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Who the is Steve Aschburner? What qualifies him to write about basketball?He plays bigger than his size as much as Nowitzki often plays smaller than his
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...t/?eref=sircrc
Artest, Mavericks need each other
Steve Aschburner
Ron Artest is doing his part. Josh Howard might already have done his part. Now the onus is on the Mavericks and Kings to do their parts.
The line apparently has been drawn separating an actual Artest-to-Dallas trade possibility from empty telephone conversations and Internet speculation. That line, at the moment, is said to be Howard's unavailability to Sacramento, a player nearly Artest's equal in ability and his better in stability, save for a dose of spring fever the Mavericks' swingman caught in late April.
But the offseason is young, teams' and players' initial negotiating positions rarely are etched in stone -- remember, at this time last year, Kobe Bryant wanted to be traded and Kevin Garnett didn't want to play for the Celtics -- and, as we noted, Artest is doing his best to drive down his market value and make feasible a deal that might not even include Howard.
By venting over his own mistake of not opting out of the final year of his contract ($7.4 million) and then announcing to the world that he wants to be traded, Artest has set in motion a process that, in pro sports, is as time-honored as swiping the spray deodorant out of the next man's locker. This generally is effective all by itself, a shot across management's bow that things could become counterproductive or even unseemly if the desired change doesn't occur. Then you factor in who's involved -- this isn't exactly Grant Hill, Tim Duncan or Steve Nash in terms of demeanor or reputed integrity -- and you know the Kings are no more in control of this situation than they are of Andy 's next bender.
Artest doesn't even have to mention his steamer trunk's worth of erratic behavior or how it is that he has played for three teams despite a two-way game as valued in NBA circles as highly as anyone's under 6-foot-10. At 28, he is at the point where even his smiles and his "no comments'' seem a little ominous, and stories written about him invariably include a mention of Dennis Rodman. You talk to Artest, then you walk away convinced that his gyroscope runs at double the torque, on triple the axes, loaded with a jack-in-the-box trigger from which you'd prefer to keep some distance.
It's the sort of personality that makes him a tremendous risk for any team that employs him, none more so than one that isn't a serious contender and thus has long stretches of its season crying out for Ron-Ron entertainment. But since Artest's game is the sort that offers tremendous reward to a good team with the proper support system -- at least, that's what the league's scouts and armchair psychologists believe, though he has made it out of the playoffs' first round only once in nine seasons -- he also offers a tremendous reward. The man defends, he brings toughness, he can score from both the low post and the three-point arc, he crashes the offensive boards and he is tireless (thanks, gyroscope!). On a club with established veterans and a strong coaching voice, Artest could be as helpful and manageable as -- here it comes again -- Rodman was to Chicago's second three-peat run from 1996-98.
Dallas could be that team. With Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry in place, the Mavericks have a veteran core and the semblance of grown-up standards. As long as Artest didn't overrun the Mavs' alleged softness of heart, he would bolster it. He plays bigger than his size as much as Nowitzki often plays smaller than his, and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle got good results (until the melee in Detroit) when he and Artest were in Indiana. Also, the Mavericks' narrowing window of championship opportunity conveniently coincides with the amount of time a team can have Artest around before the distractions take over.
All we need now are a few more weeks of Artest e-mails to various reporters and his showing up unexpectedly in offseason gyms as he did the other day at the Las Vegas summer league, happy to oblige the notebooks and recorders one way or another. Demanding, pouting, apologizing or professing love and loyalty, it doesn't really matter -- the more Artest talks, the more he looms as a liability for Sacramento. The threat of blackmail by disruption shouldn't be rewarded, but this is pro sports. Guys like Artest, Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson or, in the NFL, Terrell Owens and Jeremy Shockey can drive down their own trade value and still end up winning, if they land with clubs they prefer.
So maybe come August or September, a Dallas package of emerging forward Brandon Bass and high-mileage Jerry Stackhouse (a.k.a. expiring $7 million contract) might not seem too lopsided to the Kings to end an Artest circus. Or, just maybe, the Mavericks soften a little on swapping out Howard, whose touches and swingman contributions would drop, anyway, if Artest were around. Howard averaged 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds last season, while Artest was at 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Howard had a calliope of his own warming up a few months ago, coinciding awkwardly with Dallas' first-round elimination against New Orleans, when he talked on a radio show about his offseason use of marijuana. Then, after one loss in that series, he invited teammates to his birthday celebration at a local nightclub.
The mind reels at the prospect of Howard as Cheech and Sacramento center Brad Miller as Chong clouding up the windows of the team's new Volkswagen minibus. Better the munchies, though, than to suffer the sort of hangover an extended stay from an acting-out Artest might bring.
