World Peace and State of Mind

The dark cloud of uncertainty surrounding the NBA’s 2011-2012 season is literally and figuratively, uncertain.   At the rate both sides are dealing with the situation, we might just as well say hello and goodbye to this year’s NBA. They are displaying the conversation skills of a Trappist monk.

The cancellation of the season will be to the owner’s benefit. These guys formed their ball clubs because they got bored with their multi-million dollar corporations raking in the profits and they needed a diversion, something like an excuse to spend the excesses.

Without the cost of operating a team for a whole season and dealing with their resident divas and prima donnas, owners will have some other areas to explore and flaunt their wealth.   Surely, they already have boats, airplanes and private island hideaways to explore their mistresses. 

The uncertainty of the season notwithstanding, various subplots involving players makes the news. From the borderline crazy to the criminal minds and everything in between, the league, if we can still call it as such, happens to remain a little bit interesting.

For the moment and for obvious reasons, we zero in with the squad in the colors of royalty, the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Artest, formerly known Ronald William Jr., by the middle of this month will officially be known as Metta World Peace. Going deeper as to the “why” will challenge our individual sanity so to be safe, let’s leave it as it is.

The name change was supposed to be legalized last week but the judge handling the proceedings discovered that Ron, soon to become Metta or whatever, has some unsettled traffic violation tickets that needs to be addressed, hence the delay. The tickets should have been settled by now and by September 20, we can all say hello and welcome World Peace.

If the season does opens as scheduled, we only will not see a queer and unfamiliar name but a different number attached to a Laker jersey. Artest will don the number 70 saying it has some connection with the universe. “Everything kind of repeats itself. The universe is one. It’s the same thing. Healthy minds, just keeping the kids positive.” Sounds kinda confusing.

During his stints in Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento, Houston and LA, he had seven number changes complete with background info. He wore 23 to honor Michael Jordan. He wore 91 as homage to Dennis Rodman. Wearing 93 and 96 was a reference to his hometown in Queens, NY.

Another MJ, this time Michael Jackson, was honoured, giving tribute to the late pop icon’s “Thriller” which stayed number one on the charts for 37 straight weeks. He changed to his present number 15 for reasons unknown but he wore this number early in his NBA career and while playing college ball at St. John’s University.

If you’re like the collection freak who goes for his jersey, it would be advisable to cut the addiction or else live and deal with the frequent number change. On second thought, Artest jerseys with different numbers will be great conversation pieces, complete with their historical origins.

We will see Ron/Metta in Dancing With The Stars, paired with Hope Solo, the US National Soccer Women’s Team goalkeeper. He’s not bothered with his own publicist’s declaration that he can’t dance. Despite his limited dance moves, he’s doing this for his daughter Diamond’s sake who has successfully battled kidney cancer, which was diagnosed of the disease in 2007 when she was 4-years old. The money Ron/Metta earns on this DWTS adventure will go to the Cancer Research Foundation.

The guy has a giving heart and as far as charity is concerned, who cares about mental balance. We were all ware of the 2010 NBA championship ring that was auctioned. It netted $651,006 (converted to pesos at p42 to the $, translate to p27.3 million), which was distributed to various mental health charities.

So this is it for Ron/Metta for the moment. Let’s go Kobe. Until we see KB playing in China or Turkey, all those talks about him playing overseas will be purely rumors. Overseas teams could be having second thoughts of his stiff asking price of $1.5 million-a-month.

So what’s with Brandon Jennings? The guy has been badmouthing KB for quite a while now. Sure signs of insecurity and jealousy. I’m not particularly fond of KB but his basketball exploits are beyond argument. Jennings is still a nobody in comparison with KB so the guy better put up or shut up.

Pau and Marc Gasol had just finished a commercial for San Miguel Beer. Unfortunately we won’t be seeing the 30-second clip as it’s for Spanish release only. SMB launched their line of non-alcoholic beer and if the company decides to re-launch the brew locally, we could see the 7-foot brothers taking a swig of the brew after a pick-up game. I say re-launch as the beer made ripples in the early 80s. Tastes like a very mild version of San Mig Light if I remember right.

So, people, World Peace and state of mind? It’s complicated.

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