H.O.F. Watch - Ron Artest
Photo. Stephen HillEvery day we’re taking one active NBA star with at least arguable Hall of Fame credentials and breaking down his chances of getting into the Springfield, Mass., hoops mecca. We’re looking at not just past accomplishments, but also how a player’s career realistically projects for the future. For a full explanation of the process, click here. Today’s candidate: Ron Artest.
RON ARTEST (9th year, Kings/Pacers/Bulls)
15.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.1 spg
Why: Artest has been one of the premier defensive players of his era — arguably the best one-on-one defender in the game and the most versatile with his ability to guard point guards, power forwards and everyone in between. He copped an NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, the same year he made his only All-Star appearance, and has three All-Defensive Team nods. He also regularly finishes in the League’s top five in steals. Artest can get his on offense, too; he’s good for a few 30-point games a year. While Ron has only made one deep playoff run (’04), his numbers in his four postseason appearances have trumped his regular-season stats.
Why not: The Brawl, the way he seems to alienate himself from every team he’s on, his rep as a dirty player, his secondary career as an MC/record label exec … you name it, and Ron-Ron has gotten bad press for it. His volatile temper on the court and occasional outlandish statements in the media will hurt his case with some HOF voters as much as anything he’s done basketball-wise. He missed out on what should have been the best season of his career, catching that 70-plus game suspension for the Palace Brawl. He’s also missed significant time with injuries over his career.
Our call: OUT
The H.O.F. Watch archive
11/28 - Pau Gasol
11/27 - Kevin Garnett
11/26 - Manu Ginobili
11/21 - Amare Stoudemire
11/20 - Rip Hamilton
11/19 - Baron Davis
11/16 - Shaquille O’Neal
11/15 - Steve Francis
11/14 - Ben Wallace
11/13 - Sam Cassell
11/12 - LeBron James
11/9 - Tim Duncan
11/8 - Steve Nash
11/7 - Yao Ming
11/6 - Gilbert Arenas
11/5 - Robert Horry
11/2 - Kobe Bryant
11/1 - Grant Hill
10/31 - Dirk Nowitzki
10/30 - Tony Parker
10/29 - Elton Brand
10/26 - Carmelo Anthony
10/25 - Vince Carter
10/24 - Penny Hardaway
10/23 - Alonzo Mourning
10/22 - Allen Iverson
10/19 - Dwyane Wade
10/18 - Chauncey Billups
10/17 - Stephon Marbury
10/16 - Jason Kidd
10/15 - Shawn Marion
10/12 - Ray Allen
10/11 - Chris Bosh
10/10 - Chris Webber
10/9 - Paul Pierce
10/5 - Jermaine O’Neal
10/4 - Gary Payton
10/3 - Tracy McGrady
November 29th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Duke says:
God, this is a no. There’s just some shit you just can’t overlook when talking about Artest and him being in the HOF.
November 29th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Charles-K says:
Poor won-won.
There was never any doubt here was there? Simply he is too nuts and not too good. No chips, only one Dpoy, one all-star, and only decent stats make him another one of those good players but not good enough types. Unless he somehow is the key factor in a whole bunch of titles (which he won’t be) suddenly he won’t even get a look. Why are we talking about him here.
I know we all hate to do these comparison points, but if big ben isn’t in then Artest isn’t for sure.
peace out.
oh yeah
FIRST
November 29th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Big V says:
Off court antics have nothing to do with the HOF, just as how great of a person you are off the court shouldn’t count either. In an era where the emphasis is on scoring and scoring in buckets, Artest is a throwback, a guy who prides himself on putting the clamps on ANYONE. And guess what, he’s done it as good as (if not better than) anyone else in the history of the game. That’s enough for me to have him in there. And he can score.
November 29th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Charles-K says:
ah shit, beat me by seconds…
November 29th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Eric says:
If Rodman isnt in, and he has 5 rings and a defensive player of the year, there is no way Artest is in.
Even tho I hope he comes to the knicks! Come home Ron Ron!
November 29th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Data says:
Even without the brawl or any off court dealings he is still an absolute no. The HOF is for teh all-time greats ROn is nowhere near that level on his best day. He has a bigger chance of making the Rock and Roll HOF. But Dime we all know it’s coming when is the Dwight Howard HOF watch coming? Will the fact that he has no post moves to speak of (unless you comsider an alley-oop or a dunk a post move). I’m predicting an IN selection from you. Sorry for straying from the player at hand…. but c’mon Ron Ron?
November 29th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Myrie in NY says:
I knew this HOF watch was coming soon (Dikembe is coming next week too…I can sense it). But hott damn. It pains my heart to say this: OUT.
And I am very biased. Artest and I went to school together at SJU. Yup…But, I attended more classes than he did. Side note: shouts out to Coach Mike Jarvis, Erick Barkley, Bootsy Thonton, Reggie Jesse, Anthony Glover, Lavor Postell…damn, that squad was loaded back then….
Anyway, Artest does not make it into the Hall. The brawl was the worst sporting incident probably in American sports history (although….he did nicely 1-2 combo some punk on the court…QueensBridge Bitch!!).
