Ron Artest vs. Caron Butler
Ron vs. Caron
They’re both 28 years old, prone to missing games, spent two years in college, have been traded a couple of times, and are members of high-powered trios. Artest joins McGrady and Yao this season, while Caron continues to play with Arenas and Jamison.
They each also rank among the league leaders in steals, although Ron Artest is more heralded for his defense.
They each have a somewhat menacing appearance, with Ron sporting large muscles and words shaved in his head, and Caron showing off some ink of a skull on his arm.
These two players have much in common, but their names are not among the similarities.
Ron is short for Ronald, from Queensbridge, NY. He says he grew up in the streets and always follows that code of honor. No one, including fans, may disrespect him or his friends.
Caron is Mr. Butler’s middle name. James Butler, born in Wisconsin, went to high school in Maine and college in Connecticut, does not sound like a very dangerous sort of guy. Naturally, he went with Caron and got the aforementioned skull tattoo.
Background aside, who would you rather have on your team right now?
Ron Artest: 20.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG
- Each time he missed games, his team was much worse.
- He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2003-2004.
- He was selected to the 2004 All-Star game.
- He played well in his sole All-Star game appearance, unlike Caron.
- His PER has improved every year except the 2005-2006 season, when he was traded from Indiana to Sacramento.
- Artest had to play with Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, and numerous other bad influences.
- He is fiercely devoted to his teammates- he now loves Yao Ming.
- Knicks fans have been depressed for the last 9 years that the team drafted Weis over him.
Caron Butler: 20.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.9 APG
- He was an All-Star in 2007 and 2008.
- Caron’s PER has risen each season except his second, when Miami imported a bunch of new players, and he could never get in a rhythm.
- He greatly improved his passing and shooting last year, and helped the Wizards make the playoffs despite a major injury to Gilbert Arenas.
- Last year, he had a higher PER and Win Score than Ron Artest.
- He has played second fiddle to Arenas, Bryant, and Wade, and clearly plays better without them.
- He is less likely to retire, join the Knicks, or release a music album.
In 11 head to head games, Artest has held Butler to 37% shooting. Last season, Butler shot only 29% against Artest. Defense matters quite a bit.
Who would you rather have by your side?
September 2, 2008 at 1:55 pm#
Dude, you’re crazy. this is now one of my favorite sites.
I’d pick Baron. He is less crazy then Artest.
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September 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
You mean Caron? Baron Davis was a previous article.
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September 2, 2008 at 4:21 pm#
Statistically speaking Caron is better and he wasn’t arrested for domestic abuse. In childhood he was a bad kid and turned his life around…more reason to like him
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September 4, 2008 at 5:22 pm#
Are these people crazy? Who the hell is voting for Ron over Caron? Caron’s #’s are already better and they have been improving every year since he entered the league.
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September 4th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Many of the visitors have been Rockets fans, so that explains that. Where are the Wizards fans?
By the way, did you see Caron’s stats when he plays against Ron Artest? That may be influencing the vote.
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September 5, 2008 at 10:51 am#
I would pick Ron Artest over Caron anyday. See defense wins game not scoring, so Ron fits in with this strategy, plus think about this—put Ron Artest on the Wizards in the east, that would be a scary team. with Caron their just a good team. This is the truth and the truth will set Ron free to be a benefit with Houston, plus I am a Lakers fan.
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September 13, 2008 at 3:45 pm#
Attitude aside, I would pick Artest over Caron. Caron gets the steals he does because he has a habit of playing the passing lanes rather than relying on on-ball defense. Artest can shut anybody down, while still getting the steals he does. Artest’s skill is sometimes overlooked because of the brawl at the palace (which is especially offending to me, as I am a Pistons fan) and all his other character issues, but he remains possibly the best on-ball defender in the league and can still score a bunch. Caron is a great all around player but Artest is the superior defender overall. Artest also scores more, but that is skewed because nobody really scores much on the Kings besides Martin, and Miller. He rebounds more which is surprising considering Washington’s lack of a traditional big man. He also showed last season that he can’t be the focal point of a team. Without Gil, the Wizard’s never did have a chance in the playoffs. He’s more of a supporter in a championship team. Kind of like a Lamar Odom
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