The New York Post’s Peter Vescey is never as attractive as he is when agreeing 100% with CTSB.

What did (Ron) Artest do that’s so wicked, so deserving of being shown up publicly, so awful that his coach would leave him wide open to be mocked by the mindless? Anybody who has been tailgating Artest’s career understands how easily he gets distracted and led astray by anything and everyone.

Yes, it’s crazy for Artest to be concentrating on anything other than earning the $6,157,895 he’s being paid for the ’04-’05 season. But it’s equally crazy for Carlisle to treat him as if he committed treason. God forbid he should try to help him, coach him through his latest bout of insanity and warped sense of priority.

Tell me this couldn’t have been handled more discreetly behind closed doors. Tell me this witless situation couldn’t have been handled in house. Tell me Carlisle couldn’t have simply told Artest, “It ain’t happening,” and moved on.

Instead, he further destabilized an already fragile psyche and subjected him to uncalled for scrutiny and ridicule from bonehead analysts.

Of course, the bonehead analyst that Vescey has in mind is named Stephen A. Smith.

More comments from Artest can be found in today’s Indianapolis Star.