Lakers News: LA Champ Hoping To Advise Indefinitely Suspended Draymond Green

Previously known as Ron Artest (and Metta World Peace), former Los Angeles Lakers 2010 champion Metta Sandiford-Artest has commented on Golden State Warriors All-Defensive forward Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension.

The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year is keeping an eye out for the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, as the two anchors of championship-winning teams have comparable histories of on-court behavioral problems, so Sandiford-Artest’s remark is well-placed.

When Sandiford-Artest was a player for the Indiana Pacers, he experienced the career-defining event that was subsequently dubbed the “Malice at the Palace.” Following a violent altercation between players and fans, he received an 86-game suspension—the longest in NBA history for an on-court incident.

Apart from this, he’s had a few other incidents. In 2003, he was suspended for four games for making a “obscene gesture” towards the crowd. In the 2006 Playoffs, he was suspended for one game for elbowing Manu Ginobili in the head. In 2012, he was suspended for seven games for elbowing James Harden in the head.

While Sandiford-Artest did commit progressively fewer infractions over the course of his career, it is evident that he shared similar behavioral issues with Green. Draymond should aim to emulate that transformation.