More important, though, Dallas needs another piece, perhaps precisely this piece, if the Kidd trade was intended for anything beyond a half season's gamble. The Mavericks ought to be willing to pay for it. Once Artest establishes the final markdown price.
Who the is Steve Aschburner? What qualifies him to write about basketball?He plays bigger than his size as much as Nowitzki often plays smaller than his
Is what he said untrue? I believe most Mavs fans agree with the sentiment that Dirk is basically a 7 foot shooting guard. That means he does play smaller than his size.
Getting a guy like Artest, who has more power forward-like qualities, will definitely help Dirk out.
I read it as him pulling out the Dirk is soft card, which should've been put to bed last year. I didn't interpret it literally.
Artest isn't that much of an upgrade over Josh Howard. I don't think it'd get the Mavs over the hump by any means. What they need is a post scorer to pair with Dirk to have a true inside-out game in the playoffs when things inevitably slow down.
Mavs Management seems to be pretty stupid, they actually want to trade Bass?? After all the hustle and Heart he played with last season they want to trade this guy? The Duo of Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban will run the Mavs franchise into the lottery very soon.
What a groundbreaking thought you have here.
You're definately the first poster here to say that.
shocking coming from a Laker fan. "Ron Artest isn't all that great unless he comes to the Lakers, and then he's awesome!"
Ron Artest > Lamar Odom > Josh Howard
Wow talk about totally missing my point. Is Artest an upgrade over Howard, sure. But getting Ron Artest isn't going to catapult the Mavs to the next level. They have bigger holes to fill than at the SF position.
Ron Artest > Lamar Odom > Josh Howard
Its funny how some people think that intensity and toughness is what will get the Mavs over the hump. First off the Mavs aren't soft imho, if they had a legitimate post presence to compliment Dirk all these years they would have rings by now. All of this soft and Choker talk wouldn't be happening, at the very most they should try and get someone like Okafor. Why not trade Howard for Okafor?
I'm not familiar with the Bobcats but isn't Okafor a defensive player?
Also, no one ever really addressed this question
Maybe if we can get Artest without giving up Howard, we can proceed to trade Howard for Redd since he's more of a 2 and a great shooter.
He's a very good defensive player but he has proven he can score in the paint, He averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds last season. That is solid enough to compliment Dirk well imo, and remember that Okafor didn't have a point guard like Kidd when averaged those numbers. And he is still very young and still has upside, that is the kind of move the Mavs should make imo. Chill with this intensity/ toughness BS and just try your hardest to get a legit center.
lets not get carried away...
It's funny, because recently I made a comparison (if Artest were to go to the Lakers) of Kobe as Cheech and Artest as Chong--but Artest thinking he was Cheech. Of course, my thought pattern--totally different than this writer. Put Kobe and Artest together and I'm watching that 82 times a year!
This guy states that Artest is endeavoring to devalue himself to the Kings by blurting out his emotions. The writer has no knowledge of Artest being incapable of forethought.
Petrie isn't going to be in a hurry to trade Artest. Artest is actually the best trade tool Kings have had in forever--Webber was unloaded, Bibby was unloaded, ....even Peja was unloaded for Artest. Kings are in a terrific position to garner a nice trade.
Mavericks may change their minds. So may the Lakers.
Keep the faith, guys.
I'm left baffled.
what the . artest is a HUGE upgrade over howard. howards got no D and hes extremely soft. guess what? the mavericks have no D and are extremely soft.
Good thing you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
Now howard is the exact same player as Artest but Artest has tweeked his game up a little more.
Remember not to throw Howard too deep under the bus. He might be your starting 2 this season.
The more I think about it, the more I don't like the idea of a Howard for Artest swap. Artest has 1 year left on his deal, while Howard is locked up for several more. It's risky to let Artest walk in a year when you're still way over the cap and you lose an asset for nothing. It's also risky to sign him to a long-term deal. I'd prefer to move Josh, but I don't want a repeat of Kidd for Harris, when we let a good young PG with several years left on his deal go to Jersey in exchange for a 35 year old whose deal is about to expire, and we don't even get cap relief for him coming off the books.
Artest only works on a team that has little to lose if he goes nuts. Lakers, Celtics, Spurs......are really the only teams that fit the bill right now. Ron Artest would be the 4th best player on all of those teams.
Howard will kick you in the nads, terry will punch you in the nads, stack will pull a gun on you, and kidd will beat your wife. I see no softness here
Unfortunately, Kidd is only agressive with women and not men. He is a softy when he plays basketball. Not attacking the paint or posting up. Pathetic. Stackhouse is just stupid.
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