Brawl aside, even if it is discredited from his rez, has he even done enough to honor a watch? Probably not.
He has an interesting hold on the game. He is the only player on the court you actually WANT to see play defense. All the other stars/player we love; we love to see them score the ball or do something on offense. Artest is one of the few who we want to see play D.
Still not making it into the Hall.
Ron…if you reading this (and I know you read Dime) I’ll link you for new years and no hard feelings….but Springfield?….I don’t think so dun.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
smity says:
Charles K- i thought what you had to say was credible until you write first at the end of your post. then i even gave you the benefit of the doubt by thinking that you were writing that to make fun of other people who write that bullish. but then you went and posted an explanation for something that was obvious (the fact that you werent first) and at that point i decided that it was necessary to call you out for what was otherwise a silly response to why Artest is designated “out”
he’s “not too good”? Come on. when healthy he’s one of the Best” players in the league. He will bust your ass on d and give you buckets on o. Also lets not downplay the significance of DPOY award. won by a small forward at that.
I think that Artest (when healthy) (and that can obviously preceed every assessment of every player’s skill level) is a great player. However, like everybody knows, his role in the fight is what sealed the deal on his candidacy, not to mention the other suspensions and what not. His career numbers are obviously average as well but his impact on the game is not something to be taken lightly.
Did you all at Dime mean his flagrant fouls when you mentioned that he has a rep as a dirty player? I wouldnt say that he’s seen in the same light as a bruce bowen.
Eric makes a good point about Rodman (who was capable of gettin buckets as well) that i’m sure the majority of you all will agree with.
so when all is said and done, if those numbers continue to hold up and if he continues to miss time due to injury and continues to not win anything he’ll most definately won’t get into the HOF. Matter of fact, he won’t get in regardless of whatever other greatness he accomplishes cause of his actions on the court up until this point. But people gon remember him though.
unrelatedly, the bulls had him elton brand and (if my memory serves me right) brad miller at the same time and couldnt make it work…picture that with a kodak.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
smity says:
good point Myrie, that i didnt think of to mention- people want to watch games where artest matches up against a pierce or kobe or bron cause his game is excitin. Nobody (that i know) be like “yo, i cant wait to watch bruce bowen go up against whoever tonight” (other than for the reason to see somebody try to fight him…) but yeah…
November 29th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Bron42 says:
like they said, if rodman and ben wallace arent in..then ron isnt….I think its funny how people praise the scoreres and MVP but downplay the defense guys and DPOY.
Its easy for me to overlook stuff like the brawl, simply because it wasnt him that started it and any of us in that kind of situation probably would of done the same thing. Plus the jermaine oneal sliding right cross punch to the pistons fan was priceless…never seen a 7′0 karate move since kareem.
And smity, that bulls team was kinda nice, just couldnt put it all together. That was the year Shaq nearly caved in brad millers chest if the punch connected.
also, whats the difference between a dirty player bowen who does it while playin defense, or nash who takes cheap shots at people (hence kicking yao), or guys who flop? isn’t it all bad for the sport? so you cant just single out ron for bein a head case cuz its not like he destroyed the nba.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Who votes for the actual Hall of Fame anyway? Board of Directors?..Sports media?…Commish?…Previous players?
Not a single player was elected this yr (Phil Jax went in as a coach).
I need to ask because who dumb ass is keeping Dennis Rodman out of the Hall? What player has more overall credentials like the worm?
I know this is Artest moment to shine for Hall consideration, but since some of you have mentioned Rodman, I just cannot sit and let it pass.
Enshrine his ass already. 5 rings! DPOY! All NBA Defensive Team 9 times. Rebouding titles galore (as a 6′9 player at that!). And at one point, Dennis had the highest single player winning pct. Dude wins. How dare anyone deny him access into the Hall?
And he slayed Madonna and Carmen Electra.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Bron42–
Hate to glorify the negative, but JO’s sliding right was priceless (almost better than Chris Child’s 1-2 combo he gave Kobe).
I could hear JO now: “BAM!….take yo bitch ass back across 8 mile!!”
November 29th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
hatinonmanu says:
Bron42 opened the door for me to Hate on Manu (comment about flopping) some, so I will…Ron Artest would beat Manu`s ass in a fight, 1on1, hands down.
Should Ron be in the HOF because of that? No, my little sister could beat Manu down easy too and she probably won`t make the HOF.
Ron does get credit for having the 2nd funniest interview by a basketball player ever (next to Starbury stoned one). His first interview after the brawl, when he was claiming to not be crazy, but he was saying it all crazy like, and claiming just because he`s crazy, he`s not crazy. It was priceless.
This guy won`t make the hall because he is a syphilis crazed moron…but he will recieve consideration because his syphilis crazyness gives him the retard strength to do crazy shit on the court.
