of his housing complex in New York City, but life kept moving then, too. "We just gathered the kids around us and told 'em it would be all right," Artest recalled. "They could go outside again.
"People say I'm a thug or whatever," Artest said. "But my cousin got life for killing someone. I have other cousins who sold cocaine and drugs. So what type of person am I supposed to be? Don't I deserve some credit for overcoming that? I didn't see a lot of nice stuff growing up, so really, who am I supposed to be?"
Who is Artest supposed to be? Villain to many, victim to some, today the all-star forward of the Indiana Pacers is at the epicenter of one of the most violent altercations in the annals of American sports, a free-swinging brawl nine days ago between players and fans in the final minute of an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in a suburban Detroit arena. Repeated televised replays of the fight have spot-shadowed the widening disconnect between millionaire basketball players and their suddenly emboldened customers.
Two days after the melee, National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern suspended Artest for the remainder of the 2004-05 season -- a total of 73 games, the longest non-drug related suspension in NBA history. The NBA Players Association has appealed Artest's suspension, and those of Pacers teammates Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, who were docked 30 and 25 games, respectively, for their role in the brawl.
But it was Artest's behavior that thrust him into a select hall of infamy, alongside basketball's Latrell Sprewell, who choked his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, seven years ago, and Todd Bertuzzi, the NHL player who is awaiting trial on assault charges stemming from an on-ice sucker punch last season.
The image of Artest leaping into the stands to confront a fan after being pelted with a large beverage -- and the subsequent punches Artest landed to another fan who approached him on the court in a threatening manner -- became career-defining. The NBA's reigning defensive player of the year stands to lose more than $5 million for his actions.
"I just plan to move on with my life and come back on the court," he said during an interview Friday night arranged by his business partner in a record-label venture. Artest phoned back to emphasize how much he deeply regretted the brawl and its impact. But on the advice of his lawyers, Artest refused to discuss specifics of the incident.
'He's Emotional'
Before the events of Nov. 19, Artest, 25, had been fined $87,500 and suspended a total of 15 games during his six seasons as an NBA player. Stern acknowledged Artest's past had influenced his decision.
When Artest was confronted with his litany of suspensions, he pointed out that most of his physical anger was channeled toward inanimate objects, such as the video monitor he destroyed at Madison Square Garden two years ago. Many of his fights, Artest said, have pitted him against immovable basket stanchions or telephones he yanked from the wall.
"I never hurt anybody in the NBA, you know?" he said.
Artest is often guileless, displaying an emotional candor that is raw and unsparing. He fits into no narrative. He seldom recognizes the magnitude of his deeds or, often, his words.
Artest seemed not to fully comprehend the fallout earlier this month when he asked the Pacers for a month off to help promote a record he was financially fronting and to rest his sore body.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...7.html?sub=new
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