Ron Artest

The Houston Rockets acquired rookies Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr. and sent veteran Bobby Jackson, promising rookie Donte Greene and a future first-round pick to Sacramento Kings in return for 9 years veteran forward Ron Artest. Artest is a very elite defender and will be effective to any team.

Artest have played for teams such as the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 2.33 steals and 4 blocks per game. He gained his reputations as one of the premier defenders in the game today, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. However, he is one of the most controversial players and known for being one of the central figures in the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons brawl.

If you don't know about the biggest brawl in professional basketball history, you don't know about basketball. Okay you don't know, let me give you a breakdown.

Dubbed The Malice at the Palace and the Basketbrawl was an altercation between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004. It all started when Ben Wallace was fouled hard by Ron Artest with 45.9 seconds remaining in the game. Wallace hit Artest in the throat followed by physical confrontation with several players of either teams. Artest mocked Wallace by going to the scorer's table and pretend to be doing a radio interview and Wallace threw a hand band at him. A spectator threw a cup of beer at Artest and he responded by running into the stand and mistakenly hitting the wrong person who he thought threw the cup at him. Other spectators got involved as well as players Stephen Jackson who also ran into the stands. Another melee developed after Artest was confronted by fans Alvin "A.J." Shackleford and Charlie Haddad, after which Jermaine Oneal intervene by punching Hadden in the jaw. In a result 9 players where suspended and 5 fans charged and John Green, who threw the cup at Artest, received a lifetime ban from attending Pistons games. Among the players who were suspended were Ron Artest (the rest of the season plus 13 playoffs games), Stephen Jackson (30 games), Jermaine Oneal (25 games, which was reduce to 15 after it was appealed), Chanucey Billups (1 game), Reggie Miller (1 game), Ben Wallace (6 games), Anthony Johnson (5 games), Elden Campbell (1 game) and Derrick Coleman (1 game).

You had to see it to believe it. It was the biggest face off in professional sports history in my book. Here I was enjoying a game on a Friday night when Pacers who I was cheering for was leading with less than a minute to go when the foul was committed which was normal in any basketball game which led to the biggest showdown in NBA history. Indiana won 97-82 but I was no longer a fan of the Pistons. Cause I thought Ben Wallace started it all. I mean he has been fouled hard before but this time he made the losing got to him and it ended in catastrophe. In my opinion Reggie Miller did not deserved to be suspended cause all he did was try to control Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace who was beyond Pacers time line chattering and cussing should have gotten a suspension and he too went into the stands.