It will never happen, but the Indiana Pacers should keep Artest.  Yes, Larry Bird feels “betrayed” and Donnie Walsh will let Cheryl Miller suit up before Ron-Ron, but it’s the move that makes the most sense.

For the moment, let’s not focus on the fact that Indiana can’t get a comparable talent with a $7 million salary (unless someone’s willing to take Austin Croshere, too).  A year ago, the Pacers chose to stand by Artest, and they shouldn’t let a bump in the road derail their plans.

From the Pacers’ organization standpoint, he committed an unforgivable sin by telling the media he wanted to be traded.  Maybe this standard should be applied to most players, but not to Artest. 

Think about it – this is a man who charged into the stands and started beating people.  If you bring him back to your team, how high can your expectations really be?  Wouldn’t you be just happy if he made it through the season without committing a felony or choking a referee? 

Personally, I would have been more surprised if Artest didn’t say something stupid to the media this year.  A couple of days after the brawl in Detroit, he was on national TV promoting his CD at the end of his interviews.  Even in his calmer moments, he exhibits an amazing lack of common sense.

Artest reminds me of Ron Burgundy in “Anchorman.”  You know the scene where Will Ferrell ends his newscast with “I’m Ron Burgundy, go **** yourself, San Diego.”  And then he walks around saying things like, “Good show, good job everyone.  I thought that went really smoothly”, while everyone is looking at him in horror.

That’s Artest – sometimes, he has no idea what he’s doing.  It’s not until someone points it out that he realizes what he’s done.  I wasn’t shocked when he said he wanted to be traded, and I was even less surprised when he later said he wanted to stay. 

And the Pacers, more than anyone, should know that this is part of the package.  It would be incredibly naïve to think he was going to be a model citizen all year.  He’s not malicious; he’s not going to intentionally try to submarine the season like Terrell Owens did, a frequently cited comparison by many columnists.  But he’s going to say and do foolish things from time to time.  That’s the tradeoff for having a top-15 player for a $7 million salary. 

Is he worth the headache?  I don’t know, but the Pacers decided he was a year ago so it must mean that he’s worth it now.  They may think the situation has changed, but it hasn’t – Ron is still Ron.  And that’s all he’s ever going to be.   

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