Give World Peace the silent treatment
Ron Artest Metta World Peace has been hated throughout the NBA. There’s no way to calculate the tonnage of boos that have be thrust upon him.
But what if there were no boos?
When Metta World War is introduced Monday night prior to Game 1, a sellout crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena no doubt will boo him like they have booed no other. It will arrive at 10 times the force that will greet Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, which is heavy stuff.
If venomous boos are a drug, then MWP very well might overdose in OKC.
But what if there were no boos?
Metta Give Peace A Chance defied his new name and human decency on April 22 when he delivered a wicked elbow to the face of Thunder guard James Harden, who was sidelined the final two regular-season games with a concussion. The elbow also delivered a seven-game suspension for the Artest Formerly Known As Ron.
World Chaos is in his wheel house right now. The opposing fans can’t stand him, he knows it, he loves it, he embraces it, he is motivated by it.
But what if there were no boos?
Imagine the deafening roar if silence greeted What’s His Name tonight. Imagine the pain silence potentially could inflict on this villain. It would be like Dracula awakening at sunrise.
“At forward, from St. John’s, Metta World Peace.”
And cue the crickets.
There’s no way in blazes this will ever happen, of course. Thunder fans are nuts, even rooting for a 23-59 team during its first season. Their affection toward Harden will be even more intensified tonight with his first appearance since being named Sixth Man of the Year.
Bedlam repeatedly has shown how maniacal fans are in this state, but is it possible to tuck away all the boos and hisses when Whos Its steps onto the court?
Not only would the silent treatment be taking the high road, it would be taking a road fans never travel.
If boos fuel this Malice At The Palace headliner, couldn’t silence have the opposite effect? Ignoring somebody, particularly a pro athlete, can be incredibly insulting.
Silence would signal that nobody inside The Peake gives a hoot about That Dude Who Elbowed James. It would be akin to introducing the Sacramento Kings, who drew nothing but crickets when they were introduced in the Thunder’s penultimate home game this season.
The sound of silence would only work if all 18,203 fans cooperate, because even a smattering of boos would kill the intended impact. (And if you’re a Lakers fan at the game, it’s probably best to keep quiet on this particular subject.)
Of all the joyous moments in The Peake this season, the loudest fan reaction potentially could occur when a basketball thug hiding behind a different name is introduced. There’s something seriously wrong with that.
Why give the World Wide Leader Of NBA Suspensions the satisfaction? Become proud passivists.
Again, this request will never happen. It’s a pipe dream, but worthy of consideration.
If OKC fans want to be viewed as different, why behave precisely like every other fan base would?
Be different. Don’t boo. Remain silent when Mega Cheap Shot is introduced. Heck, turn your back on the guy. Literally show him the back side of the complimentary T-shirt you’ll be wearing.
Take the road never traveled.
If you truly want OKC to get noticed on national television, give the nation crickets.
Second Round Ripe For Retaliation
If the Thunder and Lakers make it to the second round, James Harden and Metta World Peace will once again share the court. Could tempers flare?
With Metta World Peace receiving a seven-game game suspension for his vicious elbow to the head of James Harden, the Lakers forward could be back in time for a potential second-round series against the Thunder.
And that could be a problem.
No one on the Thunder will forget what World Peace did to Harden. And by allowing World Peace to return for what already would be an intense playoff series, the league is risking emotions rising and retaliation being served up.
World Peace will begin serving his suspension Thursday in the Lakers’ season finale at Sacramento. He must then sit out the next six games in which he is eligible and physically able to play. So if the Lakers get swept in the first round, World Peace must sit out the first two regular season games next season. Should the Lakers get knocked out in the first round, crisis averted.
But all signs point to the Thunder and Lakers being on a collision course to meet in the semifinals. OKC is locked into the 2-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. L.A. is locked into the 3-spot. Both teams are widely believed to be able to beat whichever first-round opponent they draw between Dallas, Denver and Utah. If they do, we’re looking at a second round series that will be filled with story lines and possible some good old fashion get back.
NBA Commissioner David Stern said on his annual pre-playoff conference call today that the league has “reason to believe that James will be available for the playoffs.” Of course, Stern and his staff would know. The Thunder must consult with the league and its appointed doctor who oversees the NBA’s concussion program before Harden can be cleared to return. Thus, the villain and the victim could soon be reunited on a court near you. (more…)
Magic Calls Artest’s Elbow A ‘Cheap Shot’
Roughly 10 minutes after Ron Artest went upside James Harden’s head with a wicked elbow, the ABC studio crew jumped right into analyzing the attack during the broadcast’s halftime show. Two former NBA players, one of them Hall of Famer and former Lakers great Magic Johnson, delivered the strongest statements in speaking out against the vicious play that knocked Harden out of the game and perhaps the remainder of the regular season. Magic immediately said he believed Artest’s act was intentional and ruled it a “cheap shot.”
