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The media agrees? It's one guy and Bill Simmons at that...
This is about as close to a guarantee that the Lakers will repeat as you can get.
Here's an excerpt from an ESPN article today...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/090727
2. And you can tell Rolling Stone magazine that my last words were ... "I'm on drugs!"
At only 24, Trevor Ariza has plenty of good years left in the tank.
To the Lakers' fans. If you think your boys improved by swapping Trevor Ariza (a 24-year-old who came into his own this past spring, shot 45 percent from 3-point land, came through repeatedly in the clutch, turned into the NBA's single best defensive swingman and doesn't care about his numbers) for Ron Artest (an unreliable 29-year-old head case/attention hog who slipped noticeably as a perimeter defender these past two seasons and has a knack for taking terrible shots at the worst possible times), then absolutely, you're on drugs. I don't know what else to tell you. Your team is worse. I'm sorry. And that's before we get into the whole "Is Lamar Odom coming back?" and "Do you really want to commit to an aging Artest for FIVE years?" questions.
3. Some of the stuff that happens is good for a few people to know about, as opposed to, say ... a million people.
To Artest. Here's a classic case of someone hoodwinking the American public with a 10-year pattern of bizarre behavior that eventually immunized them to all future crazy Ron Artest stories and anecdotes, such as the fact that he's wearing No. 37 to honor Michael Jackson because it's the same number of weeks that "Thriller" led the charts (um, what?), or his recent revelation that he had been pining to play for the Lakers for two solid years. Artest told reporters that he wandered into the Lakers' locker room to express that desire to a showering Kobe Bryant -- right after L.A.'s bitter Game 6 thrashing in Boston in the 2008 Finals, no less -- adding, "Yeah, I walked in the shower. I'm not a sexual or nothing like that, but Kobe had no clothes on."
These anecdotes just bounce off people now. Artest is a benevolent crazy. Or so we think. Being around this nuttiness every day is a little different from merely hearing about the nuttiness in secondhand anecdotes. I know for a fact he routinely broke plays on offense and is still a handful behind the scenes, and the Rockets buried every 2008-09 story that would have made this patently clear. For instance, Artest routinely walked around in his underwear in public places: the Rockets' team bus, hotels, you name it. People around the team barely flinched after a while. Before Game 7 of the Lakers series -- only the biggest game of the entire season -- they finally flinched.
Here's what happened: Artest missed the first two team buses (the ones for players, coaches and team personnel) from Houston's hotel to the Staples Center and barely made the third and final bus, which was reserved for business staff, sponsors and friends of the team. These stunned people watched Artest sprint to the bus right before it left, jump on and take one of the remaining seats ... yes, wearing only his underwear. Owner Leslie Alexander happened to be sitting on the bus and witnessed the whole thing. And you wonder why the Houston Rockets didn't make any effort whatsoever to bring back Artest.
Despite what Lakers fans might think, Ron Artest is not an upgrade over Ariza.(Note: If you want to make the "Kobe and Phil can keep him in check much like MJ and Phil kept Rodman in check" argument, just remember Rodman was still a world-class defender and rebounder when Chicago acquired him. Artest is neither. If anything, his athleticism is slipping and he can't defend quick small forwards anymore. So why even risk it? Wait, why am I complaining? Thank you for screwing up your le defense, Lakers!)
Seems it's not only Spurs fans that aren't buying the "we're better with Artest instead of Ariza" bull you Laker fans are spinning...
It's gonna be fun watching the Lakers implode, thanks to Artest. Have fun with him!
If Odom leaves too and you're left with the choice of playing a crazy Artest 40 minutes a night or giving Powell or Walton extended minutes, you are SOL!
Face it Lakers, your GM is digging an early grave for your team, and wasting Kobe's prime by making him play with Artest every night. Kobe will be begging for a trade by Christmas!
The media agrees? It's one guy and Bill Simmons at that...
This is about as close to a guarantee that the Lakers will repeat as you can get.
Media is probably going to be right! unless kobe is goin to play like REALLY GOOD.
Eh. Bill es all over the Lakers any chance he gets. Not that there is anything wrong wit that, but he's hardly media.
Trevor Ariza has become one of the most overrated players in the league now.
People use this throw away line with every single sports writer in the country, even when they have different opinions, so who is correct?
Agreed (that Ariza has become overrated)
Simmons won't, to this day even acknowledge Lee's & Howard's misses, Dunc.
agreed.
wrong. he is one of the most underrated. He was lakers X factor for many games in the PLAYOFFS.
Just 'cause media says it, doesn't mean it will be so. Didn't he write something a while back that had Spurs fans upset?
The media is usually as right as spurs dynasty
The question was not meant to engage n smacktalk responses so whatever.......
Sorry myte, you're are right.
I apologize. I'll try and edit it out.
Simmons is SOOO objective on the Lakers much as he is on the Yankees, the Colts and the NY Giants!!! He also picked the Cavs to win it all last year and the Spurs the year before ...what a genius!
Simmons is the only guy at ESPN who could get away with saying this stuff.
i do agree that artest is a loon. he should fit in perfectly in la la land.
I think the most telling part of the entire article is when Simmons mentions how the Rockets made no attempt whatsoever to bring Artest back. Wonder why?
Never Simmons... that's for sure...
Finally media got something right
Simmons > laker fans
That's only because Artest is a stupid black man. Ipso facto expendable & neatly so. If he wasn't they'd string Simmons up by his Buster Browns.
Insecure spur fan thread.
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