I defended Artest in the wake of the infamous brawl in November 2004 in Detroit. He should have been suspended. I would have put it at 20 games. Artest committed a hard foul. In retaliation, Ben Wallace shoved him in the throat. Artest decided to cool off and laid down on the scorer's table in an effort to do so. For his trouble, he got a beer in the face courtesy of a Pistons fan. Artest did what most of us would have done in a situation with tensions running high; he ran after the guy in an attempt to punch him in the face. As a result, he was suspended for the entire season (72 games plus the playoffs).
But that's not why Artest is a genius. For that, we need to look at his comments from last week. Artest was asked why Brandon Roy scored 42 points on him. Artest answered, "He's the best player I've played against." Better than Kobe or LeBron? Yes, was his unequivocal answer.
"Not on defense now. His defense is kind of suspect," Artest added with a wry smile.
Brandon Roy is a nice young scorer, but the best Artest has ever played against? Well actually, no. "He is, he's the best player I've played against, outside a guy from my hood in Queensbridge."
What must Brandon Roy have been thinking after hearing those comments? First, he must have been humiliated by the over-praise. Second, insulted by Artest's shot at Roy's defensive ability. Third, even more insulted because, according to Artest, Roy's not even as good as his boy Mike from Q-boro. And last, scared out of his mind because Artest is crazy. Artest came out and dominated the next game, clinching the series.
In Game 2 against the Lakers, Artest's reputation got the better of him again. Kobe threw an elbow into Artest's throat in a bid for a rebound. Artest was mysteriously called for the foul. Artest justifiably protested the call. His pleas were getting nowhere, so he confronted Kobe to let him know that would not be tolerated. The two were separated. Artest voluntarily walked away and continued to complain. He later said that his intention was to receive a technical foul to prove a point. He was clearly under control. Then, he made a motion with his arm, indicating the elbow Kobe threw at his throat. I believe Joey Crawford mistook this action for the “Chris Childs” throat slash and threw him out of the game.
Artest's actions were rational throughout. I understand Crawford's point of view. He thought Artest was heated at Kobe, needed to be restrained, and then directed a gesture in Kobe’s direction. But that isn't what happened. Let's start giving Artest the benefit of the doubt and change our thinking about him.
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