I’m sitting here as a former Laker and it’s just really disheartening for me because last year (Andrew) Bynum takes out J.J. Barea. And now this. It was definitely intentional. You don’t go up to a man’s head without it being intentional. And I love Metta World Peace. He’s got to get suspended, not only the Sacramento game, but he’s probably going to get suspended the first game of the playoffs. And this is not how the Lakers should be playing. Look, I like physical basketball but I don’t like cheap shots. And that was a cheap shot.”
Jon Barry, a 14-year NBA player, also considered it intentional and said Artest has to be suspended into the playoffs. You can hear the entire segment below as Magic, Barry, Michael Wilbon and Chris Broussard discuss the play.
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Oklahoma City Thunder: Will stiff penalty deter Artest?
Two years ago during the Thunder-Laker playoff series, I got to chat with Ron Artest (this was before the name change). Just the two of us. I wrote about Artest’s efforts to change his bad-boy image. You can read that column here.
Artest, now Metta World Peace, laid those efforts in ruin Sunday in Los Angeles, where his vicious elbow, not in the flow of play, sent the Thunder’s James Harden to the floor with a concussion. Harden’s status remains unknown, and really, so does Metta World Chaos’.
A player with a rap sheet like Chaos’ will draw a hefty penalty from NBA commissioner David Stern. Some say five games, some say 10, some say more. But Stern has a problem. Whatever penalty he selects, he knows it’s fully punitive. Knows the penalty’s full effects will be the harm it does to the Lakers and to Chaos personally. None of the penalty will be rehabilitative.
Chaos has shown himself to be unchangeable. His repeated outbursts, notably the brawl in Auburn Hills, Mich., that gave the NBA perhaps its worst black eye ever, have reached the point where we now know for certain that Chaos will erupt. Kobe Bryant can call him “sweet.” I can spend five minutes with him and declare that the league’s bad boy has mellowed in his old age. But now we know that the Artest formerly known as Ron will explode. The only variable is time.
Which is why Stern faces a dilemma. Punishment won’t serve as a deterrent. Artest once was suspended for 73 games, yet his ways haven’t changed. Just as imprisonment hasn’t scared off some criminals from committing crimes, suspensions have no effect on Chaos.
How should I say this? Metta World Chaos is a kook. Not a kook in the way your brother-in-law is a kook. A kook in the clinical sense. There’s a wiring issue. Chaos is a stranger in a stranger land. He doesn’t fit, even in the surreal culture of the NBA. How is Stern to discipline someone who really doesn’t respond to discipline? The only answer is banishment. And Stern doesn’t want to banish Chaos. I don’t want Stern to banish Chaos. Heck, James Harden doesn’t Stern to banish Chaos. The NBA is a more interesting place with Chaos.
Of course, a stiff suspension could be a deterrent to other NBA players. Just because Chaos doesn’t get it doesn’t mean right-thinking players wouldn’t give pause. The NBA is dealing with a couple of hot-button issues — the concussion frenzy that envelopes all sports, plus the flagrant fouls, which seem to be accelerating.
So Stern could use the mugging of Harden to spread the word that he is intent on keeping the NBA’s streets safe. Just as long as he knows the penalty will have little bearing on Metta World Chaos himself.
Five Quick Thoughts From Thunder-Lakers
1) World Peace will pay. Metta World Peace will be suspended. You can count on that. I don’t know how many games his vicious blow to the head of James Harden will command. But you can expect World Peace to pay the price. The consensus among media members, players and executives here at Staples Center is that Artest will be suspended five games at a minimum. Regardless of what World Peace said after the game, it was a cheap shot. It looked to be intentional, and he’ll have to suffer the consequences of letting his emotions get the best of him.
2) This was a bad loss. There’s no way around it. The fight the Thunder showed in both overtimes means absolutely nothing. Unless, of course, you believe in moral victories. It shouldn’t even be brought up. The way the Thunder collapsed — again — in the second half was unbelievable. OKC was ahead 79-62 with 10 1/2 minutes left. And lost. In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Thunder went 9-of-36 from the field and was outscored 53-29. It’s the third straight defeat in which the Thunder collapsed in the second half. Consider the Thunder’s inability to close a full blown problem. We’re not talking about sealing the deal against cupcakes, or even against playoff teams with nothing to play for. When the stakes have been high, and messages are being sent, the Thunder has struggled to finish. At this point, there is little reason to believe that won’t change eventually come playoff time.
