Artest at work

Volatile Pacer evokes memories of a certain Bad Boy

Let me start by making something clear: this is not a medical opinion. I'm not a doctor (no kidding, you're thinking) and, though I've interviewed both of the gentlemen I'm about to discuss, I've never formally plumbed the depths of their respective psyches, since I'm unqualified to do so. But Ron Artest's strange performance on Monday night, when he twice initiated testy exchanges with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and punctuated the evening by backpedaling upcourt holding aloft the index finger of his right hand and the middle finger of his left hand to taunt the crowd (as well as Riley), reminded me of one man: Dennis Rodman.

Yes, there seems to be some of Rodman in Artest, whose versatility is one of the major reasons the Indiana Pacers are a force in the Eastern Conference. As players, it goes without saying that Artest is far more gifted offensively -- I always thought Rodman was slightly overrated because he had almost no offensive game -- but on defense they both show the same rawboned, maniacal energy that teammates and coaches love and opponents detest. Based on his play (per-game averages of 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals, plus 41 3-pointers so far this season), Artest should've been added to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as a reserve. But his demeanor is troubling in much the same way Rodman's was, and, sources say, it's a major reason the Chicago Bulls shipped Artest to Indiana as part of a major deal a year ago. (Not that the Bulls are to be held up for their perspicacity in dealing with personnel.)

Riles riled Click the image to launch the clip Miami head coach Pat Riley draws the line at Ron Artest's late-game tirade. Start Video Plus Visit Video Plus for all the latest video and audio.

In case you missed it, in the first quarter of Monday's game Riley and Heat rookie Caron Butler each received technical fouls when they protested that Artest had fouled Butler while jostling for position during a dead ball. As Riley continued to complain, Artest strolled up to the coach and joined the argument. That's a no-no. "Don't talk to me," Riley told Artest.

Then, about four minutes into the fourth quarter, Artest was called for a flagrant foul when he ran over Butler as they chased a loose ball out of bounds. Somehow, there was no incident after that, but there was two minutes later when Artest, after drawing a foul on a strange-looking scoop shot, walked toward the Miami bench with his right arm flexed. As he and Heat assistant coach Keith Askins had words, Artest brushed against Riley. That's a double no-no. They began shouting at each other and Riley shoved Artest away. The whole thing had a frightening nuttiness about it, particularly since Artest, as was often the case with Rodman, showed little emotion, and afterward reacted with a what-me? disingenuousness when asked about the incident.

"Coach Riley was into it," Artest said. "Their bench was into it. We were into it. That's how it's supposed to be. I didn't think I was that close to him." (For the record, Artest did offer a mea culpa for the raised finger nonsense.)

At least when that human volcano Rasheed Wallace blows up, we know what's going on inside of him -- pure rage. By contrast, Artest's actions, and his nonsensical defense of them, seems wackier, more troubling, Rodmanesque. Now, let's be clear: Artest can also explode, witness his destruction of a TV camera a couple weeks ago. The first thing I thought of when I saw the clips of that was Rodman suddenly lashing out and kicking a courtside photographer several years back.

Given the Heat's lowly position in the standings, the possibility of a future Pacers-Heat feud has a so-what? feel to it, though Indiana coach Isiah Thomas didn't help matters much when he gave a blanket defense of Artest's behavior against Miami. But there is no shortage of possible postseason opponents that have already, in a matter of speaking, called out Artest in particular, and the Pacers in general.

Take Detroit, for example, a team the Pacers could come up against in the conference finals. Jermaine O'Neal, Indy's best player, taunted the Pistons' Cliff Robinson during a Martin Luther King Day game, which the Pistons rallied to win. The outcome was significant in that it was Detroit's fifth victory in its last seven matchups against Indiana. "There's animosity," said Robinson, "There's definitely bad blood."

Should the Pacers come out of the East and the Dallas Mavericks win the West, Artest is sure to be front and center during any pregame lip flapping. Artest irritated Mavs coach Don Nelson before a December game at American Airlines Arena by idly spinning and dribbling a basketball during the national anthem. Then, after Artest played a starring role in what turned out to be an extremely physical seven-technical melee from which he and the Mavs' Raja Bell were both ejected, Nelson said Artest "is getting away with murder," and "Isiah just sits back and chuckles."

There have been several other indications that the Pacers have either been cast as a 21st-century version of Isiah's Pistons Bad Boys or have willingly, though slyly, draped that cloak over themselves. How will it play? As was the case with the old Pistons, a bad reputation can mask a team's virtues, and to an extent that is happening with Indiana. Thomas is a legit Coach of the Year candidate. Perennially underrated general manager Donnie Walsh has assured the Pacers of a bright future by sewing up his good young players. Reggie Miller has turned into the best kind of elder statesman. And O'Neal as well as, yes, Artest, are two of the more fascinating up-and-coming talents in the league.

But all that could be undermined if Artest keeps crossing over that Rodman line and if the Pacers ultimately prove more adept at infuriating teams than beating them when it counts.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.

 

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