Yao Ming did what any NBA superstar would do when he received word that his team had acquired the most talented, outspoken, and sometimes petulant Ron Artest: He giddily texted a teammate. Then, he opened his mouth to the Houston Chronicle about the acquisition:

“We worry about the new attitude to the team. We are adding talent to the team and we need that, but building team chemistry is important. This is not bad. I don’t mean he is not welcome to Houston. But a new player always needs some time.

“Also, he was the biggest part of a team in Sacramento. He was a star player. We need more chemistry and more communication.”

“There’s worry. Obviously, yes,” said Yao. “We will think about it, of course. Hopefully, he’s not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands.

“I haven’t talked to Ron yet, so it’s hard to say. I have to find a way to talk to him and see what we can do as a basketball team. He has a history. But we know he is a physical player. He is a good player. He really can help us. And Ron is on a contract year, too.

If we could attempt to translate: This guy better be ready to come in and defend, rebound, and get his mind right because we’ve got scorers, and we don’t need some guy with a history of having a bad temper getting hot and bothered if he doesn’t get shots. Artest responded to the Sacramento Bee:

“I understand what Yao said, but I’m still ghetto,” said Artest, who will earn $7.4 million next season and be a free agent next summer. “That’s not going to change. I’m never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he’ll understand what I’m about.

“If you go back to the brawl, that’s a culture issue right there. Somebody was disrespecting me, so he’s got to understand where I’m coming from. People that know me know that Ron Artest never changed.”

Sing it now – U-N-I-T-Y. Of note: We never blamed Ron Artest for the brawl in Detroit. We have always placed blame on that drunken fool who hurled the cup of beer at him. The players had been separated, ordered had been restored, and then this asshole in the stands sets things off.

Yao, Scola discuss deal for Artest (Houston Chronicle)
Artest fumes at Yao’s remark (Sac Bee)