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Not gonna keep going over it and over. If your to stupid to pay attention or didnt hear it the first time. tough . You're just pissed because your teams are the Spurs and Cowboys and both cant touch my teams.
Make no mistake. Artest IS a good player. But the reality is, LA just got worse against the Spurs.
Trevor Ariza's length, speed, and athleticism combined with a low key personality and great work ethic perfectly combined with the other great scorers they have in Kobe, Gasol, and Odom. Phil Jackson never had to worry about Trevor Ariza coming to play or taking shots away from the marquee players.
Enter Ron Artest now. This is a volume shooter and nowadays an overrated defender. Chemistry problems could be imminent.
PJ once had the option of bother TP with Ariza's length, but to try this with Artest would be suicide. IMO a fully recovered Manu can guard Artest on one end and burn him on the other. The only place you could stick him and expect results might be RJ. LA's guarding Spurs 4th option great now, instead of their 1st. TP could average 30 against the scrubs at PG.
Spurs have plenty of question marks, but Artest doesn't change our plans.
Not gonna keep going over it and over. If your to stupid to pay attention or didnt hear it the first time. tough . You're just pissed because your teams are the Spurs and Cowboys and both cant touch my teams.
Until Ariza signs elsewhere, it's still possible the Lakers retain Ariza.
It's a longshot, but this may not be an EITHER/OR situation with Ariza and Artest.
what are you saying? that lamar odom is gone?
and Odom to the Spurs ! yeeessss thx a lot
you have 52 posts, how many times have you gone over it. I've never seen your sorry ass here before and i wish i hadn't. I honestly don't care who your teams are because you're bound to change them in the near future so go yourself.
Please die in a fire
um so you are saying that fisher would guard jefferson. thats stupid . for now artest is better. ariza did a solid job on hedo cause he isnt strong, but against melo he tried his best but was destroyed early and late the lakers zone made him a jumpshooter and he sucked.
I figured this would happen last season after watching that clip of Artest interviewing Kobe; Artest could hardly contain himself... was probably ing in his pants...
That season FG% of 40% sure is eye-popping. Plus there's the whole, "I'm bat crazy" thing too. You're right. I don't see how this could miss!
Nice post.
I actually feel sorry for Phil who is going to have migraines dealing with yet another headcase on his roster. Then again, Phil loves a challenge.
Will Artest be able to learn the triangle? I highly doubt it, so that is a problem. And then there's his over-rated defence. I agree with many around here - this actually weakens the Fakers, not strengthens them.
As you know by now, and "nicely" reminded me, Ariza is going to the Rockets.
At least the Lakers can keep Odom.
Good take, Artest is a MUCH better matchup for the thicker SF's in the league. The thing about Ariza though is he has the ability to guard the 1-3 positions on any given night. That's a very valuable asset, especially against the quicker PGs in the league.
It's a trade off though and it's all about matchups. As far as the Western conference goes, they have a much better one-on-one matchup with Melo should they play the Nuggets again in the playoffs. If they happen to play the Spurs, the speed and explosiveness of Parker and Ginobili just became a whole lot harder to counter without Ariza. That's why I said I don't think the Lakers got that much better. It's a trade off, speed for physicality. I just think the potential for chemistry problems to develop, especially on the offensive end, outweigh the good things Artest brings to the team. Despite all that, it was a no brainer to pick up Artest at that price tag and you can't blame them for bringing him in.
Agreed Sir. Very fair assessment on Ariza.
No doubt I would have loved it if the Lakers kept Ariza but Artest at Plan B is not a bad choice in my opinion.
PJ put Ariza on TP in the 4th quarter of the Mason shot game (it was the closest game of the 3 after all), and it actually bothered him a bit when LA made their run to comeback. Now TP went from burning your team for 3 quarters to all 4.
The jury is still out on Manu. If he's lost explosiveness, Artest may be a tougher matchup than in the past. I doubt it though. I've heard reports that Artest balloons up to 260 at times. If Manu can slash and drive anything like old Manu, Artest will have his work cut out for him.
About Denver, I agree you've got someone who can be way more physical with Melo. You don't have to worry about that with Ron Ron, he loves throwing that 260 around.
we need Bruce Bowen back
Artest going to Lakers
By Chris Duncan
Ron Artest is joining Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
David Bauman, Artest’s agent, told The Associated Press that the Houston Rockets forward has verbally agreed to play for the NBA champions next season. Bauman said the final details are still being worked out, but could be finished as early as Thursday night.
