Ron Artest Briefly Chokes Shawne Williams, Refrains From Going Ron Artest

I’m no NBA insider, but I do know that a psychiatrist is about to be fired. After being on his best behavior all last season, Ron Artest seems to be breaking down in his second year with the Lakers. The volatile forward reportedly confronted coach Phil Jackson during a recent practice, and I have to say I believe the story after what happened Sunday night.

Artest got a technical foul for putting his hand on Knicks forward Shawne Williams’ throat in a choking position before retracting. The choking was the instinctual Ron Artest while the quick removal of the hand was the David Stern-ized Artest. Much like his comments two years ago, you could tell what Ron Ron really wanted to do but refrained from doing.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, later in the third quarter Artest went thug life on Amar’e Stoudemire, clothes lining the forward as he drove the lane. The move was completely excessive and indicated some frustration with Ron Ron. He seemed to be preparing for his NFL career after the NBA with the physical play. All I know is that if he keeps this stuff up, his brother’s prediction will come true. Here’s a video of the incident in case you missed it:

Photo Credit: reallyben