November 29th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
D-lite says:
With Artests’ abilities one can say he is a “team player” cause he definitely could get buckets if he was asked to, but sacrifices O to insert “D” and courage where needed see(Indy, Sactown)maybe NY next?Isaiah deserves to go down in flames. Ron Ron better get busy in this contract year or someone is gonna pay literally with pain!
November 29th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
smity says:
Myrie- You’re right. I can’t think of anything greater and more surprising than Chris Childs dappin kobe up in a second. That was probably the greatest. J.O. just looked like a sucka to me though…
November 29th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
teflon says:
Ron ron has the skills to make it, but not the ‘tude. he could have been what Kobe is, a lock-down defender and offensive star. But for whatever reasons, he can’t get it together. It’s sad, because he really had it all. The Malice at the Palace will always be his legacy. he needs to buckle down and DOMINATE the league to get any HOF cred. At least two legit chips where he’s the main man would be my over/under for HOF potential.
November 29th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Bron42 says:
chris childs two piece was nice but kobe always gets beat up, so its not really much importance to me lol..was my screensaver for a while though.
The J’Oneal johnny cage slide punch wasnt a sucka move cuz the fan came on the court puttin his fists up. Once that happens its pretty much a scene from anchor man.
I say artest goes to the heat before he goes to the kings.
I wasn’t hating on manu by saying that..i’m just sayin flopping is just as dirty as holdin someones jersey or throwin ur arms out when u take a shot to draw the foul since your takin advantage of a flawed rule.
November 29th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
smity says:
i didnt say J.O. pulled a “sucka move”. I just said he looked like a sucka.
November 29th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
sans says:
I will always remember RonRon lying on that table, getting hit with that beer, then climbing into the stands and popping some dude holding TWO beers in his hands. Pretty easy math makes that not the guy who hit you with his beer.
November 29th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
smity says:
what happened to Smush or what did he do/allegedly do?
November 29th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Myrie in NY says:
http://espn.go.com/media/nba/2000/0403/video/0403lany.avi
http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2000/0402/460348.html#
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/filter/video_player.php?id=IXZiwzD55bkKuz_d
November 29th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Russ says:
come on. out.
are we really even talking about this?
what has he done? one DPOY award and one all star and all the sudden he’s up for debate? what did he do in college? any championships? 13ppg a game you say?? wow. only played 2 years there. his career numbers in the league are also nothing but average. arguably below average on every shooting percentage category.
been hurt for a good part of his career. probably only played about 5 seasons worth of games.
and right or not…his part in the brawl will keep him out….but he wouldn’t get in regardless.
fairly skilled in just about everything on the court. great defensive player..and plays harder than just about anyone every night….but HOF?
OUT.
November 29th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Dave says:
Obviously OUT, but definitely had HOF-level talent. If he wasn’t crazy and more consistent then his case would certainly be stronger.
Then on the other hand, if he wasn’t crazy then maybe he wouldn’t be as good….
November 29th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Bron42 says:
smity their sayin smush roughed up some old lady. She keeps the valet parking keys. Smush supposedly didnt pay the charge so she wasn’t gonna give him the key. So he hit her up with the heisman pose and pushed her out the way to snatch the key. Now shes sayin he twisted her arm indian burn style.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:35 am
2 Easy says:
Heres the deal, he should be out simply for ruinin the pacers 2 chances at a championship. I dont really fault him too much for the brawl which ruined the pacers second chance but the first one still haunts me to this day. They had the pistons on the ropes and the pistons were makin a run but instead of collecting himself he flagrant fouled Rip which led to their eventual loss. Now I kno most wont say thats what did it but as a Pacers fan, I saw the looks and deflation. After that it was academic. Dont get it twisted Ron’s nice, I think hes like a bumblebee cause hes deadly and far quicker than he looks but i dont think hes in, Too much negative press vs. Not enough success
November 30th, 2007 at 10:39 am
DOC says:
i know we all like ron ron but he aint no HOF player.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Ian says:
this isnt even an argument hes out he will get no consideration
if u have manu big ben and rodman out this sucka is out
bron ” simply because it wasnt him that started it and any of us in that kind of situation probably would of done the same thing” that retard artest started it and no we all wouldnt have done the same thing. he didnt even hit the guy who throw the shit artest is a retard.
flopping is not dirty
everybody tries to do it is just some are better at it than others
hatinonmanu u r a retard when did basketball turn it fighting cuz if u use that kobe cant beat up anybody (childs beat his ass and my fav reggie miller did a rockbottom on him) btw manu can box.
i think this is the second easiest choice OUT
December 4th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Sacto J says:
If, and its a big if, Artest can win a chip in Sacramento, I would put him in the hall just for that. It seems impossible, even with a loaded team, for this city to earn its respect. Anyway, the Rodman argument is a good one, but I don’t recall Rodman raining 3’s, or posting up, or being his team’s primary offensive threat, ever. Rodman was a tenacious rebounder and defender. Artest is similar, but with mad offensive skills as well. If he consistently keeps his production up, and gets a chip (no matter where,) I think he’s in. One of the most well rounded players on both sides of the ball since Jordan. Name 2 others since Jordan and you get a bozo pin……