Ron Artest

[SkunkedAgain]

His fake new name doesn't warrant me using it. The guy is a joke and always has been. Why David Stern thinks that a 7-game suspension is going to stop Artest from elbowing guys in the head again is beyond me. In hockey, you see guys getting suspended for 25 games for repeated violations of safety rules. Artest intentionally elbowed a guy in the head as hard as he could. He should be banned for life.

He's a coward and couldn't even apologize to Harden. He apologized to Harden's team and to the team's fans. Some day I hope that Artest gets a taste of his own bad medicine.

[ted4887]

I'm with you on this one. The guy is nothing short of a plague on the on the league. Wouldn't hurt my feelings to see him get banned for life. Just can't stand the guy.

[Musky Buck]

His childhood must have been an ugly one. I hate that cheapshots it's never an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth, the bully seems to get off scott free too often. Yes you can take fighting out of hockey but cheapshots get answered in that sport most of the time. I'm glad I wasn't Harden's best friend, it would've been tough to watch my man down. He should get 7 games plus however many games Harden misses. I thought at that level you were alledgedly a "professional". I thought harden was maybe looking to set a pick or whatever for the inbound pass or something, whatever the deal, I'm glad he isn't a t-wolve.

[paceman]

He is a thug that should get banned for life. Man he just unloaded on that poor guy. Absolutely no way that was unintentional.

[SkunkedAgain]

Good to know that I wasn't the only one to feel this way

[PierBridge]

If he wasn't a Laker I believe it would have been a 25 game plus suspension. 7 games is ridiculously embarrassing to say the least. He could have killed somebody with that blow if it landed in the right spot!

[BartmanMN]

He is a nut case. He would be a much better linebacker.

[mrklean]

hes a bum should have gotten 25 games, i will admit the rumble at the palace was awesome to watch on tv, but that elbow was just a bum move

[Eric Wettschreck]

This is just another example of why I'm not a big fan of the NBA. They should change their name from National Basketball Association to Street Thugs Association.

Didn't Artest change his name a while ago to something really stupid? Something like 'Flower Power" or "I'm gay" or "Rainbow Bright"?

[Scott M]

You guys are going to think I'm nuts too, but I think Artest is just so idiotically unaware, emotional, and foolish, that he got so excited from that dunk that even he didn't know what he was doing. Yes, the elbow was unquestionably intentional and given the pattern of behavior warrants a timeout, but this guy is just a moron. I think it was only 7 games because the playoffs are starting. Artest is a sweet guy off the court (last year's NBA community award winner, also donated an entire year's salary to mental health charities) and a maniac on it. I get this opinion from reading things about Ron, including an exhaustive recap of "the malice in the palace" at Grantland. Ron is such a moron, he actually asked his teammates in the locker "do you think I'm gonna get in trouble?" after the fight. They burst out laughing. That's how foolish and unaware this guy is on a basketball court. I don't think in his heart he meant to whack Harden, he most certainly intentionally did, but he needs to pay the price. It's no different than the cheap shots in football or hockey.

[mnviking28]

+1 Eric, I gave up on getting real serious with the NBA a long time ago. WAY to many of these guys think they are "gangsta" and beyond entitled. Give me a break. My brother is a big NBA guy and I asked him how he can watch these thugs night in and night out. His response was that he only watches the Wolves because they have enough European players that there aren't as many thugs on the floor.

[Snag]

Total Goon. Should have been a hockey player. 7 games gives him a chance to play OKC which means huge ratings. It's all about money. I heard he has missed something like 130 games due to suspensions, that's almost 2 years of b ball and pay.

[Storm]

I think the suspension is actually adequate. If it was in the middle of the season I would want more games just like the rest of you but he could potentialy watch his team lose in the first round on the bench and not play a minute this postseason. Is that likely? Most likely not.

I am not a artest fan and don't like his actions on the court at all besides his lockdown defense for the pacers back in the day but I agree with what was stated earlier that I don't think he knew what he was doing on the court. Like stated, he gave an entire years salary away, did countless hours of volunteering, and actually sold his championship ring to donate the proceeds. Does that sound like a bad guy? His problem isn't that he is a thug but is that he can't control his temper along with just not being smart.

It looks like Harden will be back for the playoffs now too, hopefully there isn't any more setbacks for him as he is needed for the thunder later on.

[tonkapat]

The guy should have been banned for life when he went into the stands and started beating people. How many chances is he gonna get. Maybe the nba should have thought about a code of conduct policy when they were working on there agreement earlier this year. Just another reason not to watch any pro sports.