Coach Artest. I like the sound of that,…………….almost as much as walking over hot coals. Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all from Ron Artest, he comes up with yet another wacky idea. This one is almost as bad as the idea of the now retired Rasheed Wallace’s notion of also wanting to be a head coach one day. In an interview with ESPN, Artest revealed that he wants to return home to the New York area upon retirement and become the head coach for the NY Knicks or St. John’s University.
We all know that Artest, although a supremely talented player, is outright certifiable when it comes to figuring out how his brain functions. After all, despite winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award in ‘04 and winning a world title last year, he will probably be remembered upon retirement for his wild and at times out of control behavior. He was involved in arguably the biggest brawl in NBA history (Malace at the Palace in ‘04), admitted he was a Hennessy sipper during halftimes of games in Chicago, and even once applied for a job at Circuit City just to get an employee discount.
These antics aren’t exactly the behavior of a role model, let alone head coach material. If Ron Artest came to your home as a representative of St. John’s in an attempt to recruit your son, would you feel comfortable leaving your sibling in Ron-Ron’s hands? I’ll take that as a no, maybe even a he** no! When it comes to the Knicks, virtually anything goes. Remember, this is the organization that is once again considering giving the reignsof the organization to Isaiah Thomas, even after that scandalous sexual harassment suit.
Check out Ron’s official statement:
“I want to be a coach, bad. I’d love to coach the Knicks or St. John’s, but I’d go anywhere. I want to coach immediately after I retire. I’d be good for a bunch of reasons. I know the little things, like how important spacing is. I also understand how to deal with players, so I’m able to coach a player like me now. I know when the problem is emotional versus selfishness. I’ve hurt teams with my selfishness, and I’ve hurt teams with my emotion. I know the difference. If a player doesn’t listen to me, I know how to respond. And, of course, I know defense. It’s not just physical; it’s more than that. How do I get through a playoff game with only one foul, as physical as I am? It’s about knowledge. I know every player’s moves and tendencies. I know exactly where all 10 guys on the court are supposed to be, and when. I’m 100% sure this coaching thing will work. All I need is a good staff, and to watch more tape. One thing I don’t do is watch tape. I gotta start if I want to coach.”
Enough said.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
