Should the Celtics trade for Ron Artest?
PETER MAY
Ron Artest on the Celtics? With all those impressionable pups? On the team with a code of conduct? Yeah, that's going to work. There's a reason it has taken the Pacers more than a few days to relocate their two-way star. He's certifiable. He couldn't make it work for Indiana, an older, more established team, under conditions that most felt were ideal for him. Many of us figured that Artest would return from his 73-game suspension a chastened, humbler soul. Instead, he's calling out coach Rick Carlisle for not getting enough touches. If Danny Ainge even makes a call to try to trade for this guy, he should have his phone privileges revoked.
DAN SHAUGHNESSY
By all means, the Celtics should go after Artest. The Green don't have enough talent to get the job done on a regular basis and Artest is one of the top 10 players in the league. He can rebound and defend like a young Dennis Rodman, and he can also score. Unfortunately, he brings some Rodmanesque baggage with him. Were these the talent-laden Celtics of the 1980s, it would be a mistake to introduce a head case such as Artest. But the Celtics cannot afford to turn away from Artest's talent. Before the season I would have said it was OK to deal Paul Pierce for him, but Pierce is a new man. So keep Pierce and package Ricky Davis and some kids (not Al Jefferson) and bring Artest to Boston.
SHIRA SPRINGER
No one questions the talent of Ron Artest. This is about his temper and temperament. For that reason, the Celtics should stay away from him. It says a lot when Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh plans to keep Artest on the inactive list for the rest of the season if he cannot work out a trade. At the very best, Artest would be an unwelcome distraction for a young, inconsistent team. At worst, he would be a detrimental influence. If that sounds shortsighted, consider that earlier this season Artest mentioned retiring in a few years to pursue a boxing career. Even though the Celtics already have a Brain Doctor, they would need a full-time psychiatrist for Artest.
BOB RYAN
Whoever gets Artest takes the T.O. Oath, which is as follows: I hereby swear not to complain for so much as a millisecond when and if this man reverts to well-established form and becomes an intolerable jerk. I will take the whole package, without complaint, so help me God. OK, then. Yes. Give them Ricky Davis and maybe an '06 No. 1 (Boston has two), and get this unique force. I mean, if it blows up in their face, what have they lost? It's not as if they're going anywhere this year.
JACKIE MacMULLAN
The Celtics should trade for Ron Artest. Of course it is a huge gamble, but unless you are comfortable with a first-round-and-out pattern for Boston (or, in the case of this season, a very real scenario of not making the postseason at all), the Celtics need to roll the dice. A player of Artest's caliber will not be available to them any other way. So give up Mark Blount or Ricky Davis -- not Paul Pierce. If the experiment fails, Artest walks in two years and those of us who called for the bad boy will admit our mistake.
