Ron Artest shook the hand of NBA Commissioner David Stern as he accepted his championship ring for being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, during last season’s run to glory. He spoke to the crowd, introduced the next teammate to trot out and take his own bling and later, led the fans in the countdown to the unveiling of the new championship banner.

He started to point to the wrong wall of the Staples Center and was helped out of his mini-jam by Derek Fisher who calmly sidled up to Artest and turned him a bit to the left. The countdown was a bit backwards as well, with Ron-Ron counting up from 1 to 3 as opposed to the traditional, “3, 2, 1..”

In that few moments, all experienced the many facets of the new Artest. He’s still a bit loopy but no one or thing is hurt in the process. Now when you say that he means well, you don’t have to look around for the fallout from a mistake.

He has found the acceptance and success he has craved his entire career, only six years after the infamous violent riot in the stands between Detroit fans and Pacers players in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

It must have been a moment of pride for the player and his closest circle. Although outside that circle, Commissioner Stern had to be feeling proud as well. His decision to suspend Artest for an entire season was his statement to the world that his sport would not be the poster child for thugs in uniforms.

That season seemed to be the catalyst for the harsh penalties and fines meted out since for bad behavior both on and off the court. You might say that commissioner-in-training of the NFL, Roger Goodell, looked at the NBA as an example of how to rein in the element that frightens commercial sponsors and a fan base that comes from a different world than many of super stars in the league.

There is no one who can honestly say they are happy with the extent to which the NBA has cracked down on innocent actions by players on the court, which lead to suspensions. The rule about crossing the sidelines onto the court to assist a teammate in a bit of a squabble has been taken to ridiculous lengths.

We all remember the Phoenix Suns being effectively removed from a playoff series a few years ago, when Amar’e Stoudemire, without intent to join a fracas, stepped one foot over the sideline to see if his teammate was injured, resulting in a one-game suspension.

Nonetheless, after looking at the reclamation project known as Ron Artest, you have to admit that in the case of this player, a rude awakening worked its magic. It hurt the Indiana Pacers badly as well as individual teammates of Artest.

He publicly apologized to them after the game 7 victory over the Celtics in June, in a way that demonstrated he understood how much he affected that team’s chances to make a playoff run. That makes up for nothing in the scheme of things but it speaks to the heart of Artest who has been rehabilitated in a way that might only be surpassed by the acceptance of Michael Vick’s success in the NFL.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

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