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well you heard it first here kids, Spurs 2010 Champions.
Well, I was happy.
Until last night when I learned that the defending champion Lakers would be signing Ron Artest, the game's best perimeter defender who can also hit a shot.
The Spurs had opportunities to get the mercurial Artest via trade and/or free agency since 2001 when the Bulls offered him to San Antonio for scraps.
Homers like exstatic feared that he would go nuts like he did in Indiana about 5 seasons ago.
Well, I hope his performance with the undermanned Rockets showed you something.
Now the Lakers are more powerful than ever and the Spurs' offseason positioning is all for nothing.
Fvck.
well you heard it first here kids, Spurs 2010 Champions.
So the Spurs go from Michael Finley to Richard Jefferson. The Lakers go from Trevor Ariza to Ron Artest. And the Lakers trump the Spurs? They're not even garuanteed of getting better, while the Spurs changed the entire dynamics of their team.
To trump the Spurs they'll need to swap Fisher for Devin Harris.
Ron is not the leagues best perimeter defender. If the Spurs get Sheed, Dcdyess or any legit big they have a sick lineup when healthy.
Even thought I think Artest is an upgrade over Trevor, he doesn't make the Lakers that much better as a team. Phil seems to like Ron a lot so you never know he may be the next Dennis Rodman with Odom Being Pippen and Kobe MJ the lakers will be hard to stop... part of me wants to believe that the lakers are just panicking seeing our spurs getting better and are making mistakes and Ron is one of them lol....
also lol at the leagues best perimeter defender having to rely on Shane Battier to guard Kobe because he got torched every time he tried to guard him.
The spurs off season positioning doesn't change much IMO. The way I look at it is with the addition of RJ and the possible addition of Sheed or dyess the spurs become A very deadly tool with A player at every position that can hurt you. VERY BAD. Ron cant defend every position. If we get sheed I still see us abusing them in the paint. The dual of duncan and sheed will prove to much for the not so tough frontline of the FAkers. Double Duncan and watch sheed gun you down or draw the big man out deep and watch duncan murder in A one on one situation. A thing of beauty. Add in the assasins of RJ manu and the killer himself parker and we have A recipe to give the oppositionheartaches night in and out. Mcdyess has about the same pontential to hurt you also. But the key is getting one of them. After that its on.
Don't be a ing pussy man.
So the Lakers go Ron, so what? The Spurs if healthy could have one of our best teams ever and I think we'll at least be able to compete against the Lakers unlike the last two seasons. What more do you want?
My initial reaction was similar... but without resigning Odom or Ariza, I'm not sure how much better this makes the Lakers. If they can bring back one of those two guys, I might be a little concerned... until then, I don't see this as that much of a coup.
Its sort of A wash in my opinion. Theyre maybe A tad better. But there is certain little things ariza did that ron cant do.
yeah .401 FG% and that he wasnt even the best defender on his own team
WOW...I'm scared!
I would wait to say the Spurs' offseason was trumped by the Lakers getting Ron Artest.
It is easy to play paper GM and project which team will be the strongest.
We already have 21_Blessings predicting 72 wins for the Lakers. Again.....slow down there!!
The NBA Season is a long haul! And as we Spurs fans saw.....injuries will play a key factor on who wins it all!!
The Lakers outside of Bynum and Odom (who still played) were injury-free last season. The Celts, Jazz, Rockets, and Spurs were all affected by major injuries last season.
And when you try to defend your championship....funky things will happen!!
So before some Spurs fans get upset thinking the Lakers stole the offseason from the Spurs....there is a season to be played and it will probably be the most compe ive amongst the heavyweight teams in several seasons.
I can't wait for November!!!
Artest to the Lakers makes the Jefferson deal look absolutely puny by comparison. Lakers smash us (and the rest of the league) to the curb - again.
Artest is a gamble, but of course so was signing Ariza (8pts, 4 rebounds per game...BFD).
Artest can be the Lakers nasty go-to defender, freeing up Kobe even more to punish the opponents on the offensive end.
You gotta respect the Lakers for upgrading their team after a winning a championship. Too bad we lacked the wisdom, vision and balls to do that in the '07 postseason.
This was a viscious, ruthless move by the Lakers, the type they do so well. Nothing's a given in the NBA, this move might not work, but if it does, I think it's going to be a Rodman to the Bulls type dealio. Maybe even bigger.
And I don't think the Lakers would make this move unless they knew Odom's in the bag.
Spursfans, do really think our offseason moves (yaaay, Finley's coming back) will amount to much against a lineup of Kobe, Artest, Gasol, Odum and Bynum? That's one of scariest lineups the NBA's seen in years.
