If the elbow wasn’t deliberate it’s only because Artest is so egotistical that he couldn’t be bothered to notice the guy walking up to and past him and TOUCHING him before he swung his elbow. It was either a willful level of ignorance or deliberate, and given the frequency of his suspensions deliberate seems likely.
I won’t/can’t argue if it was deliberate or not. He was acting as a dangerous “Thug”.
He should be out of the NBA, but I’ve heard several commentators say that the commissioner won’t do it because of the Player’s Union - they would not allow that to stand.
If I were a player (no chance in $%#&), would I want to play against (or with for that matter) a Thug like that?