Ron Artest on ‘Leaving the Bench’ Rule

Ron-Ron and his coach think it should be revised: “Though the Rockets might have benefited from Lamar Odom’s suspension, Rockets coach Rick Adelman and forward Ron Artest, who would have matched up with Odom, argued Wednesday that the rule that led to Odom’s suspension should be changed…’I don’t agree with (the rule),’ Adelman said. ‘I think each instance should be evaluated based on what actually happened. To me, if it happens right in front of your bench, your bench is more likely to take one or two steps; the other bench is more like to stay right where they are. Sometimes, guys take a couple steps just to look. I think maybe it should be re-evaluated.’ Artest went even further with his defense of his childhood AAU teammate. ‘He did the right thing by showing concern,’ Artest said. ‘I don’t think he should have been suspended. That happened to me in Boston once. I came off the bench a little bit, but I still got suspended. I wish he wasn’t suspended. I guess anybody would be concerned if they saw any type of commotion happen. Their natural reaction is to show a little bit of concern with what is happening.'”