“I can handle him,” says Kobe Bryant speaking about Ron Artest early this summer on a recorded cell phone conversation. Kobe can do a lot. All of us know that. The guy is truly amazing.

But baby sit the person we all affectionately call Ron Ron? The guy we all definitely call a “nut case.” That’s one tall order for even Mamba 24. Ron Ron is one gifted player. One of the few defensive stoppers in the NBA. A former Defensive Player of the Year. And the man can shoot. He can pass. He can post up. Some have said, he’s one of the most versatile players in the League. And at $7,800,000 he is paid relative peanuts by NBA standards.

It’s because of these gifts, that some people have developed selective memory issues. Some call them repressed memories. You know, when things hurt so bad, you simply forget they ever happened. It’s a way we humans deal with terrible stuff.

'What’s interesting, its not the amount of the suspensions, but the reasons'


I think this is the case with Artest. I hear people saying: "Ron Ron isn’t all that bad. He’s just misunderstood. He’s a good boy at heart. Why, he even went to Africa to feed people in the off season." Of course, even there, a monkey took issue with him and wanted to fight. Ron Ron showed great restraint and didn’t swing back. Maybe he his a changed man after all?

So why then,  would Sacramento want to trade Ron Ron?

Ron Artest - A brief history:
First, a trivia question. How many games and times has Ron Ron been suspended?
Hint: You will need more than your fingers and toes to count. Get your calculator out, it’s a lot.

What’s interesting, its not the amount of the suspensions, but the reasons. Flagrant fouls. (That’s not too bad. He’s tough and the NBA is soft) “I want time off to promote my CD” Suspension. I want time off to rest from making my CD. Suspension. Inciting a riot. 73 game suspension. “Maybe, I don’t fit in and they should trade me.” Suspension and Trade.

"But he’s a new man. Since Sacramento got him in trade, they have changed him." OK, I’ll consider that. It's true, he hasn’t been suspended 'that much' since arriving to Sac Town. Just the seven games to start this season for a domestic disturbance dispute. But the man has had the police out to his house 13 times since coming to Sacramento in the last 18 months. That’s not normal. How many of you have had the police out to your home in the last 18 months? Unless you live in the projects, probably zero.

And for what reasons. Let’s see, his wife smashed out the windows to his Hummer with a frying pan with him in it!  Those with 'memory issues' will say "that’s between a man and his wife. Its not our concern." We are talking, Hummer here. We are talking Police arrest. We are talking conviction and community service sentence. We are  talking seven-game suspension and a promise of much more from 'Godfather Stern' if it happens again.

Animal cruelty. The neighbors watch as he leaves and doesn’t feed his dog. To save the Dog (Socks, nice name) from starvation, they feed the poor little critter. The county charges him. Another conviction.

‘But he’s so good!'  Another memory lapse in the making. Last year, he tells the coach he doesn’t feel like playing right before game time. The coach wants to know why. “Its my knee, its sore.” Coach asks trainer. Trainer shrugs and says, “first I heard of it.” Mike Bibby is informed just before tip-off and rolls his eyes in disgust. “I can’t believe it”. Coach tells Artest: “if you would’ve mentioned this one hour ago, we could’ve activated another player to replace you, and now it's too late.” Artest just looks off into the distance. He does it another time, later in the season.

Sacramento are furious. This is the last straw, they leak to a reporter. Artest is gone after the season. As the summer goes on, no one has offered Sacramento much for their star. And Sacramento wonder why? If that’s the case, we are going to keep him, 'we’ll show you!'

Perhaps, the greatest case of selected memory issues has been with the Kings themselves. The season is starting. Artest is not even allowed in the Arena for the seven-game suspension. And guess what? Sac Town is shopping him again.

Could Kobe and the Lakers handle Ron Ron? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.