Artest Is Trying to Distance Himself from His Violent Past, Not Embrace It

The internets are abuzz today with the news that, indeed, Ron Artest saw a guy killed by a piece of table during a basketball game. Not that anyone was about to call Artest a liar when he recounted the story in the locker room. But having it confirmed by actual news sources strips away any possibility of exaggeration or ulterior motives. That was Artest about as psychologically naked as pro athletes get.↵
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↵What it wasn’t, though, was some sort of warning to the Lakers, or reason to think Kobe needs to watch his back. It was anything but Ron Ron glorifying his own gulliness, implying that he’d bring that kind of fury to the court. Listen again: He’s going out of his way to distance himself from that extreme of rough-and-tumble basketball. He emphasizes his team’s commitment to not playing dirty, and stresses that while the playoffs are physical, there is a limit. Yes, Artest got ejected after going at Kobe, but he’s doing damage control, trying to let us know that Kobe crossed a line and the refs didn’t keep up their end of the bargain. It was frustration, and he regrets it. It was not a beast awakened, it was a guy losing his cool.↵
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↵It’s kind of disturbing that fans applaud Artest’s craziness, as if that were the key to him being a great basketball player. As if there weren’t a point where determination bifurcates into KG -- like intensity and utter lack of self-control. The Brawl doesn’t add to Artest’s legend, it detracts from it. In the same way, knowing that Ron Ron saw people die over basketball isn’t a reason to get more excited about his toughness on the court, or think this series is about to get a whole lot more awesome. It’s exactly why we should get excited if Ron Artest comes out and plays like the Kobe elbow, and his subsequent reaction, never happened.↵