Put yourself in this position, and compare it to your current position in life, if you will: you’re making millions of dollars per year and you’re doing something you love. Sounds like a dream right?
But, what happens when you’re not mature enough to handle the situation you’re given? You’re given gobs of money to do what you love and make others happy in the process, but you act like you’re 5 years old? Welcome to the worlds of Ron Artest and Steve Francis. Perhaps they would like some cheese with that whine?In case you haven’t noticed, there is something seriously wrong with both Artest (Indiana Pacers) and Francis (Orlando Magic) with the dial on the crazy scale tilted in Artest’s direction. Both are clearly unhappy with the teams they play for and the situation that they have put themselves into.
First, we look at Artest. He is the poster boy for the anger management section of the NBA. From flagrant fouls to a certain incident in Detroit (11/17/2004), Artest has shown his immaturity at every possible juncutre. Not only have the Pacers just about had enough, NBA fans in general have had enough. It has been that way for quite some time now.
Fast forward to this 2005-06 NBA season and who do you see whining on the Pacers sideline about wanting a trade? Yep, you guessed it. It’s Artest, hands down. Artest has been on the inactive list in Indiana for over a month now, with the Pacers front office trying to move him. They’ve asked the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and L.A. Clippers (among other teams) about the possibility of moving the childlike mentality of Artest to a place far, far away from Indiana. So far, Artest remains on Indiana’s sideline.
The shame of the situation is that Artest has talent that is just being thrown away. We’re not talking about a bench player who averages 5 points a game. Artest has played a career in which he has averaged close to 15 points a game in the regular season and close to 19 per game in 26 playoff games. However, little by little, Artest is throwing away this talent because he doesn’t know when to control himself or just keep his mouth shut. A change of scenery would certainly do him some good.
Now, we turn to the point guard in Orlando. That would be one Steve Francis. This is another spoiled player who isn’t thankful for where he is, but is finding a way to be stubborn at every turn. That stubornness has made the Orlando Magic one train wreck of a basketball team.
Now, to be fair, Francis has not acted like a child at every point in his career. He did some things that were frowned upon while with the Houston Rockets, but nothing that ever made the front page of the papers or ruined the team chemistry. As time has gone by, however, Francis has gotten worse.
The childlike behavior of Francis peaked last week in a game in Seattle. When coach Brian Hill asked Francis to play in the fourth quarter of what was to be a lopsided loss, Francis responded with a simple “Nah, man.”
Wait a minute? You’re being paid HOW MUCH? Playing on a team is about being a team player, whether you win or lose. “Nah, man”? Uh, oh. It would appear that Francis is trying to pull a “magic” act.
Francis has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to team, and there is no denying that this was the ONLY move the front office in Orlando could have pulled when presented with this problem. With this, Francis may have overstayed his welcome in Orlando: another good talent wasted away on someone who dosen’t know how to use it.
Like Artest, Francis’s career numbers have been great (even better than Artest’s). He’s averaged 19.5 points per game over a 6+ year career and he’s averaged better than 6 assists per game. However, he’s already overstayed his Orlando welcome just 1 1/2 years after coming to Florida.
Maybe the Pacers and Magic should look into an Artest-for-Francis trade? It would be interesting, but it wouldn’t help the attitudes of these players. I hate to tell the GM’s, but a change of scenery won’t help Artest’s immaturity, and Francis will not reverse his me-first attitude if given different surroundings.
It’s time for these players to shut up, suit up, and do what you’re being paid to do. Dump the me-first attitudes, suck it up, and play the game you love with your head held high.
Perhaps the NBA should open up a daycare center…since they act like babies, Artest and Francis would only be perfect fits for daycare. Who better to coddle them and tell them when it’s nap time?
