Bird made his first public comments regarding Artest on Monday, telling the Indianapolis Star that he felt “betrayed” and “disappointed” by his All-Star forward.
“I think enough is enough,” Bird told the newspaper. “I think Ronnie will do fine, but not here.”
One of the NBA’s greatest talents, Artest also is one of the league’s most mercurial personalities. The 26-year-old was placed on the inactive list by the Pacers earlier this month and was subsequently fined $10,000 by the league for publicly requesting a trade.
Bird, who spent the last 10 days on a scouting trip in Europe, finally disclosed his disappointment with Artest.
“I don’t know if this is the right wording, but I felt betrayed,” Bird said. “We’re disappointed.###Things happen, maybe it’s a good thing. He’s a very talented player.###I always liked working with him and how he went about things on the basketball court. He’s a top-12 player in the league, but we’re in a situation where we have to move on.”
Bird went on to criticize Artest, who recently complained about the size of his role in the Pacers’ offense.
“He was clearly frustrated,” Bird said. “Ronnie thinks if we lose, we would have won the game if he had the ball every time. The offense bogs down at times, but it’s still a great offense. He held the ball a lot of times. Nothing frustrated me more than him not rebounding, but I didn’t go out in the public and say anything.”
Indiana, which is 5-3 since placing Artest on the inactive list, would prefer to trade its disgruntled star to the Western Conference, but ultimately will do whatever it takes to unload him.
“Any time you deal a player, you would like him to go out of the conference,” Bird said. “We’re looking at the West, but if it’s the East, that’s how it’s going to be. … We’ve done enough to back Ronnie. We’re in a position where we have to protect the franchise now.”
Before being placed on the inactive list, Artest was averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and a league-leading 2.63 steals in 16 games.
Last season, Artest was suspended 75 games the longest non-drug ban in NBA history for his major role in the brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004.
After a scuffle on the court with Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, Artest was hit with a partially full plastic cup thrown from the stands and charged into the seats, attacking a fan he believed threw the cup.
The incident triggered a full-scale riot between players and fans and led to changes in security measures at all NBA arenas. Artest later faced criminal charges but was sentenced to probation and community service.
“I don’t know what goes on in Ronnie’s world when he leaves (Conseco Fieldhouse),” Bird said. “Ronnie needs support after everything he’s been through.”
In the 2002-03 season, Artest was suspended for instigating an altercation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and fined and suspended for smashing a TV camera after a game at Madison Square Garden. He also got into a shoving match with a Pacers official after a postseason loss.
Despite Artest’s lengthy history of emotional problems, Bird realizes that the loss of a player of his caliber weakens the Pacers on the court. But that is something he seems more than willing to deal with.
“I’m not going to say we’re better (if we trade Artest). That’s not going to happen when you lose a player like Ronnie,” Bird said. “As far as chemistry goes, we’re a lot better.###We’re still deep. We have some emotional guys, but we’ll be fine.”
NEW YORK (Ticker) Ron Artest is in trouble again.
The mercurial forward of the Indiana Pacers was fined $10,000 by the NBA on Thursday for publicly requesting a trade, a violation of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Artest’s statements came in an interview published in the Indianapolis Star on Sunday. An All-Star and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, Artest has been placed on the inactive list by the Pacers.
A release from the NBA said Artest was fined for “making public statements detrimental to the NBA.” A statement from NBA senior vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan explained the punishment.
“Public trade demands by players was a subject discussed at length during collective bargaining negotiations this summer,” Buchanan said. “The damage caused by these kind of statements was commonly understood, as was the NBA’s intention to hold players accountable for such statements going forward.”
Before being placed on the inactive list, Artest was averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and a league-leading 2.63 steals in 16 games.
Last season, Artest was suspended 75 games the longest non-drug ban in NBA history for his major role in the brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004.
After a scuffle on the court with Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, Artest was hit with a partially full plastic cup thrown from the stands and charged into the seats, attacking a fan he believed threw the cup.
The incident triggered a full-scale riot between players and fans and led to changes in security measures at all NBA arenas. Artest later faced criminal charges but was sentenced to probation and community service.
In the 2002-03 season, Artest was suspended for instigating an altercation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and fined and suspended for smashing a TV camera after a game at Madison Square Garden. He also got into a shoving match with a Pacers official after a postseason loss.
