You have to hand it to Ron Artest. This guy really just gets under the skins of many NBA fans. Mr. Artest, exactly who do you think you were prior to your basketball career and when you throw it all away, exactly who do you think you’ll be after basketball? It’s time to grow up and make your fans, what few of them you have left, proud again. Don’t you think?

He’s graced the covers of some of the biggest magazines on the newsstands today. Don’t you know that the executives of Penthouse, Sports Illustrated and GQ all sold large amounts of magazines just because Artest doesn’t know how to behave? When you think about it, it really is disturbing, especially when you visit his website. He boasts about providing the funds for 6 college scholarships and naturally, he is very active with children through his charities, summer camps and general love for children. And why wouldn’t he love children? He certainly can relate to them, right down to the temper tantrums.

In the day where celebrities act like drunkards strung out on drugs in night clubs while divorcing their parents, the general public should demand more from athletes and frankly so should the commissioners who slap them on the wrists with a fat fine and send them to the bench. As commissioner David Stern sternly impressed upon the media in 2004 after the infamous Artest incident, “The line is drawn,” Stern said as he referred to the suspension of players for the Indiana Pacers after Artest fought his way into a suspension which carried some of the heaviest of fines. Yes, David, the line was drawn and the chaos has continued but don’t feel too bad, it’s the norm among professional sports.

In fact, professionals are making such a name for themselves acting out with little self-control that even the college players are getting in on the act. This year in College Football, baby Vick really made his big brother proud when he stomped the leg of another player. He didn’t learn this behavior from big brother but he may be under the false assumption that bad behavior is a special prerequisite for making ‘a go of being a pro’. And we won’t talk about the asinine behavior of T.O. By the way, is he still around?

To add insult to injury, its people like Artest that REALLY needed the break that the NBA gave not only him but his entire family. Artest, now too big for himself has all but forgotten his most humble beginnings. He grew up with two brothers and six sisters, and from his own accounts in his auto-biography on his website, he tells of living in the projects of New York City. Less than seven years ago, he was drafted by the Bulls and a few short years later signed a multi-million dollar deal for a basketball lifestyle brand and gained the kind of money most only dream about. And yes, Artest, considering you started out in the projects, this NBA stuff has been fairly lucrative for you, wouldn’t you agree?

Still, in 2004, Artest commanded $6,158,000.00 in salary, but because he apparently has lost the need for money, he lost over 4.9 million because of suspensions. And true, he probably doesn’t need the money now but some other well deserving athlete did. Someone who would have been glad to sign autographs, shake hands, smile and do what they are paid to do which is play ball and please crowds.

What’s more, when professional players, like Artest, get by with a bad attitude once, they continue to revel in it. For instance, way before Ron Artest became a notorious bad guy, he had another scuffle. Two years prior to his fight on the courts with NBA fans, he grabbed a camera from a television station’s crew and destroyed it after a defeat to the Knicks.

Recently, his tantrum hurt only his own plans when he decided he wanted to go to Sacramento and then he didn’t want to go, and then he did and then he didn’t. In fact, Artest did go because he was made to go, just like a child is made to do something. Here’s an innovative idea for the powers that be in professional sports, if you are going to hire oversized kids to play in an adult game, why not send them to a behavioral psychologist before turning them loose on the general public?

On his website Artest says of his time with one of his teams, “At times I felt like I had to lead more…like Michael Jordan.” Well darling, I can tell you, you are no Michael Jordan. No, Michael Jordan knew how to act like a gentleman and he knew how fortunate he was. Michael Jordan appreciated what the NBA delivered to him and his family and he never disrespected his game. I really wish Ron Artest, given your talent, were a little more like Mike. And I’m sure your fans do too.

Sadly, I was a huge Ron Artest fan and I cheered him on from my home computer and television. However, with his attitude and the mounting chips on his shoulder, I fear he is at the beginning of the end of his career. However, the housing projects of Sacramento will welcome him back to his similar humble beginnings should he decide to stay there when basketball is no longer an option.

Sports fans love to debate. This is part of the excitement of sports, arguing about what players are best at their respective game or position. One that has become surprisingly popular pits second-year star LeBron James against various other greats, such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and others. It's surprising not only because LeBron is so young, so most people would exclude him but also because it really shouldn't be an argument at all.

That's right. This one is a no-brainer. Stop all the arguments, the debates and the loosely-constructed ideas that other players in the National Basketball Association are better than LeBron. I'm here to tell you today that there is no reasonable debate -- LeBron James is without a doubt the best basketball player on the planet Earth!

Okay, before you blow your stack about his age, lack of experience and the fact that he has yet to win a title, like Kobe and others, let's consider the best barometer of a great basketball player.

Truly great players possess all of the fundamental skills: shooting, passing, ball handling, rebounding, shot blocking and defending. Now, players like Kobe, McGrady and Kevin Garnett certainly have these skills. But to truly separate players, we need to go beyond these skills. Consider two more factors: the ability to dominate at any position and to make all players around you better. This is the true test of greatness.

Larry Bird had it, Magic Johnson had it, and Michael Jordan certainly had it. Does Kobe? I say no. Does McGrady? Definitely not. Garnett may, but he still has too many nights of 14 points and 9 rebounds in a losing effort to say he definitely has it.

Now, consider LeBron. The skills are unquestionable. He averages 25 points, nearly 8 rebounds and just under 8 assists per game, in only his second year in the league, at the tender age of 20. He’s the youngest to score 40, to get a triple double, to start in an All Star game, and the list grows every night he plays. Further ponder the fact that at 6-8 and a muscular 240 pounds and with uncanny speed, quickness and leaping ability, LeBron can handle the ball like a point guard, shoot like most decent (not great, yet) off guards, and post up with the best forwards and centers in the NBA. He blocks shots like a center, can shut down anyone, with his size and quickness, and he gets to the basket and draws fouls better than anyone. He creates a mismatch every night, because he is completely unguardable.

Finally, in just his second year, he’s taken a team that won 17 games prior to his arrival to a 50-win pace. And for the first time since the early 1990s, the Cavaliers are now a legitimate playoff contender. I doubt any coach in the league wants to face the Cavaliers and LeBron in a seven-game series.

So, when people want to discuss the greatest players in the game, tell them to forget any argument that doesn’t start and end with the name LeBron James.

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