I completely agree Roy. My jaw was on my desk when I read this quote this morning. To think that he would make such a sweeping generalization about a "culture," which is really not even a culture because of how heterogeneous and diverse this country is, is sickening.
I will not defend Artest, but, too his credit, he was responding to Yao saying this:
"For some reason, I like (Artest)," Yao said. "Because in the games we play against him, I hate him.
"When I text messaged with Luis (Scola), we talked about team chemistry. That's only what worries us.
"We worry about the new attitude to the team. We are adding talent to the team and we need that, but building team chemistry is important. This is not bad. I don't mean he is not welcome to Houston. But a new player always needs some time.
"Also, he was the biggest part of a team in Sacramento. He was a star player. We need more chemistry and more communication.
"There's worry. Obviously, yes. We will think about it, of course. Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands.
"I haven't talked to Ron yet, so it's hard to say. I have to find a way to talk to him and see what we can do as a basketball team. He has a history. But we know he is a physical player. He is a good player. He really can help us. And Ron is on a contract year, too.
"I think Ron Artest is a good player if coach (Rick) Adelman can control the team well."
(Earlier yesterday, Artest said "I'm going to be like a kid in a candy store [when i get to Houston]" and "[I'm going to be] dancing with the stars." He also praised Rick Adelman for being "the best coach" according to him.)
Like I said before, I can't defend Artest, he's a headcase. But if all you do after you get traded to a team is say all the right things and talk about how you're excited to contend for a championship with other high-calibur players on the team, and then one of the team mates comes back at you like that? "Hopefully he's not fighting anymore and going after the guy in the stands" is a low blow....He obviously hasn't been going after anyone in the stands anytime recently, and though the guy is a headcase, even he is not dumb enough to do something like that. He's very aware of his bad-boy image and his actions over the past few years have proven that he is trying to rectify it. Unfortunately for Artest, in the age of ESPN.com, blogs, and Sportscenter, sometimes "words speak louder than actions." And everyone's going to remember what he said this time.