<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Anyone interested in a fair, nuanced portrait of Ron Artest the person should check out the Nov. 28 Washington Post. Mike Wise and Sally Jenkins? article, titled ?An Enigma In the Hall Of Infamy: Suspended NBA Player Is Full of Contradictions?, is so good that the editors put it on the frontpage of the news section. Nevertheless, my advice to Post editors is to fire Wise and Jenkins from the sports department and rehire them (with raises) as reporters and feature writers on non-sports matters. On the one hand, the story showcases their intelligence, sensitivity, writing skill and investigative zeal. On the other hand, the brief passages that deal with Artest the basketball player reveal a profound ignorance about the player and the game. Consider this paragraph: ?Unlike so many of his physically gifted all-star peers, Artest was not blessed with a great vertical leap or a potent offensive arsenal. His calling card became his combativeness, his tenacity. From Dirk Nowitzki to Allan Houston, he pasted cut-out pictures of prolific scorers he had shut down in his locker cubicle.? First of all, no one is ?blessed with? a ?potent offensive arsenal.? Not Kobe or LeBron, Jordan or Hakeem, Bird or Kareem, Kiki or Dantley, Gervin or Westphal. A ?great vertical leap? is indeed a blessing, or natural gift, but a potent offensive arsenal is something you develop. You may be ?blessed with? quickness, hops and even a soft touch. But the bank shots, finger rolls, sky hooks, leaping leaners, runners, long-range bombs, pull-up jumpers, jumphooks, ?Dream shakes? and so on are the product of imagination, creativity, trial-and-error, and countless hours on the court, sometimes with friends or teammates, sometimes alone. Not for a few months, but for many years. That?s how you become the Iceman, the Logo or the Mailman. Secondly, Artest, who?s barely 25 years old, has already developed his own ?potent offensive arsenal.? He has gotten better with each passing year, but even two seasons ago, when he repeatedly ran afoul of the league office for unacceptable conduct on and off the court, Artest was displaying a fabulous all-around offensive game. He could drive with both hands and finish with either (few righthanders can drive left and finish with the left hand as well as Ron); he was a good passer, whether stationary or on the move, with either hand or both; he could catch-and-shoot and he could shoot off the dribble; he could shoot from beyond the arc and from mid-range. He still does all those things, only more efficiently. Fans can view his year-by-year progress here; note in particular the upward spike in shooting percentages for this season?s games, prior to his suspension. When Wise and Jenkins write that ?Unlike so many of his physically gifted all-star peers, Artest was not blessed with a great vertical leap. . . ?, the implication is that Artest is not ?physically gifted,? at least compared to fellow all-stars. The reporters even suggest that without his ?calling card? ? ?combativeness? and ?tenacity? ? he?d be just another player. That is nonsense. First, Ron is not glued to the ground. Second, the NBA has produced countless stars ? black and white ? who lacked a ?great vertical leap.? Third, one can be incredibly ?physically gifted? without that trait. To play basketball, you need to be quick off your feet and light on your feet. Being able to jump like Jordan is a wonderful bonus, but it is not a pre-requisite. Ron is indeed combative and tenacious, but he?s also supremely gifted in ways that forecast defensive excellence. He?s among the league leaders in steals every year because he has the quickest hands this side of Jackie Chan. Turning to the lower extremities, Ron has great lateral quickness, and his low center of gravity helps him retain balance and body control even when moving rapidly, regardless of direction. The reason Bruce Bowen and Ron can hound their guy 25 feet from the hoop ? that is, get in the guy?s face and be ?combative? and ?tenacious? ? is because they can stay with him if he tries to drive. The reason Carmelo Anthony, Antawn Jamison, Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson and Vince Carter don?t defend that way has little to do with attitude and almost everything to do with lateral slowness. Every night Ron takes the floor, he has a tremendous strength advantage in his individual matchup. Ron is a very broad 6-7. He weighs 247, and you can tell that that is what he?s supposed to weigh; he?s not carrying around a lot of pumped-up bulk that a muscles-obsessed coach has ordered. When you?re a wide load and have quicker hands and feet than your foe, you have one heck of an advantage. Just ask Shaq.</div> Full Article
very nice article pure i really enjoyed reading this article. i love defense myself and this was an interesting article. It really made me look at things in a diffrent perspective when judging the lack of defense by guys like carter. i now feel that there is an explanation for their woes. very interesting article.
