Watkins knocks out Artest's tooth

#1
Artest loses tooth – Perhaps because Ron Artest is still serving his league-issued suspension, he's taken to treating practices like the games themselves.


Case in point was Thursday, when the Kings small forward was hit by Watkins and watched a front tooth fly out of his mouth. After picking up the broken root and taking a breather, he finished practice.


"You know how tough Ron is – I tell you," Theus said. "I had one player get kicked in the shin, and he was out for the whole practice, but I have (Artest) lose a tooth where you could see the root, he's playing with the root in his hand, and he finished practice. There's a big difference in mentality."


www.sacbee.com/kings/story/480598.html
 
#2
Yeah, we all know how tough Ron is, but kudos to Watkins for knocking the tooth out in the first place - and in practice! When's the last time Brad knocked the tooth out of anything in an NBA uniform?
(never mind, that was a rhetorical question...)
 
#8
I wonder who the other player reggie mentioned was
Let's hope it was someone from his New Mexico State team.

I mean, I'm ok with pointing out flaws in your players on occasion, but if he was referring to a current player here that's just over the top.
 

Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
#9
Well, of course, it has to be Kenny. :rolleyes:
Being as how Amick covers the team, if he says he thinks it was Kenny, I'm inclined to believe him. He didn't seem to just make it up or hem and haw about it. He said he thought it was Kenny that RT was referring to. You know, he might have actually (gasp) seen KT sitting on the sidelines with ice on his leg during practice or something.... :rolleyes:
 
#13
There's a clip of the play on News10.net. Ron back to the basket, muscles his way into the paint against Salmons, the play is broken up with the ball going the other way, leaving behind a hunched over Ron. Later Mike comes over to him and he gives Mike a grin.

I don't know why Theus compared getting your tooth knocked out to getting kicked in the shin. One will continue to be painful, while the other wouldn't.

http://www.news10.net/sports/default.aspx
 
#14
You know, after all of the "phenomenal" practices we had under Musselman, I'm going to take anything done in practice with a grain of salt.
The reporters asked theus a routine question yesterday but theus gave them a long honest answer. Some of what he said after he was asked how practice went was "we had an OKAY practice but i didnt see the intensity and focus that i need to see".

He also said We are not good enough to just clock in and out like were a championship team because we just arent and the players are acting as f they won ten games when they have only won one. Thues stayed a little longer talking to the players and telling them what he want/ expects.

He basically identified one of the biggest problems with this team besides rebounding and that the fact that when we win we think we have the same team again with webber and company and that is just not the case and we need to play with 110% intensity and focus all the time. Thats what i love about theus, he is as honest as it gets unlike musselman who always described the practices as "phenomenal" and then we would end up getting crap on the court.
 
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#15
Let's hope it was someone from his New Mexico State team.

I mean, I'm ok with pointing out flaws in your players on occasion, but if he was referring to a current player here that's just over the top.
Yeah i think that was uncalled for if he was talking about any of our players.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#17
fixed that. :D <- if only that emoticon were missing a tooth.
You and the OP totally and completely missed my point...

I don't see knocking someone's tooth out as something to be desired. There's a lot more to the game of basketball than hitting people in the mouth, which is something Dr. Naismith was trying to avoid with his original concept of the game. It should be about finesse and TEAM play, not resorting to physical contact that ends up in missing teeth or broken bones.
 
#18
You and the OP totally and completely missed my point...

I don't see knocking someone's tooth out as something to be desired. There's a lot more to the game of basketball than hitting people in the mouth, which is something Dr. Naismith was trying to avoid with his original concept of the game. It should be about finesse and TEAM play, not resorting to physical contact that ends up in missing teeth or broken bones.
i got your point, but as usual was just joking around. besides, i heard basketball from the late 80's through the mid 90's was something fierce, so knocking out a tooth probably isn't such a big deal to some of the players or fans from that era. and while you may not approve of/like the result (loose tooth), i happen to think that it's a good thing for the sacramento "charmins" to have some fire and intensity, and not shy away from actual contact.
 
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Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#19
i got your point, but as usual was just joking around. besides, i heard basketball from the late 80's through the mid 90's was something fierce, so knocking out a tooth probably isn't such a big deal to some of the players or fans from that era. and while you may not approve of/like the result (loose tooth), i happen to think that it's a good thing for the sacramento "charmins" to have some fire and intensity, and not shy away from actual contact.

Basketball is a contact sport. Like all contact sports, he who hits hardest is always going to gain an edge over he who is a weenie and shies away. That's different from a cheap shot, but if somebody drives inside on your team you want them to be thinking about whetehr they really want to do it or not. Intimidation is an invaluable weapon -- makes opponents beat themselves after awhile.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#20
i got your point, but as usual was just joking around. besides, i heard basketball from the late 80's through the mid 90's was something fierce, so knocking out a tooth probably isn't such a big deal to some of the players or fans from that era. and while you may not approve of/like the result (loose tooth), i happen to think that it's a good thing for the sacramento "charmins" to have some fire and intensity, and not shy away from actual contact.
I've watched NBA basketball since the mid-60s, so I'm no stranger to fierce play.

