Unbelievable

The Ron Artest deal could be undone by the NBA’s resident bad boy. In response to Yao Ming’s concerns about Artest’s past, Ron-Ron retaliated according to the Sacramento Bee. “I understand what Yao said, but I’m still ghetto,” said Artest, who will earn $7.4 million next season and be a free agent next summer. “That’s not going to change. I’m never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he’ll understand what I’m about. If you go back to the brawl, that’s a culture issue right there. Somebody was disrespecting me, so he’s got to understand where I’m coming from. People that know me know that Ron Artest never changed.” The deal cannot be completed until August 14 because of the nature of Donte Greene’s contract (another player in the deal).