ESPN.com reported that Artest had agreed to a three-year deal worth $18 million. Bauman would not confirm those numbers, saying the deal was still being negotiated.
“We’re not quite there yet,” Bauman said. “We’re still working on it.”
The 6-foot-7 forward earned $7.4 million in his only season with Houston, averaging 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year was also a rugged 1-on-1 defender, often assigned to guard the opponent’s most dynamic scorer.
Bauman said Artest was looking for a championship-caliber team when he became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday and the Lakers were one of his top choices.
“He wants to win a ring,” Bauman said. “He’s a winner and a hard worker and he went looking for a team with whom he could find some justification for what he does. He plays his best when he’s in that kind of an environment.”
Artest could not immediately be reached for comment.
He told CBSSports.com that he met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and coach Phil Jackson. In a text message to ESPN.com on Thursday night, Artest wrote: “I am happy to say I am goin’ to L.A.”
Earlier Thursday, Bauman said Artest was being courted by several teams that made the playoffs last season and received text messages from unspecified “superstars” who were trying to lure him to their cities. Bauman would not say if Bryant was one of those players, but acknowledged on Thursday night that their friendship was a factor in Artest’s decision.
“The whole situation was extremely appealing to Ron,” Bauman said.
The two had a feisty individual battle in the second round of the playoffs, as the undermanned Rockets pushed Bryant and the Lakers to seven games. Artest and Bryant often mouthed off at one another and Artest was ejected from one game for confronting a referee and claiming that Bryant elbowed him in the neck.
Artest’s decision is another tough blow to the Rockets, who acquired Artest in a trade with Sacramento last summer. The Rockets envisioned Artest as the final piece to a “Big Three” with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, but those two All-Stars are now dealing with long-term injuries.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey did not immediately return a phone message on Thursday night.
He already seemed resigned to losing Artest, flying to Las Vegas earlier in the day to meet with Lakers forward Trevor Ariza. The 6-8 Ariza averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Lakers last season and would fit into Artest’s role in Houston’s starting lineup.
Houston already knows it will be missing McGrady for the bulk of next season as he recovers from microfracture surgery on his left knee.
The Rockets are also awaiting a definitive prognosis on Yao, who sustained a hairline fracture in his left foot in the playoffs. Morey made an aggressive pitch to free agent center Marcin Gortat shortly after the free agency period began on Wednesday.
Artest asked much more than MLE and lakers are over cap, so I guess it may be a sign&trade deal, Artest for Ariza, as I heard Morey met with Ariza too. Ariza may ask an amount around MLE but Rockets want to use mle on Gortat. So a s&t makes sense for rocckets as well. I dont know how much this helps the rockets though.
Chris Duncan?
Are you related?
Gortat already committed to Dallas
Wait, so which Laker is gonna guard Tony Parker now?
Artest is 29 and will turn 30 in November. To put this in perspective, he's younger than Bowen was in 2003. If they resign Odom, the Lakers will be the most talent loaded team the NBA has had in a long time. This doesn't make them unbeatable, but it does make them damn good.
Artest has probably given up at least 30 million in his career thanks to his reputation.
For the same money I'd rather have Ariza, but he and his agent played hard ball and would not accept the MLE. The Lakers were not going to make the same mistake of overpaying for a guy who did well in his contract year. Ariza is not worth more than the MLE, he's just not. Plus there is no guarantee that Ariza continues upon the season he had, he could have just as easily reverted like so many other players have after their contract years.
What everyone is criticizing Ron Artest for is hilarious. He's not going to be the #1, #2, or even #3 option on the Lakers. They are bringing him in strictly for his defense, and he IS a better defender than Trevor Ariza. So what if he can't guard speedy PG's, Phil rarely put Ariza on the opposing team's PG anyways. Provided Phil can keep Ron in check for a season this was a great move by the Lakers.
And Spur fan shouldn't even care. They can't compete with the Lakers until they upgrade their front court.
The Machine....cough cough
What Laker has ever been able to guard Parker and WHEN HAS THAT STOPPED THE LAKERS FROM BEATING THE SPURS?
you people are stupid.
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