It's not the loose tooth I was objecting to... I'll try once more and then just let it go.

I was objecting to the apparent idea that knocking someone's tooth out was, in and of itself, something to be desired. I don't agree. Good aggressive defense is desired; protecting the paint is desired. Not letting someone waltz in and score uncontested layups is desired. But it can be done without resorting to chops to the chops, so to speak.

I think sometimes people get more excited about the contact aspect of the game and that's truly a shame. Basketball is about SOOOOO much more than the physical contact. Hockey is physical; football is physical. Basketball can be physical but it's not anything like the other two - and that was the purposeful intent of James Naismith.
 
#21
I was objecting to the apparent idea that knocking someone's tooth out was, in and of itself, something to be desired.

I think sometimes people get more excited about the contact aspect of the game and that's truly a shame.
i don't think any poster on this board would seriously advocate cheap shotting opponents!

and like you said, teams can play tough, aggressive, intimidating defense without resorting to dirty moves. but i don't see why fans can't like that aspect of basketball. just my two cents. :)
 
#22
He basically identified one of the biggest problems with this team besides rebounding and that the fact that when we win we think we have the same team again with webber and company and that is just not the case and we need to play with 110% intensity and focus all the time. Thats what i love about theus, he is as honest as it gets unlike musselman who always described the practices as "phenomenal" and then we would end up getting crap on the court.
I agree. Reggie says it like it is and I'm glad he's telling the team what we need to improve upon...speaking about Musselman. Besides the practices were great speach, he always gave the opposing team credit after they won and not really addressing our issues (oh how that same quote after every loss bugged me).
 
#23
You and the OP totally and completely missed my point...

I don't see knocking someone's tooth out as something to be desired. There's a lot more to the game of basketball than hitting people in the mouth, which is something Dr. Naismith was trying to avoid with his original concept of the game. It should be about finesse and TEAM play, not resorting to physical contact that ends up in missing teeth or broken bones.
Point of clarification:
From my original post, I can see where it sounds like I want teeth to get knocked out intentionally. And I don't. So while I'd like to say that YOU completely missed MY point, I think I got a little sloppy with my words. What I am excited about is someone not shying away from hard contact. Cheap shots? No thank you. But not finesse, either! I mean, if you don't see the NBA as a contact sport, you and I aren't watching the same game.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#24
Point of clarification:
From my original post, I can see where it sounds like I want teeth to get knocked out intentionally. And I don't. So while I'd like to say that YOU completely missed MY point, I think I got a little sloppy with my words. What I am excited about is someone not shying away from hard contact. Cheap shots? No thank you. But not finesse, either! I mean, if you don't see the NBA as a contact sport, you and I aren't watching the same game.
I think, with the clarification, you and I are pretty much on the same page. As far as finesse goes, I think you're defining it a little differently than I. The first definition of "finesse" in my standard Funk & Wagnall's is "highly refined skill"...

A game of basketball can have hard contact AND finesse. One example immediately comes to mind: John Stockton and Karl Malone.

;)
 
#25
A game of basketball can have hard contact AND finesse. One example immediately comes to mind: John Stockton and Karl Malone.

;)
Great example. Not only because Stockton and Malone played with hard contact and finesse (of the high skill variety), but also because they were often accused of playing dirty by the players who had only finesse in their skill sets.
I remember when Vlade, Webber, Bibby et al finally got past the hard-nosed Jazz in the playoffs. I thought it was a great sign that they were able to compete with them and not complain about them being dirty players. Instead they thanked the Jazz for the experience. Almost brings a tear to my eye. ;)
 
#26
I remember when Vlade, Webber, Bibby et al finally got past the hard-nosed Jazz in the playoffs. I thought it was a great sign that they were able to compete with them and not complain about them being dirty players. Instead they thanked the Jazz for the experience. Almost brings a tear to my eye. ;)
Me, too. And the Kings fans recognized Stockton with a standing ovation at his last NBA game (at Arco). That was great.:)
 

Krunker

Northernmost Kings Fan
#29
On the radio this morning Sam Amick indicated that he thinks it's KT, but has no proof/confirmation.
This was in today's bee:

Forward Kenny Thomas sat out with a shin bruise that worsened when it was hit during the Jazz game.
"(The shin bruise) looked like if you touched it, it would pop," Theus said. "I felt bad for him, actually."
 
#30
This was in today's bee:

Forward Kenny Thomas sat out with a shin bruise that worsened when it was hit during the Jazz game.
"(The shin bruise) looked like if you touched it, it would pop," Theus said. "I felt bad for him, actually."
Can I touch it? Can we all touch it???