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Idk why that's such a weird prediction since this is by far the most minor role he's ever played.
So Laker fans, how much will each of the main Laker players average scoring this year?
Kobe, Pau, Bynum, Artest, and Odom?
Idk why that's such a weird prediction since this is by far the most minor role he's ever played.
Touche, you're right about rebounds. Assists, idk, but I see what you mean.
Not sure why everybody keeps insisting Kobe, Pau, or Drew will have to give up shots. Ron will also be playing with the 2nd string and be a more go-to guy on that unit. He will get those extra 2 to 4 shots from Sasha, Farmar, Walton etc.
And here we see why (excsue the pun) a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole.
Ariza was that perfect complimentary piece to that laker team last year, in terms of excellent defense and 3 point shooting. They really don't need anything more than that.
Thus, the round hole is still there, and Artest is trying to wriggle into it. But now Phil Jackson is telling him its not a round hole its a square hole! C'mon Ron play your game!
Is that what the lakers need though? Maybe they were better off with the round hole.
I sense trouble brewing ahead.
Yeah... because after only two weeks of camp it's absolutely ridiculous that Ron would have adjustments to make when learning to play with new teamates. Obviously Ariza made these adjustments so much easier as his year and a half cracking the starting lineup proves.And here we see why (excsue the pun) a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole.
Ariza was that perfect complimentary piece to that laker team last year, in terms of excellent defense and 3 point shooting. They really don't need anything more than that.
Thus, the round hole is still there, and Artest is trying to wriggle into it. But now Phil Jackson is telling him its not a round hole its a square hole! C'mon Ron play your game!
Is that what the lakers need though? Maybe they were better off with the round hole.
I sense trouble brewing ahead.
So after months of all the speculation that Ron would come in and demand the ball, chuck up shots, and cause havoc in the locker room... you now are saying trouble is brewing because he's defering to teamates and taking his time to fit in.
I am hoping that everything works out well for the Lakers and the Spurs.
This will be a matchup of epic proportions if the two meet in the playoffs.
Definitely over.
Being on the court with Kobe/Pau/Lamar/Bynum will get Artest better looks and result in a better FG% than last year. So even though his shot attempts will go down, his scoring output will be almost equal to last year since he'll convert more attempts.
Last year, Artest averaged 17pts on 40% shooting using 12.5 shots per game.
This year, my guess is he'll be around 14-15 pts on 45% or better shooting and 8 shots.
Barring injuries, Lakers will have 5 players averaging Double figures this year (or very close to it).
Last edited by Allanon; 10-17-2009 at 03:45 AM.
TJ just got his ass handed to him.Yeah... because after only two weeks of camp it's absolutely ridiculous that Ron would have adjustments to make when learning to play with new teamates. Obviously Ariza made these adjustments so much easier as his year and a half cracking the starting lineup proves.
So after months of all the speculation that Ron would come in and demand the ball, chuck up shots, and cause havoc in the locker room... you now are saying trouble is brewing because he's defering to teamates and taking his time to fit in.
tee, hee.
over/under on artest FG%? 45?
Put me down for $500 on the under.
Spurs can but Duncan, Blair, Manu, Jefferson, and Parker and absolutely destroy that line up with speed rebounding and better all around skill. Bring it on Jackson.
There could be.Yeah... because after only two weeks of camp it's absolutely ridiculous that Ron would have adjustments to make when learning to play with new teamates. Obviously Ariza made these adjustments so much easier as his year and a half cracking the starting lineup proves.
So after months of all the speculation that Ron would come in and demand the ball, chuck up shots, and cause havoc in the locker room... you now are saying trouble is brewing because he's defering to teamates and taking his time to fit in.
Artest is playing the role vacated by Ariza as well as he can. Problem is, that role was perfectly suited for Ariza, and he's not Ariza. And now PJ is telling him to essentially be more "crazy Ron" rather than "passive Ron", which is probably the more effective of the two. Except "crazy Ron" isn't going to work in the laker starting lineup.