3) The stars have got to step up. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook can’t combine to shoot 14-of-56. I don’t care if it’s against the Bobcats. There’s no way those two should have that much of an off night on the same night. Westbrook took questionable shots from the start. Durant simply took way too many jumpers. With James Harden KO’d with a concussion, all the heavy lifting was on KD and Westbrook’s shoulders. And neither stopped settling for jump shots until it was too late. Durant in particular got a ton of quality shots. But until the Thunder learns to consistently pass up good shots for great shots (especially when the good ones aren’t falling), OKC will continue to struggle in times like these. Notice what Kobe Bryant did tonight? He drove and dished to Pau Gasol. He made the extra pass to Steve Blake. He forced the action and got the shot he wanted instead of the shot the Thunder’s defense allowed him to take. That’s where Durant and Westbrook need to get. We’ve seen it at times. But consistency is key.
4) Kendrick Perkins’ D was incredible. Add this one to Perk’s season resume. He shut down Andrew Bynum to the point that Lakers coach Mike Brown had no choice but to bench the big man in favor of the more effective Jordan Hill. Bynum finished with 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting. But he scored just six points on 3-of-8 shooting against Perk. Of those three shots by Bynum, one was a dunk off an offensive rebound in which Perk had to cover Gasol, one was a 17-foot jumper from the top of the key and the other was a reverse slam in which Bynum got free from Perk. You couldn’t have asked for a better defensive effort by Perk tonight.
5) The 2-ssed suits the Thunder. Even after the Lakers’ impressive comeback (or was it the Thunder’s monumental collapse?), did you see anything in L.A. that frightened you? Me neither. The Thunder is built to beat the Lakers. Plain and simple. If, of course, OKC can get past (presumably) Dallas in the first round. For as flawed as this team has been, and continues to be, the dominoes have fallen in such a way that the Thunder has as clear of a path as it can get to the Western Conference Finals at the very least. The Mavs still have a shot to beat the Thunder, but the Lakers in the second round could be a six-game series. Maybe even five. Kobe has proven to be a good option defensively on Westbrook. But the Lakers still would have to account for Harden and Durant, while Perk and Serge Ibaka have shown they can handle Bynum and Gasol. It would be an entertaining series, but the Thunder should advance.
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Thunder Reaction To World Peace Play
Here’s what Thunder coach Scott Brooks and OKC players said about Metta World Peace’s elbow to the head of James Harden. World Peace’s statement is also included below. Harden was not made available to the media.
WORLD PEACE
During that play I just dunked on Durant and Ibaka and I got really emotional and excited and it was unfortunate that James had to get hit with an unintentional elbow. I hope he’s OK. The Thunder, they’re playing for a championship this year, so I hope that he’s OK and I apologize to the Thunder and to James Harden. You know, it was such a great game and it was unfortunate so much emotion was going on at that time … That’s it for today.
SCOTT BROOKS
It was a bad play. There’s no way around it. It’s a dangerous play. It’s not a play that should be involved in basketball. And it’s unfortunate it happened. I know Ron, but unfortunately it did happen. You can’t do that. That’s unacceptable.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
I didn’t really see what happened. I just saw James got hit in the head. I just saw the ending of it. That’s all I saw. I haven’t seen a replay, but I’m pretty sure I’ll see it. That’s going to be on TV.
KEVIN DURANT
I couldn’t really get a good look at it. I’m just happy my teammate’s all right. It was a bad play. Hopefully Ron didn’t do it intentionally or have any malicious intentions on that. But it is what it is. We got to move past that. (Harden) felt good. Obviously, we had to make sure he was all right going down the line. Our trainers and stuff do a great job and we believe in them 100 percent. I’m looking forward to James being back out there.
KENDRICK PERKINS
Actions were taken. The consequences were there. It was a Flagrant 2 and he got thrown out of the game. It happens. Sometimes it’s an intense game. Metta World Peace, he’s a good dude so I know he wouldn’t try to hurt nobody. It happens and we just hope to have James back for the next game.
THABO SEFOLOSHA
During the review I saw it. Stupid play. Stupid play. We don’t need that.
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Artest reveals the secret to guarding Durant
In two games against the world champion Los Angeles Lakers this season, Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant is a shooting a combined 36.4 percent (16 for 44) from the field and 9.1 percent (1 for 11) from 3-point range. In last year’s playoff series against the Lakers, Durant shot 35.0 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range.
Every time, Ron Artest has been the primary defender against Durant. And every time, Artest has been asked how he defends the league scoring champ so successfully.
“I give the same answer. You just need to go review the tape,” Artest said after Sunday’s 90-87 victory over the Thunder inside Oklahoma City Arena. “I just try to play hard, man.”
A mischievous Artest then had a playful thought and politely asked a team official to fetch his game shoes. Artest endorses the new BALL’N shoe line and his signature model is due out in October.
“It’s not me. It’s the shoes,” Artest said with a smile, holding up one shoe so television cameras could zoom in. “It’s totally not me. He (Durant) is a good player, but without these shoes I don’t know what I’d do.”
