“By the way, The guy who wrote the letter emailed me. I cursed him out and he apologized. See , I don't kiss ass. Cont..”-ThugRaider37 (aka Ron Artest)
First, let me thank Ron Artest for responding to The Open Letter. Through the help of Truehoop.com and the LA Times' Lakers blog, word got out. (UPDATE: It was me who emailed the blog to Ron Artest.) The hope was to put forth a letter of explanation before Ron took The Open Letter out of context, and to provide a little background about myself and Laker fans like me.
Let me state that I will continue to root for Ron Artest throughout this season, no matter his level of dislike for me. Because he is on my favorite team, and that’s how fandom works. Hell, if I can accept Karl Malone, I can accept Ron Artest.
As I realize The Open Letter was taken as a criticism by some, this post is for clarification. It was written with the hope that Ron Artest can become a leader in the locker room, a valuable contributor on the floor, and an eventual champion. But it also touched upon Ron’s history (which is not exactly clean) and the track record of previous players who may not have lived up to their potential in the purple and gold. (See: Isaiah Rider).
It was meant to help Ron get in the right mindset for the upcoming season. It was not meant as a critique. And if some folks took it in that vein, for that I do apologize.
What follows is my e-mail chain with Artest.
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Kyle Slavin to shinshinartest (Ron’s Email)Oct 3 (1 day ago)
Hey Ron-
First of all, welcome to the Lakers. I've been a Laker life-long fan, and I'm pretty stoked at having you join the purple and gold. I think you will fit in and do very well this season, man.
The reason I'm writing you is this: I recently posted "An Open Letter to The Real Ron Artest" that just got linked by ESPN's Truehoop blog. It's a compassionate plea to you, and it's getting some attention.
I'm gonna be straight with you - it is a little critical. I wasn't evil or ill-willed, just very assertive when I stress the importance of playing "right" this year...namely, being a leader and a model veteran, and playing into the system. It wasn't a warning in any way, but I definitely laid down the law.
You can read it for yourself at TSCblogs.com.
So, please read the whole thing. I hope you get the essence that I want you to succeed, and I will definitely be rooting for you (starting Wednesday at the Forum) but that you are entering into something bigger than yourself.
I have a lot of love for this franchise, and I just want you to understand the love - not only that, but the history behind that love - that exists nowhere else in the NBA.
Stay strong, play hard, and you can win this whole city over, brother. You are already going strong. Keep it up, man.
And I hope you're not too upset over the post.
Lakers forever.
-Kyle Slavin
Writer, Creator
TSCblogs.com
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First Reply, within 20 minutes:
Shin Shin Coming Soon to me
Oct 3 (1 day ago)
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
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My Response (admittedly, I tried to tone down my syntax into online-speak):
Kyle Slavin to Shin
Oct 3 (1 day ago)
No, no, Ron! I was saying that I really want you to do well, dude! WTF, don't tell me to suck a cock! I wanna ROOT FOR YOU. I want you to SUCCEED, and I want you to WIN US A CHAMPIONSHIP! All these things are good for you! I don't want you to kiss anyone's ass! You're a LAKER now. Act like one!
Jesus, did you read the article?
What the hell man!
-kyle
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His response:
Shin Shin Coming Soon to me
Oct 3 (1 day ago)
Ok
Sorry bout that
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At this point, I’d like you readers to take a peek at the top of this post. Ron Artest may have cussed me out, but I have not apologized. I stand by my original letter.
It’s a pity that Ron does not realize that I am not a “hater”. Does a “hater” ask him for his best production? Does a “hater” want him to do well? If he is an All-Star this year, both of us are happy. I reiterated many times that I would be rooting for him, urging him to be his best and to lead the Lakers to another Finals berth. And by “lead”, I mean with both his play and his veteran leadership. One would think that these are goals that Artest would have as well. I am disappointed in the way Artest has either chosen to ignore this point, or missed it completely.
I am not a “hater” Ron. I appreciate your skills and your talent, and I want them to shine in LA. What I do not envy is your lack of appreciation for us fans who look up to you, and wish to get the most out of you.
You should value those fans above the ones that blindly follow you, defending everything you do by rote. That is not a fan base. That is an entourage.
And I only do that for the Lakers.
***
What follows are Ron Artest’s tweets about The Open Letter, and a response to each. Again, my thanks to everyone who brought it up to him.
RT @TheAngelsAnna: LAKERS FAN READ THIS OPEN LETTER TO RON ARTEST - I'm gonna write an open letter to my haters in 5 mins.
(Still waiting on it, Ron. And I’m not a hater.)
By the way, The guy who wrote the letter emailed me. I cursed him out and he apologized. See , I don't kiss ass. Cont..
(Nope, on two counts. I never apologized. And you are currently kissing the asses of your twitter public by misleading them, aren’t you?)
Sometimes people write good things about me and I say suck ....!!! See, I don't care if someone likes or hate me. I love my fam and fans!
(You DON’T suck. That was never my point. And I’m glad that you don’t care. After all, I’m a blogger, and you make millions playing for my favorite team. I definitely would rather be in your shoes. I just wish you were more open to encouragement.)
RT @VioletKanian: how did @thugraider37 respond to the open letter the laker fan wrote him? Ask him
(Ron Artest cussed me out yesterday. It was kinda cool!)
***
In closing, the sole purpose for this whole exercise was the hope that Ron Artest would play well this season. I went to the blogosphere to voice the opinion that a strong character and veteran leadership would go a long way towards that goal, and that the days of tantrums and acting out would not be acceptable. I’m sure his coaches would say the same.
I do wish Ron Artest and his teammates the best of luck this season. And I really hope he makes it to the end of this post to read it. Maybe, just maybe, he will take it to heart.
Lakers forever.
UPDATEDFolks-
I have read your comments, and I can see that I have been less than saintly in my posting on this topic. Though I still believe that Mr. Artest's comments were brash and unwarranted, I see now that I have done my fair share in inviting them upon myself.
I would like to publicly and officially apologize to both Mr. Artest and my readers, not only for airing out my grievances in plain sight, but for bringing any ill feelings towards Mr. Artest. It is not my place to tell any one how to do their job, and I see that I did not treat Mr. Artest with the respect he deserves, not only as a pro, but as I would wish be treated.
I am sorry.
Just as Ron is not bigger than the Lakers, neither am I, and I know I carry much less influence than Ron. Call it excitement/fear/anticipation of the upcoming season, I don't know. But it was not fair, and I realize that. It went too far.
Keep your comments coming. I'm going to be contacting Henry Abbott over at Truehoop soon about putting up a disclaimer concerning my actions leading up to and including this blog post.
Just as players should be accountable, so should we.
Kyle Slavin
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