gold star for USAHOF

29. Metta World Peace

29. Metta World Peace

This one will take a bit.

When Metta World Peace was Ron Artest, he was traded in his third year in the league from the Chicago Bulls to Indiana.  It was a good fit, and in what was his first full season as a Pacer, he would earn a Second Team All-Defensive Selection, while leading the league in Steal Percentage, the second year in a row he would do so.

It was clear that Artest was a star on the rise, and in 2003-04 he would be named to the All-Star Game and went on to have an 18.6 Points per Game Season.  This year also saw the Forward earn a Third Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defensive Selection.  The Pacers, with Artest as their primary weapon, was poised to make a run for the 2005 NBA Championship.  That was until the infamous "Malice at the Palace."

You probably know the story.  Artest was in the center of a brawl between Indiana and the Detroit Pistons, and a beer was thrown at him by a fan when he was lying down on the scorer's table.  He charged the stands and was joined by some of his teammates.  Artest was suspended for the rest of the season (This was only game eight of the season), and the Pacers were screwed.  He would request a trade shortly after he returned for the next season.  

Had he kept his composure is the biggest “what if” in Pacers history.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Small Forward
  • Acquired: Traded from the Chicago Bulls with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie for Travis Best, Norm Richardson, Jalen Rose and a 2002 2nd Round Pick (which would be Lonny Baxter) 2/19/02.
  • Departed: Traded to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic 1/25/06.
  • Games Played: 193
  • Per Game Averages: 34.9 MP
    .465 eFG%
    .729 FT%
    16.5 PTS
    5.2 RB
    3.0 AST
    2.2 STL
    0.7 BLK

    26 Playoff Games
    38.6 MP
    .431 eFG%
    .739 FT%
    17.3 PTS
    6.3 RB
    3.0 AST
    1.9 STL
    1.0 BLK
  • Advanced Stats: 17.6 PER
    .520 TS%
    8.7 VORP
    19.3 WS

    26 Playoff Games
    16.8 PER
    .484 TS%
    1.4 VORP
    2.4 WS
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Third Team All-NBA (2004)
    All-Star (2004)
    First Team All-Defensive (2004)
    Second Team All-Defensive (2004)
    Highest Steal Percentage (2001-02* & 2002-03)


    *Metta World Peace was traded from Chicago midway through the season.

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