It's been a little over two years since that fateful day in Detroit. It was almost like yesterday when Ben
Wallace put a hard foul on Ron Artest who was then doused with a cup of water. As bad as that brawl was, it seemed to
mark a turning point in the career of Ron Artest. Like two sides of the same coin, Ron Artest has shown
two distinctly different faces in terms of his career before and after The Brawl.
Let's flashback shall we? It was 2004, Ron Artest was but a mere five years into his seemingly budding NBA
career, having claimed the defensive player of the year award the year before, it appeared his career could
only skyrocket.
He was as efficient as ever, averaging 18 ppg on
43% shooting the year before the brawl. Most importantly, it was commonplace to see him
play in half the minutes of his team's games. Easily, he was among the NBA elite at his position and was definitely a
fantasy monster accumulating an absurd amount of steals and at times, rebounds and points. Few remember how
talented this man was and to what extent he still is.
Flash forward to 2005 and beyond to see a Ron Artest that is as inconsistent and as out of place as he's ever
been, though he is making a case this season that he may be still something more than merely a shell of his
former elite self. In any case, the Ron Artest we are now used to is an inefficient scorer, shooting as
bad as we have ever seen him, especially from three where he used to be a 33% marksman. He is down to 27%
on the year which usually means he has zero business in looking at attempting a three point shot.
The one
thing Ron can still do however is play the passing lanes and defend, he may not be as effective a defender
as he used to be, but he's still among the very best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
Will we ever see Ron Artest and his volatile personality in check and his game dominant once more? Only time
will tell and there are many factors that will contribute to his ever getting back to his old form. For
example, the point guard play (or lack there of) of Mike Bibby.
As blasphemous as it may sound, Jamal Tinsley
was a very effective point guard and has constantly lead the NBA in assist rate per minute. Forwards generally
do not possess a great ability to create their own shot and Ron is no exception, therefore, it is important
for Bibby to distribute the ball better if Artest is ever to return to his former self.
If you were to ask me, I wouldn't put my money on it. But if anyone feeds positively on doubt it's Ron Artest
(provided he doesn't lose his mind).
Good luck Ron, you need it!
