A Quick Word on Ron Artest

As a Pacers fan, I stood by Ron Artest even when many sports fans had dismissed the All-Star forward as a violently insane street fighter who found his way onto a basketball court. Artest caused a lot of trouble, but most of this trouble was confined to the field of play, or at least under the same roof as the field of play. I felt (and to some extent still feel) that, if Artest would get a handle on his emotional health issues, he would be a stand-up guy and one of the NBA's ten best players.

Now Artest has been arrested for assaulting a woman in his home. Apparently, he's as much trouble off the court as he is on. Artest's current team, the Sacramento Kings, kicked him off the squad (though they continue paying his salary). I still think that the NBA made a mistake by not requiring Artest to undergo anger management counseling following the November 2004 brawl in Detroit. Artest badly needs help to deal with mental and emotional illness. Of course, if he's found guilty of assault, he also needs to be punished substantially.

Yes, what I just said should also apply to Pacman Jones.