In true Ron-Ron (or is that Bill-Bill?) fashion, he didn't take long to change his stance in the latest mini-drama.
After our conversation this afternoon in which he was clearly not thrilled with the comments made by Yao Ming, he went on with KHTK's Carmichael Dave this evening and reported that the issue has been resolved.
Among the relevant revelations...
* Artest said Yao called to clear up the matter and proclaimed himself "a Yao Ming soldier babyyyyyy!."
* He admitted that Yao's comments regarding the brawl "hit me in the soft spot when I read that."
* He said he's even considering a trip to China support Yao with Team China, then quickly made it clear that he is rooting for Team USA for the gold.
* Asked if there was anything he would change about his time in Sacramento, Artest said he would have found a way to convince the Kings to re-sign Rick Adelman.
"I wish I would have know that Rick was leaving, because I would've intercepted that phone call with a missile from Korea," he said with a laugh. "I'd be like, 'Hold on, let's work it out.'"
POINTS TO PONDER
* Assuming Artest's comments on Wednesday don't undo the deal, let's move ahead to Rockets locker room speculation.
No one expects Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming to be the ones willing to stand up to Artest, but don't be surprised if Rafer Alston occasionally plays that role. Not only do Ron and Rafer go all the way back to their shared New York upbringing, but Alston was possibly the most outspoken critic among his colleagues after the 2004 brawl.
For an interesting look back, read this piece here.
* While talking to Artest today, he retold the story about how he found out he was traded while making an appearance on the "Scott Ferrall Show" on Sirius XM radio.