Which is probably why PJ has started to experiment with Lamar Odom in the starting lineup, so he can move Artest into the 2nd unit.
Still, there are going to be times that Ron is out there with the starters and there could defenitely be some problems if Ron gets confused which role he's supposed to be playing.
Lakers have too many options - if Odom, Gasol and Bynum are all healthy, that's a devastating front line. I don't know if Duncan or Garnett at this advanced stage of their respective careers can effectively anchor a defense against this Laker front line. I think you need something like the Admiral/Duncan combo of 2003 to do it, and I don't see any team presenting such a challenge this year.
Even if you battle the Lakers front line to a draw, you've got the most dangerous player in the league to deal with, and Artest creating havoc. Not to mention the record-breaking championship coaching of PJ.
I applaud the Spurs changes this year, but ultimately the Lakers have the best player and coach in the world, and are loaded with talent to boot. Beating them straight up would be a enormous achievement, "absolutely destroy(ing)" a team of this magnitude would be the Spurs greatest achievement ever.
I think the Lakers are poised to rattle off another 2-3 championships. I wish it weren't so, but talent and coaching wise, they are untouchable at this point. A team for the ages perhaps.
Not sure why we're so focused on the statistics here. Phil has already scolded Artest for being too passive on the offensive end. Stats are meaningless on a deep, championship team.
As for Bynum, his 14 ppg is last season is sort of misleading. The month prior to his injury he was the clear 3rd option and even the 2nd option on some nights. in January Bynum averaged 17 points pretty easily and he is playing about at that level right now.
The only question is health. If Bynum stays on the floor he'll be getting 15-18 a game and close to 10 boards while earning the first All-Star appearance of his young career.
I don't even know where to start being that you are so wrong on so many levels.There could be.
Artest is playing the role vacated by Ariza as well as he can. Problem is, that role was perfectly suited for Ariza, and he's not Ariza. And now PJ is telling him to essentially be more "crazy Ron" rather than "passive Ron", which is probably the more effective of the two. Except "crazy Ron" isn't going to work in the laker starting lineup.
Which is probably why PJ has started to experiment with Lamar Odom in the starting lineup, so he can move Artest into the 2nd unit.
Still, there are going to be times that Ron is out there with the starters and there could defenitely be some problems if Ron gets confused which role he's supposed to be playing.
No, Artest is not playing a role vacated by Ariza the best he can. He is playing a "position" that Ariza played. SO you think the Lakers decided to bring in Ron to play the exact same way Ariza did? That's laughable. They felt Ron would bring more toughness, be able to gaurd the larger SF's better, and create his own shots better with post moves and ball handling skills Ariza does not posess at this stage in his career.
No, PJ is not asking him to be more crazy Ron. He's asking him to be more assertive. Ron has been easing himself into the team dynamics and PJ simply wants him to be more aggressive. And you think PJ requested this because he has a place on the 2nd unit marked for him? That's absurd.
No, PJ started experimenting with Lamar in the starting lineup for several reasons. Pau is hurting a tad and had a long summer so Lamar took his spot in the last game. PJ has already said that he will play the lineup of Bynum, Pau, Odom, Bryant, and Artest at times this year. This in preperation for teams like the Celts, Cavs, and Blazers who can put big front courts on the floor. What a ridiculous idea that they should actually experiment and practice with the lineup prior to implementing it. It has nothing to do with Ron moving to the 2nd unit.
Ron is not going to be confused about which role he is playing. That's what PJ is for and I think he has proven over the years that he knows how to get his players on the same page.
Still, there are going to be times that Ron is out there with the starters? WOW... just WOW.
Well you just keep telling yourself this if it makes you feel better. We'll see if Artest gets booted to the 2nd unit (which I think will happen and soon)I don't even know where to start being that you are so wrong on so many levels.
