This was from 2004 written by Woj... Here was my first contact with Ron Artest Theater: Queensbridge Projects, April of 1999 and there was the St. John's sophomore holding a neighborhood recreation center hostage, when he was supposed to be holding a news conference to turn professional. As little as I recall Artest getting around to talk about declaring for the NBA Draft that day, I sure do remember the stunned faces of St. John's officials trapped on the stage with him. As old friends and vague acquaintances from his neighborhood stood in the corners and against the walls of the gymnasium, Artest used his microphone to introduce them all, informing us of their nicknames and life stories, telling us about the time so-and-so gave him a nickel for the gumball machine, and her cousin held open a door for him over at the Burger King. This thing wouldn't end. Wouldn't stop. After 35 minutes, Artest was still going on and on. It was so arduous, so painful, it was hilarious. The so-proper school suits seated on the stage exchanged uneasy glances to each other, wondering when in the world they would be freed of this kid. Near the end of his mind-numbing diatribe, Artest stopped everything. He stared into a bank of cameras, tapped his microphone and asked, "Is it live?" The gym turned deafeningly silent. "Hello family!" he blurted, smiling crookedly and waving into the cameras. The kid was lost in his own world. At the time, he just seemed incredibly immature. Through the years, it became clearer that his issues run much deeper. Listen, they can sue for libel if you call someone insane, so I won't do it here. Yet now, the Indiana Pacers' Artest has gone and elevated himself to poster child for Here's What's Wrong With Sports, a composite sketch of the self-absorbed, delusional modern athlete. Step right up Ron, and absorb those wagging fingers from the sporting public. Yes, the NBA and pro sports are all heading for the dumper, and Artest is marching at the front of the parade, leading the way with his baton. This is the story now, right? See, Artest has a little music label going for himself, a female group with a CD due out this month, and it seems he stepped into Pacers coach Rick Carlisle's office to make a reasonable request. He was worn out. Hey, the music industry is hard work. He had come into training camp overweight for the first time. He had some bumps and bruises. The man was tired. So, he requested a leave of absence for a few weeks. Just until the release of the album on Nov. 23, anyway. "After the album comes out, I'm going to make sure all of my time is focused on winning a championship," Artest said. Every family has a crazy Uncle Larry. Well, just imagine if they gave him a ton of money and let reporters and television cameras talk to him every day at work. That's all this is. This is just Ron Artest, cartoon character. There's no logic. There's no explanation. Most of all, there ought to be no extrapolating wide-reaching declarations of doom for the NBA. Just life on Planet Artest, just a new-age Darryl Dawkins and World B. Free. We've had them forever in sports, and thank goodness, we still do. Deep down, we're all a little disappointed this two-day saga ended so calmly on Friday. Artest was brought back to play against the 76ers in Philadelphia, and will be waiting for the Knicks tonight in Indianapolis. As long as you aren't a Pacers fan pining for a title, let's face it: This was classic material. In that respect, Artest, 24, never disappoints. With the Bulls, he tried to take a job at the Best Buy on Sunday afternoons to get the employee discount for equipment. He had been buying so much stuff for family and friends, he practically blew his whole rookie year salary in the NBA. When Michael Jordan allegedly teased Artest once over his state of financial woe in a summer pickup game, legend has it Artest picked him up and body-slammed him. Even cracked a couple of ribs. The irony is that Artest is so unlike the deficient basketball players our failed feeder system sends to the NBA these days. He defends like a demon. He does the dirty work. And he can score the ball too. He's playing at 66 RPM, when too many others are coasting at 33 RPM. It's a shame this saga will cast him as a dysfunctional, uninspired player, when he's clearly always been just dysfunctional. While there was some embellishment in his declaration to promote his fledgling label's album release as his reason to take time off, the NBA has immersed itself so deep into the music culture, it shouldn't be a surprise it has players wandering off into it. Even at the expense of basketball careers. The NBA has tapped into the hip-hop culture to reach its next generation of fans, understanding it's losing its traditional base of wealthy, white ticket buyers. What the league has lost in sold-out arenas and television ratings, it probably has gained back in the merchandising and video games. The NBA has positioned itself as the pro league of choice in the music industry, embracing the way basketball stars and musicians move back and forth into each other's worlds. Shaq's rap albums made everyone laugh, but Allen Iverson's lyrics caused a furor. The NBA has to live with it all. So, Artest has been promoting his own female group these past few days, even insisting he's been using his own free time to record family friendly music of his own. "I'm speaking to kids on there," he told ESPN.com. Well, maybe we ought to replace the Weekly Reader with Ron Artest. He's speaking to our kids. For tonight, anyway, we'll have to live with just watching him go back to work against the Knicks. So relax everyone, Ron Artest isn't Armageddon for the NBA. He's just a cartoon character. Truth be told, we probably should be watching him on Saturday morning, not Saturday night.
I don't think saying Artest has issues is very professional. He's quirky, plain and simple. He's had trouble in his past, but if you're a professional writer, you should show more respect than that. He's a quirky, wild individual who isn't afraid to be who he is.
Wojo isn't very professional in general. He pretends to know what these players think and gets very dramatic, even though he barely knows them. He does this with various people.
