You may recognize the name Metta Sandiford-Artest.
That’s because that is now the full name of former Indiana Pacers forward and NBA defensive stalwart Ron Artest.
Artest was one of the most polarizing figures in the league. Bad boy, mind game player, enforcer, or whatever you want to call him, Artest’s job on any given night was first and foremost to get under his opponent’s skin.
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And during his long career, where four years were spent with the Pacers, it was Rick Carlisle who helped Artest achieve his potential.
Artest called into The Ride with JMV on Monday afternoon to talk with John about what exactly Carlisle did that provided the spark in 2003-04 for the 24-year-old.
That season, Artest set career highs in point, rebound, and assist averages. He also took home a laundry list full of awards.
How about an all-star berth, all-NBA third team, and the NBA defensive player of the year all in one campaign?
“Rick always put different sets out there and he called a lot of plays,” Artest said. “The times that he called them, sometimes it took you out of rhythm, but it never took the team out of rhythm. I never understood that until later in my career. He never tries to leave anyone by the side. Look at the Dallas championship team, and look at us. Everyone was pretty successful on the court.”
Artest later said he didn’t mind the play calls at first because nearly half of them were designed for him.
But Carlisle never strayed away from who he was.
It was always team first. And in a league where so much individual play is commended as opposed to full cohesive groups, maybe thats what Indiana needs right now.
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