Started right off with a complete lie. I stopped reading at that point.
Ron Artest and RJ are still background noise to the fact that the real question still lies with Lamar Odom and Mystery Spurs Big Man.
If the Lakers re-sign Odom (as they most likely will) the Spurs have to get their decent Big (ie Sheed, Gortat). Otherwise, the Spurs still can't contend with the Laker Bigs.
STill gotta wait and see how it shakes out.
So that's only one mystery for the Lakers.
Spurs have several, including uncertainty about the health of Duncan and Manu going forward.
Everything else, including the Jefferson signing and Sheed possibilites are still background noise.
Again....let's have some context!!!
We Spurs fans were asking the FO to get another dynamic scorer in the SF spot this offseason.
What they do.....they got RJ!! that surprised most Spurs fans and other NBA fans.
Do you think other teams were going to sit idly by and let the Spurs have the pub in the offseason? Let's be real!!
I give the Lakers kudos for getting Artest.
But...again we have must context!!
The NBA season is a long haul and injuries will be a major factor again this season.
Also, the Spurs had the second best record most of last season and still ended up with 54 wins. If everyone's healthy and the FO get that big......the Spurs will be right there.
The championship is never won in late June or early July!!!
Don't forget context, people!!!
This is a big risk for LA. We're talking about Ron Artest, here. The dude is not stable. Throw him into that drama-filled environment with the LA media fishbowl, and anything can happen. You up the pressure on Artest and bad things have a tendency to happen.
Not to mention the fact that he isn't the defender he used to be and can be a huge chucker on a team where Kobe gets all the shots. And Kobe is a ty teammate and domineering personality... this has all the potential of a gigantic trainwreck. Ariza is 6 years younger, doesn't demand the ball, and only getting better.
This is highly volatile. I don't understand why the Lakers take this gamble. It seems highly unnecessary when the Spurs can't keep Duncan and Ginobili healthy for the playoffs and they don't have any other real compe ion in the West.
so a 34 year old duncan and a 35 year old sheed is going to suddenly abuse the lakers frontline? riight....The Lakers have a GREAT frontcourt and is a big reason why the Lakers won the championship....a 40% jump shooter in sheed isn't going to help that tmuch.The spurs off season positioning doesn't change much IMO. The way I look at it is with the addition of RJ and the possible addition of Sheed or dyess the spurs become A very deadly tool with A player at every position that can hurt you. VERY BAD. Ron cant defend every position. If we get sheed I still see us abusing them in the paint. The dual of duncan and sheed will prove to much for the not so tough frontline of the FAkers. Double Duncan and watch sheed gun you down or draw the big man out deep and watch duncan murder in A one on one situation. A thing of beauty. Add in the assasins of RJ manu and the killer himself parker and we have A recipe to give the oppositionheartaches night in and out. Mcdyess has about the same pontential to hurt you also. But the key is getting one of them. After that its on.
Richard Jefferson would become a non factor going up against Artest.
If you want to think the spurs can beat the Lakers thats fine but to say duncan/sheed is going to murder the lakers inside is a joke...that simply won't happen.
sheed just sits on the three-point line these days...he is a slightly better verison of matt bonner at this stage of his career.
Spurs still lost to the mavs in 5 games in the playoffs, adding jefferson and maybe sheed isn't suddenly going to make them the best in the NBA. Who knows if manu can stay healthly...might be an idea moving him while you still can
Gasol usually ended up with A slower defender or smaller defender with the orlando system like lewis. He is soft and will be at the mercy of sheed or duncan. Bynum though good needs A little more to his game. A 50 year old sheed and duncan abuses your frontline. You know this is true.
Well.....Artest is a huge upgrade talent wise that is obvious. Like Phil Jackson or not he has a way with these types of egos and can make it work. I would love to see Artest and Kobe go at it in practice it should be a war. This move is not something that makes it a lock for the Lakers this can be very complicated if Artest and Kobe cannot find common ground.
get real
Gasol is a very good player and with how much duncan is on the decline I don't think the gap is very big right now. Keep dreaming if you think sheed is going to solve your problems inside...guy shot 40% this year and just camps out on the three-point line....Lakers are far quicker, bigger and more talented inside...spurs don't have a hope of stopping them.
If the Spurs get Wallace:
Duncan
Wallace
Jefferson
Ginobili
Parker
Bests even the formidable Lakers lineup with 5 all stars starting and bring it on!
Quitter thread...
Pessimistic much? The mood swings from Spurs fans on this forum are crazy...Are y'all PMSing or sumthing? The lakers sign one free agent and your ready to hand them the le months before the season starts...Y'all crazy!!
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