No, Artest is not playing a role vacated by Ariza the best he can. He is playing a "position" that Ariza played. SO you think the Lakers decided to bring in Ron to play the exact same way Ariza did? That's laughable. They felt Ron would bring more toughness, be able to gaurd the larger SF's better, and create his own shots better with post moves and ball handling skills Ariza does not posess at this stage in his career.
No, PJ is not asking him to be more crazy Ron. He's asking him to be more assertive. Ron has been easing himself into the team dynamics and PJ simply wants him to be more aggressive. And you think PJ requested this because he has a place on the 2nd unit marked for him? That's absurd.
No, PJ started experimenting with Lamar in the starting lineup for several reasons. Pau is hurting a tad and had a long summer so Lamar took his spot in the last game. PJ has already said that he will play the lineup of Bynum, Pau, Odom, Bryant, and Artest at times this year. This in preperation for teams like the Celts, Cavs, and Blazers who can put big front courts on the floor. What a ridiculous idea that they should actually experiment and practice with the lineup prior to implementing it. It has nothing to do with Ron moving to the 2nd unit.
Ron is not going to be confused about which role he is playing. That's what PJ is for and I think he has proven over the years that he knows how to get his players on the same page.
Still, there are going to be times that Ron is out there with the starters? WOW... just WOW.
Why? The lakers don't need an "assertive" Ron Artest in the starting lineup. They need a passive presence like Ariza provided. They have enough creators in the triangle, what they need is a guy who will space the floor with big 3pt shots, which is exactly what Ariza gave them last year.
The ironic and funny thing is that for once in his career Artest has been on his best behavior trying to do what's best for his team and is getting his ass reamed by the coach for it. This situation was already a powder keg and now Jackson has just poured gasoline on it.
tee, hee. TJ, runnin' just as fast as he can.
Dude, year one. Year one. There's always a honeymoon period of a year or a year and a half with Artest. After that point, even the fans hate his ass.
If he could ring in that first year & a half I'd settle for that. Skim the cream, ship him out. We did that ostensibly with Ariza.
You're pretty dumb if you believe that.
We'll see if Artest gets booted to the 2nd unit (which I think will happen and soon)
.
ORLY? You need to learn to read between the lines. It does look like PJ is setting up Artest to come off the bench, only he's doing it by throwing hints around first... talking about how much he's digging the "BIG" lineup featuring Lamar Odom at small forward. Then going on to talk about how speed might kill that type of lineup.You're pretty dumb if you believe that.
Hmm... reading between the lines...if you need to match speed with speed in that lineup, who do you think is going to the bench in favor of a quicker guard, Kobe or Artest?
Kill yourself
No he's not. Again, you're stupid if you believe this. Let's all hope you're just trolling. For your family's sake.
Cobbler whupped that ass, damn.
I feel just fine thank you.
Well you just keep telling yourself this if it makes you feel better. We'll see if Artest gets booted to the 2nd unit (which I think will happen and soon)
Why? The lakers don't need an "assertive" Ron Artest in the starting lineup. They need a passive presence like Ariza provided. They have enough creators in the triangle, what they need is a guy who will space the floor with big 3pt shots, which is exactly what Ariza gave them last year.
The ironic and funny thing is that for once in his career Artest has been on his best behavior trying to do what's best for his team and is getting his ass reamed by the coach for it. This situation was already a powder keg and now Jackson has just poured gasoline on it.
So they don't need an assertive Ron in the lineup. Hmmmmm.... I think I'll take PJ's opinion over yours.
Hmmmmm... and Ron's 3pt shooting is considerably better than Ariza's. What a tradegy that he actually has other skills that allow him to not only do the same things Trevor was able to do but MORE.
If by ass reamed you mean PJ made a simple comment to Ron and the media that he would like him to be more assertive then uhhhhh ok.
Powder keg? Only in the media and oppositions hopeful dreams. How is it already a powder keg? You just now said he's been on his best behavior. Make up your mind.
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